1897 in Wales
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| See also: | List of years in Wales Timeline of Welsh history
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This article is about the particular significance of the year 1897 to Wales and its people.
Incumbents
- Prince of Wales – Albert Edward
- Princess of Wales – Alexandra
- Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Hwfa Môn[1]
Events
- January – Sir Owen Morgan Edwards founds the periodical Heddyw, published in Wrexham.
- 9 April – The Snowdon Mountain Railway resumes operation, a year after a fatal accident on its maiden run.
- c. May – The Plynlimon and Hafan Tramway opens.
- 13 May – Guglielmo Marconi sends the first ever wireless communication over water, from Lavernock Point to Flat Holm.
- 2 June – The first Jubilee Bridge (Queensferry) across the River Dee is opened by William Gladstone.[2]
- 20 June – Celebration of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee is muted in Nonconformist parts of Wales, as the date falls on a Sunday.
- 30 September – Inauguration of Beacons Reservoir water supply to Cardiff.
- 9 October – Opening of the Tal-y-cafn Bridge across the River Conwy.[3]
- November – Four Customs officers are rescued from the River Usk, near Newport's Alexandra Dock pier-head after their boat capsizes.
- Roller coaster erected on Barry Island, origin of Barry Island Pleasure Park.
- Opening of the Grand Theatre, Swansea.
- Construction work is completed on the Pierhead Building as offices for Cardiff Docks.[4]
- Weaver's Mill, Swansea, becomes the first building in the UK to be constructed from reinforced concrete, by L. G. Mouchel of Briton Ferry.
- Merthyr Tydfil is refused a town charter; it is eventually granted one in 1905.
- Opening of the Canterbury Building at St David's College, Lampeter (demolished in 1971).
- Edgeworth David leads the Royal Society's expedition to the coral atoll of Funafuti.
- Opening of Llanfyllin County School. Politician Clement Davies is one of the first pupils.
Arts and literature
Awards
National Eisteddfod of Wales – held at Newport
- Chair – John Thomas Job, "Brawdgarwch"[5]
- Crown – Thomas Mafonwy Davies, "Arthur y Ford Gron"[6]
New books
English language
- Owen Rhoscomyl – The White Rose of Arno[7]
- John William Willis-Bund – The Celtic Church of Wales
- Alfred Neobard Palmer – Owen Tanat
Welsh language
- Caniadau Cymru (anthology)
- John Cadvan Davies – Caneuon Cadvan[8]
- Ellis Pierce – Teulu'r Gilfach[9]
Music
- Walford Davies – Overture in D minor
- Llyfr Hymnau a Thonau y Methodistiaid Calfinaidd (collection of hymns)[10]
Film
- Arthur Cheetham begins making films in Wales.
Sport
- Rugby Union – Due to an argument with the International Football Rugby Board the Welsh Rugby Union withdraws from the organisation and Wales do not play international rugby for 12 months.
- Swimming – The Welsh Amateur Swimming Association is founded. The first Welsh championships take place, with events for men only.
Births
- 3 April – Frank Evans, dual-code international rugby player (died 1972)
- 5 April – Ness Edwards, politician (died 1968)[11]
- 21 April – Albert Stock, Wales international rugby player (died 1969)
- 22 June – Kathleen Freeman, classical scholar (died 1959)[12]
- 21 August – Victor Nash-Williams, archaeologist (died 1955)[13]
- 28 September – Harry Beadles, Wales international footballer (died 1958)
- 15 November – Aneurin Bevan, politician (died 1960)[14]
- 31 December – Rhys Williams, politician (died 1969)
Deaths
- 14 January – William Basil Jones, Bishop of St David's, 75[15]
- 3 February – David Pugh Evans, songwriter, 31
- 2 March – Evan Owen Phillips, Dean of St David's, 70[16][17]
- 1 April – William Gwynn, Rugby union international
- 16 April – Thomas Lewis, Welsh-born Australian politician, 75[18]
- 10 May – Walter Evans, footballer, about 30[19]
- 12 May – Thomas Llewellyn Thomas, linguist, 56[20]
- June – Hugh Jones, Archdeacon of St Asaph, 81[21]
- 1 September – John Griffiths, Archdeacon of Llandaff, 77[22]
- 6 September – Thomas Rees Morgan, engineer, 63
- 8 September – James Milo Griffith, sculptor, 54[23]
- 16 September – Edward Edwards (Pencerdd Ceredigion), musician, 83[24]
- 20 September – Hugh Morris, footballer, 25 (tuberculosis)[25]
- 15 October – Charles John Vaughan, former Dean of Llandaff, 81[26]
- 12 November – Isaac Evans, trade union leader and politician, 49 (post-operative complications)[27]
- 24 November – Arthur James Herbert, Quartermaster-General, 77[28]
- 2 December – Thomas Lewis, politician, 76[29]
- 4 December – Griffith Rhys Jones ("Caradog"), choral conductor, 62[30]
References
- ^ Hywel Teifi Edwards (20 July 2016). The Eisteddfod. University of Wales Press. p. 39. ISBN 978-1-78316-914-6.
- ^ Eija Suomela-Salmi; Fred Dervin (2009). Cross-linguistic and Cross-cultural Perspectives on Academic Discourse. John Benjamins Publishing. p. 101. ISBN 90-272-5437-0.
- ^ Walter Bezant Lowe (1912). The Heart of Northern Wales: As it was and as it Is, Being an Account of the Pre-historical and Historical Remains of Aberconway and the Neighbourhood. W.B. Lowe. pp. 247–8.
- ^ John B. Hilling (15 August 2018). The Architecture of Wales: From the First to the Twenty-First Century. University of Wales Press. p. 169. ISBN 978-1-78683-285-6.
- ^ "Winners of the Chair". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 11 December 2019.
- ^ "Winners of the Crown". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
- ^ John S. Ellis (15 November 2016). Owen Rhoscomyl. University of Wales Press. p. 38. ISBN 978-1-78316-950-4.
- ^ Y Bywgraffiadur Cymreig hyd 1940. Paratowyd dan nawdd Anrhydeddus Gymdeithas y Cymmrodorion (in Welsh). Anrhydeddus Gymdeithas y Cymmrodorioa. 1953. p. 127.
- ^ Meic Stephens (1986). Cydymaith i lenyddiaeth Cymru (in Welsh). Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru. p. 471. ISBN 978-0-7083-0915-5.
- ^ Journal of the Folk-Song Society. The Society. 1910. p. 299.
- ^ John Davies. "EDWARDS, NESS (1897–1968), trade unionist and Member of Parliament". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
- ^ NA NA (25 December 2015). Twentieth Century Crime & Mystery Writers. Springer. p. 566. ISBN 978-1-349-81366-7.
- ^ William John Townsend Collins (1948). Monmouthshire Writers: A Literary History and Anthology. R.H. Johns. p. 157.
- ^ John Graham Jones. "Bevan, Aneurin (1897–1960), politician and one of the founders of the Welfare State". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
- ^ "William Basil Jones, Bishop of St Davids". Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
- ^ Robert Thomas Jenkins. "Phillips, Evan Owen (1826–1897), dean of S. Davids". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- ^ The Times, Friday, 5 Mar 1897; pg. 10; Issue 35143; col B Obituary The Very Rev E.O. Phillips
- ^ "Mr Thomas Lewis (1821–1897)". Former Members. Parliament of New South Wales. 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
- ^ Davies, Gareth; Garland, Ian (1991). Who's Who of Welsh International Soccer Players. Bridge Books. p. 61. ISBN 1-872424-11-2.
- ^ Jones, Gwilym Arthur; Ellis, Thomas Iorwerth. "Thomas, Thomas Llewelyn (1840–1897), scholar, teacher and linguist". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
- ^ "Obituary". The Times. 19 June 1897. p. 11.
- ^ 'GRIFFITHS, Ven. John', Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2007; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 accessed 14 Feb 2014
- ^ The Cambrian. T.J. Griffiths. 1898. p. 185.
- ^ Robert David Griffith. "Edwards, Edward (1816–1897), musician". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- ^ Davies, Gareth; Garland, Ian (1991). Who's Who of Welsh International Soccer Players. Bridge Books. p. 146. ISBN 1-872424-11-2.
- ^ Roach, John. "Vaughan, Charles John". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/28124. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ Joyce Bellamy and John Saville, "Evans, Isaac", Dictionary of Labour Biography, vol.I, pp.113–114
- ^ "Obituary: General Sir Arthur James Herbert, K.C.B.". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 25 November 1897. p. 6.
- ^ Frederic Boase (1965). Modern English Biography: Containing Many Thousand Concise Memoirs of Persons who Have Died Between the Years 1851–1900, with an Index of the Most Interesting Matter. Frank Cass. p. 49-50.
- ^ Robert David Griffith. "Jones, Griffith Rhys (1834–1897), conductor of a once well-known South Wales choir, 'Côr Caradog'". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 11 December 2019.