1881 in Wales
Encyclopedia
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1881 to Wales
and its people
.
is formed by English and Welsh artists in North Wales.
— held at Merthyr Tydfil
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and its people
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
.
Incumbents
- Prince of WalesPrince of WalesPrince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
— The Prince Albert EdwardEdward VII of the United KingdomEdward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
, son of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom - Princess of WalesPrincess of WalesPrincess of Wales is a British courtesy title held by the wife of The Prince of Wales since the first "English" Prince of Wales in 1283.Although there have been considerably more than ten male heirs to the throne, there have been only ten Princesses of Wales. The majority of Princes of Wales...
— Alexandra of DenmarkAlexandra of DenmarkAlexandra of Denmark was the wife of Edward VII of the United Kingdom... - ArchdruidArchdruidThe Archdruid is the title used by the presiding official of the Gorsedd.The Archdruid presides over the most important ceremonies at the National Eisteddfod of Wales including the Crowning of the Bard, The Award of the Prose Medal and Chairing of the Bard. From 1932 only former winners of the...
of the National Eisteddfod of WalesNational Eisteddfod of WalesThe National Eisteddfod of Wales is the most important of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales.- Organisation :...
— Clwydfardd
Events
- January — At least five people freeze to death during blizzards and extreme low temperatures throughout Wales.
- August — The Sunday Closing (Wales) ActSunday Closing (Wales) Act 1881The Sunday Closing Act 1881 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It required the closure of all public houses in Wales on Sundays. The Act had considerable political importance as a formal acknowledgement of the separate character of Wales, setting a precedent for future...
prohibits the sale of alcoholAlcoholIn chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
on a Sunday. This is the first Act of Parliament in the United KingdomActs of Parliament in the United KingdomAn Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom is a type of legislation called primary legislation. These Acts are passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom at Westminster, or by the Scottish Parliament at Edinburgh....
since the 1542 Act of Union whose application is restricted to Wales. - 13 October — 19 people drown when the Cyprian is wrecked off the Lleyn peninsula.
- River VyrnwyRiver VyrnwyThe River Vyrnwy is a river which flows through northern Powys, Wales, and Shropshire, England.The river used to be sourced from the many rivers and streams running off the mountains surrounding the Vyrnwy valley. However, since the Lake Vyrnwy dam was built in the 1880s, the river has flowed...
is dammed to create Lake VyrnwyLake VyrnwyLake Vyrnwy Nature Reserve and Estate is an area of land in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales, surrounding the Victorian reservoir of Lake Vyrnwy. Its stone-built dam, built in the 1880s, was the first of its kind in the world. The Nature Reserve and the area around it are jointly managed by the Royal...
.
Arts and literature
The Cambrian Academy of ArtRoyal Cambrian Academy of Art
The Royal Cambrian Academy of Art is a centre of excellence for art in Wales. Its main gallery is located in Conwy and it has over a hundred members.thumb|right|240px|Plas Mawr, Conwy-Early history:...
is formed by English and Welsh artists in North Wales.
Awards
National Eisteddfod of WalesNational Eisteddfod of Wales
The National Eisteddfod of Wales is the most important of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales.- Organisation :...
— held at Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil is a town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000. Although once the largest town in Wales, it is now ranked as the 15th largest urban area in Wales. It also gives its name to a county borough, which has a population of around 55,000. It is located in the historic county of...
- Chair — Evan Rees ("Dyfed")
- Crown — Watkin Hezekiah Williams
Sport
- Rugby unionRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
- First WalesWales national rugby union teamThe Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
national game, played at Blackheath against England. Wales lose heavily. - The Welsh Rugby UnionWelsh Rugby UnionThe Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Wales, recognised by the International Rugby Board.The union's patron is Queen Elizabeth II, and her grandson Prince William of Wales became the Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union as of February 2007.-History:The roots of the...
is formed.
- First Wales
Births
- 1 January — George Latham, footballer (died 1939)
- 3 January — Lewis Pugh EvansLewis Pugh EvansBrigadier General Lewis Pugh Evans VC, CB, CMG, DSO & Bar, DL was a Welsh recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Early years:Lewis Pugh Evans was born at Abermadd to Sir...
, VC recipient (died 1962) - 14 February — William John GruffyddWilliam John GruffyddProfessor William John Gruffydd was a Welsh academic, poet, writer, and politician.-Family and Education:...
, academic and politician (died 1954) - 9 April — John Hart EvansJohn Hart EvansJohn 'Jack' Hart Evans was a Welsh international rugby union centre who played club rugby for Pontypool. He won three caps for Wales during 1907.-Rugby career:...
, Wales international rugby player (died 1959) - 16 April — Ifor WilliamsIfor WilliamsSir Ifor Williams was a Welsh scholar who laid the foundations for the academic study of Old Welsh, particularly early Welsh poetry....
, academic (died 1965) - 5 May — Rupert Price HallowesRupert Price HallowesRupert Price Hallowes VC MC was a British recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
, VC recipient (died 1915) - 16 June — David GrenfellDavid GrenfellDavid Rhys Grenfell PC, CBE, LlD was a British Member of Parliament. He represented the Gower constituency for the Labour Party from 1922 to 1959.-Early life:...
, politician (died 1968) - 20 June — John Crichton-Stuart, 4th Marquess of ButeJohn Crichton-Stuart, 4th Marquess of ButeJohn Crichton-Stuart, 4th Marquess of Bute KT was a Scottish peer, the son of John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute....
, landowner (died 1947) - August — John Lewis, footballer (died 1954)
- 30 September — Philip Lewis GriffithsPhilip Lewis GriffithsPhilip Lewis Griffiths KC was an Australian jurist.Educated at Caulfield Grammar School, he studied for a Master of Arts degree at the Trinity College of the University of Melbourne. He then wrote for The Mercury in both Hobart and Launceston, before studying law at the University of Tasmania...
, lawyer (died 1945) - 1 October — Cliff PritchardCliff PritchardCliff Pritchard was a Welsh international centre who played club rugby for Newport RFC and Pontypool RFC. Pritchard was capped on five occasions and scored two tries for his country...
, Wales international rugby player (died 1954) - 28 October — Edward Evans, 1st Baron MountevansEdward Evans, 1st Baron MountevansAdmiral Edward Ratcliffe Garth Russell Evans, 1st Baron Mountevans, KCB, DSO , known as "Teddy" Evans, was a British naval officer and Antarctic explorer...
, explorer (died 1957) - 10 December — David Phillips JonesDavid Phillips JonesDavid Phillips Jones more commonly known as Ponty' Jones was a Welsh international rugby union wing player who played club rugby for several teams, most notably Pontypool and London Welsh. He won a single cap for Wales in 1907.Jones was a mining surveyor by profession, and was also a classically...
, Wales international rugby player (died 1936) - December — George Henry HallGeorge Henry HallGeorge Henry Hall, 1st Viscount Hall PC was a British Labour politician. He served Secretary of State for the Colonies between 1945 and 1946 and as First Lord of the Admiralty between 1946 and 1951.-Background:...
, politician (died 1965) - date unknown
- David ThomasDavid Thomas (composer)David John Thomas , often known by his bardic name of "Afan", was a Welsh composer, conductor, and organist.Thomas is remembered mainly for his hymn tunes and songs such as "Drosom ni" and "Cymru fach i mi"...
("Afan"), composer (died 1928) - Robert WilliamsRobert Williams (trade union leader)Robert Williams was a British trade union organiser.He was born in Swansea, Wales, and began his working life as a coal trimmer at the docks. He became active in his union, the National Amalgamated Labourers' Union, at the age of 16 and eventually became its president...
, trade union leader
- David Thomas
Deaths
- 3 January — William H. C. Lloyd, clergyman, 78
- 9 January — John Roose Elias, poet, 60
- 20 April — William BurgesWilliam Burges (architect)William Burges was an English architect and designer. Amongst the greatest of the Victorian art-architects, Burges sought in his work an escape from 19th century industrialisation and a return to the values, architectural and social, of an imagined mediaeval England...
, architect, 53 - 7 June — William Milbourne James (judge)William Milbourne James (judge)Sir William Milbourne James was a British judge and Privy Councillor.-Life history:James was born in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales in 1807 to Christopher James a prosperous provision merchant. His cousin was Charles Herbert James, who later became Member of Parliament for Merthyr Tydfil...
, 74 - 13 October — Edwin Barber MorganEdwin Barber MorganEdwin Barber Morgan was an entrepreneur and politician from the Finger Lakes region of western New York. He was the first president of Wells Fargo & Company, founder of the United States Express Company, and director of American Express Company...
, Welsh-descended president of Wells Fargo, 67 - 20 November — Hugh Owen, educationist, 77
- 22 November — John Owen Griffith (Ioan Arfon), poet and critic, 53