1856 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1856 to Wales and its people.

← 1855 1854 1853 1852 1851 1856 in Wales → 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861
Centuries:	17th 18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1830s 1840s 1850s 1860s 1870s
See also:	List of years in Wales 1856 in The United Kingdom Ireland Scotland

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales – Albert Edward
• Princess of Wales – vacant

Events

• 6 February – The sailing ship Grand Duke is wrecked off St Govan's Head, with the loss of 29 lives.
• 10 March – John Jones (Shoni Sguborfawr) is sentenced to three months hard labour for drunkenness.
• May – John Frost is given an unconditional pardon for his role in the Newport Chartist demonstrations of 1839.
• 3 July – 11 men are killed in a mining accident at Coalbrookdale, Nantyglo.
• 15 July – 114 men and boys are killed in a mining accident at Cymmer Old Pit, Porth, Rhondda.
• 16 September – The Festiniog Railway publishes its first printed timetable.
• 8 September – At the Siege of Sevastopol in the Crimean War, Corporal Robert Shields of the 23rd Regiment of Foot recovers a fatally wounded officer from an exposed position, an action for which he will receive the Victoria Cross.[1]
• Troops are sent into Talargoch in Flintshire to deal with an industrial dispute involving lead miners.
• Fishguard becomes the first county court in Wales to close.
• Halkyn-born Mormon missionary Dan Jones returns to the United States on conclusion of his second (4-year) mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with between 550 and 700 Welsh saints bound for Salt Lake City.[2]
• Richard Cory sells his provision business and begins to trade as "Richard Cory and Sons" in the coal and shipping business.
• Pryce Pryce-Jones takes over a drapery business in Newtown and begins to trade as the "Royal Welsh Warehouse", a mail order business.
• Jane Williams (Ysgafell) returns to her native London, where she remains until her death nearly thirty years later.

Arts and literature

• Summer – Marian Evans (who has not yet adopted the pseudonym George Eliot) drafts "The Sad Fortunes of the Reverend Amos Barton", the first of her Scenes of Clerical Life (1857) and her first work of fiction, while holidaying at Tenby.

New books

English language

• Erasmus Jones – The Higher Law Triumphant: The Captive Youths of Judah
• Samuel Prideaux Tregelles – An Introduction to the Textual Criticism of the New Testament
• Jane Williams (Ysgafell) – The Origin, Rise, and Progress of the Paper People

Welsh language

• John Ceiriog Hughes – Gohebiaethau Syr Meurig Crynswth (vol. 1)
• John Jones (Ioan Emlyn) – Tiriad y Ffrancodym Mhencaer
• John Williams (Ab Ithel) – Dosparth Edeyrn Davod Aur[3]

Music

• January – The Welsh national anthem, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, is composed by James James with lyrics by his father Evan James.

Births

• 2 January – John Viriamu Jones, academic (died 1901)[4]
• 26 March – David Alfred Thomas, 1st Viscount Rhondda, politician (died 1918)[5]
• 1 April – Walter Jenkin Evans, academic (died 1927)
• 15 April – James Bevan, first Wales rugby union captain (died 1938)
• 15 June – Richard Garnons Williams, soldier and Wales international rugby union player (died 1915)
• 11 October – Sir Harry Reichel, academic (died 1931)
• 20 December – Egerton Phillimore, scholar (died 1937)

Deaths

• 3 January – Thomas Richard, minister, 72
• 18 February – James Morgan, engineer, 80?
• 28 March – Henry Watkins Williams-Wynn, politician, 73[6]
• May – Thomas Robert Jones, founder of the "True Ivorites", 54
• 28 May – John Bryan, minister, 79/80[7]
• 29 June – Peter Jones, Welsh-descended missionary, 54
• 14 August – Rev William Buckland, palaeontologist and discoverer of the "Red Lady of Paviland", 72[8]

References

1. "No. 21971". The London Gazette. 24 February 1857. p. 659.
2. Williams, David (2009). "Jones, Daniel". Welsh Biography Online. Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
3. John Williams (1856). Dosparth Edeyrn Davod Aur, or, The Ancient Welsh Grammar. William Rees.
4. Edgar William Jones. "Jones, John Viriamu (1856-1901), first principal of the University College, Cardiff". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
5. Brinley Thomas. "Thomas, David Alfred (1856-1918), first viscount RHONDDA. businessman and politician, Liberal Member of Parliament". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
6. Lee, Sidney, ed. (1900). "Wynn, Henry Watkin Williams" . Dictionary of National Biography. 63. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
7. "John Bryan". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
8. Devonshire Association for the Advancement of Science, Literature and Art (1933). Report and Transactions - The Devonshire Association for the Advancement of Science, Literature and Art. p. 409.