National Institutions Bill was introduced into Parliament in 1891 by Alfred Thomas

Alfred Thomas, 1st Baron Pontypridd

Alfred Thomas, 1st Baron Pontypridd , was a Welsh Liberal Party politician.-Background and education:Born in Penylan, Cardiff, Wales, Thomas was educated at Weston School, near Bath...

, MP for East Glamorgan. This Bill, supported by T. E. Ellis

T. E. Ellis

Thomas Edward Ellis , usually known as T. E. Ellis, was a Welsh politician who was the leader of Cymru Fydd, a movement aimed at gaining home rule for Wales.-Life:...

, proposed the creation of a Welsh Office

Welsh Office

The Welsh Office was a department in the Government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Wales. It was established in April 1965 to execute government policy in Wales, and was headed by the Secretary of State for Wales, a post which had been created in October 1964...

, a Welsh National University

University of Wales

The University of Wales was a confederal university founded in 1893. It had accredited institutions throughout Wales, and formerly accredited courses in Britain and abroad, with over 100,000 students, but in October 2011, after a number of scandals, it withdrew all accreditation, and it was...

, and a National Museum of Wales as well as a Welsh Parliament, to be based in Aberystwyth

Aberystwyth

Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....

. Ellis' role in the process was purely advisory, as he spent much of 1891 in Egypt for the sake of his health (ironic, as Ellis caught a fever there and almost died, an experience that left him weakened for life). The Bill was opposed by Sir Edward James Reed

Edward James Reed

Sir Edward James Reed , KCB, FRS, was a British naval architect, author, politician, and railroad magnate. He was the Chief Constructor of the Royal Navy from 1863 until 1870...

, MP for Cardiff

Cardiff

Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...

, and David Alfred Thomas

David Alfred Thomas

David Alfred Thomas, 1st Viscount Rhondda PC , sometimes known as D. A. Thomas, was a Welsh industrialist and Liberal politician...

, MP for 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...

, who felt that the Bill would lead to rural Wales dominating industrial South Wales. Although the Bill was unsuccessful, it indicated for the first time what a Welsh national party might be able to achieve. Consideration of the Bill, combined with fever led Ellis to issue a Welsh National Manifesto from Luxor, Egypt, proposing such institutions, together with a 'Temple of Nationalism.'

Sources

• National Library of Wales, T. E. Ellis Papers
• Sir Thomas Hughes, Great Welshmen of Modern Days (Cardiff, 1931)
• Neville Masterman, The Forerunner: Dilemmas of Tom Ellis, 1859-1899 (Swansea, 1972)
• David Jenkins, A refuge in Peace and War: The National Library of Wales to 1952 (Aberystwyth, 2002)
• W. Hughes Johns, Wales Drops the Pilots (London, no date)
• K. O. Morgan, ‘D. A. Thomas: The Industrialist as Politician
• Gerard Charmley, 'D. A. Thomas Versus Lloyd George' (Unpublished University of Wales M.A. Thesis)