1897 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1897 to Wales and its people.

← 1896 1895 1894 1893 1892 1897 in Wales → 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902
Centuries:	17th 18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s
See also:	List of years in Wales 1897 in The United Kingdom Ireland Scotland

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

1. Hywel Teifi Edwards (20 July 2016). The Eisteddfod. University of Wales Press. p. 39. ISBN 978-1-78316-914-6.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. "Winners of the Chair". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 11 December 2019.
6. "Winners of the Crown". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
7. John S. Ellis (15 November 2016). Owen Rhoscomyl. University of Wales Press. p. 38. ISBN 978-1-78316-950-4.
8. Y Bywgraffiadur Cymreig hyd 1940. Paratowyd dan nawdd Anrhydeddus Gymdeithas y Cymmrodorion (in Welsh). Anrhydeddus Gymdeithas y Cymmrodorioa. 1953. p. 127.
9. Meic Stephens (1986). Cydymaith i lenyddiaeth Cymru (in Welsh). Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru. p. 471. ISBN 978-0-7083-0915-5.
10. Journal of the Folk-Song Society. The Society. 1910. p. 299.
11. John Davies. "EDWARDS, NESS (1897–1968), trade unionist and Member of Parliament". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
12. NA NA (25 December 2015). Twentieth Century Crime & Mystery Writers. Springer. p. 566. ISBN 978-1-349-81366-7.
13. William John Townsend Collins (1948). Monmouthshire Writers: A Literary History and Anthology. R.H. Johns. p. 157.
14. 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.
15. "William Basil Jones, Bishop of St Davids". Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
16. Robert Thomas Jenkins. "Phillips, Evan Owen (1826–1897), dean of S. Davids". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
17. The Times, Friday, 5 Mar 1897; pg. 10; Issue 35143; col B Obituary The Very Rev E.O. Phillips
18. "Mr Thomas Lewis (1821–1897)". Former Members. Parliament of New South Wales. 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
19. Davies, Gareth; Garland, Ian (1991). Who's Who of Welsh International Soccer Players. Bridge Books. p. 61. ISBN 1-872424-11-2.
20. 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.
21. "Obituary". The Times. 19 June 1897. p. 11.
22. '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
23. The Cambrian. T.J. Griffiths. 1898. p. 185.
24. Robert David Griffith. "Edwards, Edward (1816–1897), musician". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
25. Davies, Gareth; Garland, Ian (1991). Who's Who of Welsh International Soccer Players. Bridge Books. p. 146. ISBN 1-872424-11-2.
26. 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.)
27. Joyce Bellamy and John Saville, "Evans, Isaac", Dictionary of Labour Biography, vol.I, pp.113–114
28. "Obituary: General Sir Arthur James Herbert, K.C.B.". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 25 November 1897. p. 6.
29. 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.
30. 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.