1987 in Wales
Encyclopedia
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1987 to Wales
and its people
.
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...
- Charles, Prince of WalesCharles, Prince of WalesPrince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay... - 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...
- Diana, Princess of WalesDiana, Princess of WalesDiana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century... - Secretary of State for WalesSecretary of State for WalesThe Secretary of State for Wales is the head of the Wales Office within the British cabinet. He or she is responsible for ensuring Welsh interests are taken into account by the government, representing the government within Wales and overseeing the passing of legislation which is only for Wales...
- Peter WalkerPeter Walker, Baron Walker of WorcesterPeter Edward Walker, Baron Walker of Worcester, MBE, PC , was British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet as the Environment Secretary , Trade and Industry Secretary , Agriculture Minister , Energy Secretary and Welsh Secretary... - Archbishop of WalesArchbishop of WalesThe post of Archbishop of Wales was created in 1920 when the Church in Wales was separated from the Church of England , and disestablished...
- George NoakesGeorge NoakesGeorge Noakes was the Bishop of St Davids and the Archbishop of Wales.Born in Ceredigion on 13 September 1924 and educated at the University of Aberystwyth, after wartime service in the RAFVR he was ordained in 1950...
Events
- 12 January - The lowest daytime maximum temperature ever recorded in Wales ( -8.0 °C) is recorded at TrecastleTrecastleTrecastle is a village in Powys, Wales, on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park.Trecastle is named after an early 12th century motte-and-bailey fortification , built by Bernard de Neufmarche and designed to protect Brecon from attack from the west...
, PowysPowysPowys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
. - 5 March - The High Court declares Dorothy SquiresDorothy SquiresDorothy Squires was a Welsh vocalist. Among her recordings were versions of "A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening", "I'm in the Mood for Love", "Anytime", "If You Love Me " and "And So to Sleep Again".-Biography:...
a vexatious litigantVexatious litigationVexatious litigation is legal action which is brought, regardless of its merits, solely to harass or subdue an adversary. It may take the form of a primary frivolous lawsuit or may be the repetitive, burdensome, and unwarranted filing of meritless motions in a matter which is otherwise a...
. - 24 May - Neil KinnockNeil KinnockNeil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...
is interviewed by David FrostDavid FrostSir David Frost is a British broadcaster.David Frost may also refer to:*David Frost , South African golfer*David Frost , classical record producer*David Frost *Dave Frost, baseball pitcher...
about Labour's defence policy and plans for government. - 28 May - The Mametz Wood Memorial, sculpted by David Petersen, is unveiled in Cardiff.
- 11 June - In the general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1987The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
- Plaid CymruPlaid Cymru' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
's Ieuan Wyn JonesIeuan Wyn JonesIeuan Wyn Jones, AM is a Welsh politician, who was the Deputy First Minister in the Welsh Assembly Government from 2007 until 2011. Jones is the current leader of Plaid Cymru and Member of the National Assembly for Wales for the Ynys Môn constituency...
wins the seat of Ynys MônYnys Môn (UK Parliament constituency)Ynys Môn is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
from the Conservatives. Plaid retain their other two parliamentary seats. - Alun MichaelAlun MichaelAlun Edward Michael is a British Labour Co-operative politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Cardiff South and Penarth since 1987. He was formerly First Minister of Wales and leader of the Welsh Labour Party from 1999 to 2000.-Education:Michael was born at Bryngwran Anglesey, son of...
replaces James CallaghanJames CallaghanLeonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC , was a British Labour politician, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980...
as MP for Cardiff South. - Labour's Paul FlynnPaul Flynn (politician)Paul Philip Flynn is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Newport West since the 1987 general election. He was born in Cardiff of Welsh/Irish parentage....
wins back Newport West from the Conservatives.
- Plaid Cymru
- 11 July - The Mametz Wood Memorial is dedicated at the site of the Royal Welch Fusiliers battle of 1916.
- October
- Flooding affects many parts of Wales. Four people are killed when the Glanrhyd Bridge collapses; a train falling into the River TywiRiver TywiWith a total length of the River Towy is the longest river flowing entirely within Wales, and is noted for its sea trout and salmon fishing.The river rises within of the Teifi on the lower slopes of Crug Gynan in the Cambrian Mountains and, flowing through the Towy Forest, forms the border...
. - Keith BestKeith BestKeith Lander Best was a former Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was Member of Parliament for Anglesey from 1979 to 1983, and for Ynys Môn from 1983 to 1987...
, former Conservative MP for Ynys Môn, is sentenced to four months' imprisonment for share-dealing activities, but only serves five days.
- Flooding affects many parts of Wales. Four people are killed when the Glanrhyd Bridge collapses; a train falling into the River Tywi
- The Welsh languageWelsh languageWelsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
is used within the VaticanHoly SeeThe Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
for the first time on an official occasion, as part of a beatification ceremony for three Welsh martyrs. - A planning application is turned down at LlanrhaeadrLlanrhaeadr-yng-NghinmeirchLlanrhaeadr-yng-Nghinmeirch is a village and local government community in Denbighshire, Wales. It lies in the Vale of Clwyd near the A525 road between Denbigh and Ruthin...
, Clwyd, on the grounds that it would be detrimental to the Welsh language. It is the first time such a decision has ever been made. - The Roman Catholic Church in Wales creates a new Diocese of Wrexham and moves the Diocese of MeneviaDiocese of MeneviaThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Menevia is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church based in Swansea, Wales. There are 27,561 Catholics in the diocese which is served by 34 diocesan priests, 19 religious priests, 9 non-ordained male religious and 100 female religious...
to SwanseaSwanseaSwansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
. - Creation of the Cardiff Bay Development CorporationCardiff Bay Development CorporationThe Cardiff Bay Development Corporation was set up by the United Kingdom Government on 3 April 1987 to redevelop of one sixth of the area of Cardiff to create Cardiff Bay.-Objectives:...
. - Roy JenkinsRoy JenkinsRoy Harris Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead OM, PC was a British politician.The son of a Welsh coal miner who later became a union official and Labour MP, Roy Jenkins served with distinction in World War II. Elected to Parliament as a Labour member in 1948, he served in several major posts in...
becomes Baron Jenkins of Hillhead and is elected Chancellor of the University of OxfordUniversity of OxfordThe University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. - The National TrustNational Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural BeautyThe National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
buys Dinefwr Park in LlandeiloLlandeiloLlandeilo is a town in Carmarthenshire, Wales, situated at the crossing of the River Towy by the A483 on a 19th century stone bridge. Its population is 1,731.The town is served by Llandeilo railway station on the Heart of Wales Line.- Early history :...
, including the deer park.
Arts and literature
- Jim BurnsJim BurnsJim Burns is a Welsh artist born in Cardiff, Wales.In 1966 he joined the Royal Air Force, but soon thereafter he left and signed up at the Newport School of Art for a year's foundation course....
becomes the first non-American to win the Hugo Award for Best Professional ArtistHugo Award for Best Professional ArtistThe Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was once officially...
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Awards
- National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in PorthmadogPorthmadogPorthmadog , known locally as "Port", and historically rendered into English as Portmadoc, is a small coastal town and community in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd, in Wales. Prior to the Local Government Act 1972 it was in the administrative county of Caernarfonshire. The town lies east of...
)
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - Ieuan Wyn
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - John Griffith Jones
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - Margiad Williams
New books
- Dannie AbseDannie AbseDaniel Abse, better known as Dannie Abse , is a Welsh poet.-Early years:Abse was born in Cardiff, Wales to a Jewish family. He is the younger brother of politician and reformer Leo Abse and the eminent psychoanalyst, Wilfred Abse...
- Ask the Bloody Horse - Euros BowenEuros BowenEuros Bowen was a Welsh language poet.Born in Treorchy, and a brother of the poet Geraint Bowen, he was educated in the Presbyterian College, Carmarthen, and later at the University of Wales and Mansfield College, Oxford...
- Oes y Medwsa - Rees DaviesRees DaviesSir Robert Rees Davies CBE , was a noted Welsh historian.He was born in Merionethshire, and educated at Bala grammar school. He was bilingual in Welsh and English. He received a First in his degree from University College, London, where he later returned as a lecturer...
- Wales: The Age Of Conquest, 1063-1415 - Stephen GregoryStephen Gregory (author)Stephen Gregory is a Welsh author of horror fiction. He was born in Derby, England in 1952. He has a degree in law from the University of London, and has worked as a teacher in various places, including Bangor in Wales, Algiers in Algeria and the Sudan...
- The Cormorant - Douglas Houston - With the Offal Eaters
- Nesta Wyn Jones - Rhwng Chwerthin a Chrio
- Alan LlwydAlan LlwydAlan Llwyd , original name Alan Lloyd Roberts, is a Welsh poet, literary critic and editor, one of the most prolific Welsh-language poets in the last quarter of the 20th century....
- Barddoniaeth y Chwedegau - Gwylon Phillips - Llofruddiaeth Shadrach Lewis
- J. Beverley Smith - Llywelyn ap Gruffudd
- Frances Thomas - Seeing Things
- Peter ThomasPeter ThomasPeter John Mitchell Thomas, Baron Thomas of Gwydir, PC, QC was a Welsh Conservative politician. He was the first Welshman to become Chairman of the Conservative Party, serving from 1970 to 1972, and the first Conservative politician to serve as Secretary of State for Wales, holding that office...
- Strangers from a Secret Land - R. S. ThomasR. S. ThomasRonald Stuart Thomas was a Welsh poet and Anglican clergyman, noted for his nationalism, spirituality and deep dislike of the anglicisation of Wales...
- Welsh Airs - Rhydwen WilliamsRhydwen WilliamsRobert Rhydwenfro Williams, known as Rhydwen Williams , was a Welsh poet, novelist and Baptist minister. His work is mainly written in his native Welsh language, and is noted for adapting the established style and context of Welsh poetry from a rural and bygone age to that of a modern industrial...
- Amser i Wylo
Music
- Anrhefn - Defaid Skateboard a Wellies
- The AlarmThe AlarmThe Alarm are an alternative rock band that emerged from North Wales in the late 1970s. They started as a mod band and stayed together for over ten years. As a rock band, they displayed marked influences from Welsh language and culture...
- Eye Of The Hurricane (album) - Frank HennessyFrank HennessyFrank Hennessy is a Welsh folk singer and radio presenter.Born into Cardiff's Irish community, Hennessy was used to performance in front of his family by the time his father gave him a guitar aged 13...
- Thoughts and Memories (album) - Karl WallingerKarl WallingerKarl Edmond De Vere Wallinger is a Welsh musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for leading the band World Party and for his mid-1980s stint in The Waterboys...
- Private Revolution (album)
English-language radio
- John HumphrysJohn HumphrysDesmond John Humphrys , is a Welsh-born British author, journalist and presenter of radio and television, who has won many national broadcasting awards...
becomes a regular presenter on BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
's Today programmeToday programmeToday is BBC Radio 4's long-running early morning news and current affairs programme, now broadcast from 6.00 am to 9.00 am Monday to Friday, and 7.00 am to 9.00 am on Saturdays. It is also the most popular programme on Radio 4 and one of the BBC's most popular programmes across its radio networks...
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Sport
- BBC Wales Sports Personality of the YearBBC Wales Sports Personality of the YearThe BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality of the Year is a televised sporting competition, broadcast on BBC Two every year; and the most prestigious annual sport award in Wales. It was first awarded in 1954, and is currently organised by BBC Cymru Wales...
- Ian WoosnamIan WoosnamIan Harold Woosnam OBE is a Welsh professional golfer.Nicknamed 'Woosie', 'Woosers', or the 'Wee Welshman', Woosnam was one of the "Big Five" generation of European golfers, all born within 12 months of one another, all of whom have won majors, and made Europe competitive in the Ryder Cup...
- GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
- David LlewellynDavid Llewellyn (golfer)David John Llewellyn is a Welsh professional golfer.Llewellyn played on the European Tour in the 1970s after being named the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year in 1971. He achieved a personal best ranking of 39th on the Order or Merit in 1974, but did not win any tournaments in this period...
and Ian WoosnamIan WoosnamIan Harold Woosnam OBE is a Welsh professional golfer.Nicknamed 'Woosie', 'Woosers', or the 'Wee Welshman', Woosnam was one of the "Big Five" generation of European golfers, all born within 12 months of one another, all of whom have won majors, and made Europe competitive in the Ryder Cup...
win golf's World Cup in Hawaii - 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...
- 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...
finish 4th in the 1987 Five Nations Championship1987 Five Nations ChampionshipThe 1987 Five Nations Championship was the fifty-eighth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the ninety-third series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship...
with just a single win, over England. - 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...
finish third, their best ever position, in the first Rugby World Cup1987 Rugby World CupThe 1987 Rugby World Cup was the first Rugby World Cup. New Zealand and Australia agreed to co-host the first ever tournament with New Zealand hosting seventeen pool stage matches, two quarter-finals and the final with Australia being the junior partner hosting seven pool matches, two...
.
- Wales
Births
- 9 January - Bradley DaviesBradley DaviesBradley Davies is a Wales international rugby union player for Cardiff Blues in the RaboDirect Pro12. His father was a former Pontypridd player Bleddyn Davies who was also a lock forward.-Rugby career:...
, rugby union player - 21 January - Joe LedleyJoe LedleyJoseph Christopher Ledley is a Welsh footballer who plays for Scottish Premier League club Celtic and the Welsh national team as a central or left midfielder....
, footballer - 24 January - Wayne HennesseyWayne HennesseyWayne Robert Hennessey is a Welsh international footballer who plays for Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers as a goalkeeper.-Early career:...
, footballer - 24 March - Rob DaviesRob DaviesRobert John "Rob" Davies is a Welsh footballer. He plays for Worcester City. Prior to that, he played for Wrexham, and signed for West Bromwich Albion in the 2003–04 season for a nominal fee...
, footballer - 27 March - Adam DaviesAdam DaviesAdam Davies is an English-born Welsh footballer who played for Cambridge United and the Wales national under-21 football team....
, footballer - 8 May - Aneurin BarnardAneurin Barnard-Early life:He was born in the former borough of Ogwr in Mid Glamorgan and trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama alongside Kimberley Nixon and Tom Cullen, graduating in 2008...
, actor - 4 September - Mike O'SheaMike O'Shea (cricketer)Michael Peter "Mike" O'Shea is a Welsh cricketer who plays for Unicorns. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm off spin bowler....
, cricketer
Deaths
- 5 January - Brinley WilliamsBrinley WilliamsBrinley "Bryn" Williams was a Welsh dual-code international rugby wing who played rugby union for Llanelli and rugby league with Batley...
, Wales dual-code rugby international , 91 - 4 February - Wynford Vaughan-ThomasWynford Vaughan-ThomasLewis John Wynford Vaughan-Thomas CBE was a British newspaper journalist and radio and television broadcaster. In later life he took the name Vaughan-Thomas after his father....
, writer and broadcaster, 78 - 4 April - Richard Ithamar AaronRichard Ithamar AaronRichard Ithamar Aaron was a Welsh philosopher.-Early life and education:Born in Blaendulais, Glamorgan, Aaron was the son of a draper, William Aaron, and his wife, Margaret Griffith. He was educated at Ystalyfera Grammar School, followed by a spell at the University of Wales starting in 1918,...
, philosopher, 85 - 13 April - Alfred Evans, Labour MP, 73
- 19 April - Stan RichardsStan Richards (footballer)Stanley Verdun "Stan" Richards was a Welsh professional footballer and Wales international.-Career:Although he was born in Cardiff, Stan Richards began his career playing amateur football in London before joining his hometown team in 1946...
, footballer, 70 - 22 May - Keidrych RhysKeidrych RhysWilliam Ronald Rhys Jones , who used the name Keidrych Rhys, was a Welsh literary journalist and editor, and a poet. He was married to Lynette Roberts from 1939 to 1949...
, poet and editor - 22 June - William PriceWilliam Price (footballer)William John Price was an English footballer, who was born in India. He played for England amateurs.-Playing career:...
, footballer, 83 - 4 September - Richard MarquandRichard MarquandRichard Marquand was a Welsh film director best known for directing the 1983 blockbuster Star Wars film, Return of the Jedi.-Early life:...
, film director, 49 (stroke) - August - Dorothy ReesDorothy ReesDame Dorothy Mary Rees DBE was a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom, and was briefly a Member of Parliament ....
, politician, 89 - 11 September - Hugh DavidHugh DavidHugh David was an actor turned television director. David was born in Aberystwyth, Wales. His directorial credits include Compact, Z-Cars, The Pallisers and Doctor Who, for which he directed two stories in the Patrick Troughton era...
, television director, 62 - 25 September - Emlyn WilliamsEmlyn WilliamsGeorge Emlyn Williams, CBE , known as Emlyn Williams, was a Welsh dramatist and actor.-Biography:He was born into a Welsh-speaking, working class family in Mostyn, Flintshire....
, dramatist and actor, 81 - 5 November - Howard DaviesHoward Davies (rugby player)Christmas Howard Davies was a Welsh international rugby union full-back who played club rugby for Llanelli and Swansea. He won six caps for Wales.-Rugby career:...
, rugby player, 70 - 27 December - Anna Eliza WilliamsAnna Eliza WilliamsAnna Eliza Williams was a British supercentenarian and the oldest person in the world during 1987....
, oldest documented person in the world, 114 - date unknown - Albert Clifford WilliamsAlbert Clifford WilliamsAlbert Clifford Williams, better known by the name Clifford Williams, BEM was a Welsh Labour Party politician and miner. He went to a primary school in Blaina, Monmouthshire but started work in the mines at the age of 14. Williams became a National Union of Mineworkers official in 1934...
, politician, Labour MP for Abertillery 1965–1970