1865 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1865 to Wales and its people.

← 1864 1863 1862 1861 1860 1865 in Wales → 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870
Centuries:	17th 18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1840s 1850s 1860s 1870s 1880s
See also:	List of years in Wales 1865 in The United Kingdom Ireland Scotland

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales — Albert Edward
• Princess of Wales — Alexandra

Events

• 5 January — The Festiniog Railway officially opens to passengers, the first narrow gauge railway in the British Isles to do so.[1]
• 14 January — An American Confederate paddle steamer, Lelia, sinks off the north Wales coast, with the loss of eighteen lives.
• 1 February — The Vale of Neath Railway is amalgamated with the Great Western Railway.
• 14 April
  • Opening of the Royal Pier, Aberystwyth, built by Eugenius Birch at a cost of £13,600.
  • Paddle steamer Great Empress collides with Beaumaris Pier.
• May
  • Opening of Talyllyn Railway.[2]
  • A branch of The Philanthropic Order of True Ivorites Friendly Society is established and registered at Colwinston.[3]
• 28 May — The Mimosa sets sail with emigrants for Patagonia.[4]
• 10 June — Opening of Penarth Dock.
• 3 July — Opening of Barmouth Junction on the Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway.
• 28 July — The town of Puerto Madryn and the Patagonian colony is founded by Michael D. Jones.[5]
• 2 August — The Wales memorial to the late Prince Albert at Tenby, sculpted by John Evan Thomas, is unveiled by Albert and Victoria's 3rd son, 15-year-old Prince Arthur on his first public engagement.[6]
• 9 September — First of fifteen deaths in the only outbreak of yellow fever ever to occur in Britain, at Swansea.
• 29 November — Two men die when a coal train falls into the North Dock at Swansea.
• 1 December — Llandrindod Wells is linked to the rail network for the first time.[7]
• Francis Kilvert becomes curate of Clyro in Radnorshire.
• Sale of the Pwyllycrochan estate, leading to the development of Colwyn Bay.
• John Crichton-Stuart, Marquess of Bute, meets architect and designer William Burges.
• Robert Jones Derfel retires from the ministry and sets up a Welsh bookshop and press in Manchester.

Arts and literature

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales is held at Aberystwyth. The chair is won by Lewis William Lewis (Llew Llwyfo).

New books

• Morris Davies — Cofiant Ann Griffiths
• John Evans (I. D. Ffraid) — Coll Gwynfa (translation of Milton's Paradise Lost)
• John Ceiriog Hughes — Y Bardd a'r Cerddor[8]
• John Jones (Mathetes) — Pregeth i Fyfyrwyr Coleg Hwlffordd ...
• John Thomas (Ifor Cwmgwys) — Diferion Meddyliol[9]

Music

• Thomas Gruffydd Jones (Tafalaw Bencerdd) — Gwarchae Harlech (cantata)

Sport

• Cricket
  • 17 July — South Wales Cricket Club travels to Gravesend to play the Gentlemen of Kent.
  • August — Morriston Cricket Club is founded.

Births

• 2 February — Henry Davies, cricketer (died 1934)
• 28 February — Arthur Symons, poet and critic (died 1945)
• 7 March — Martyn Jordan, Wales international rugby player (died 1902)
• 30 April — Max Nettlau, German historian and Welsh learner (died 1944)
• 3 June — Prince George, second son of the Prince and Princess of Wales and himself Prince of Wales 1901–1910 (later King George V; died 1936)
• 6 August — Lewis Cobden Thomas, Wales international rugby player (died 1928)
• 22 August — Stephen Thomas Wales international rugby player (died 1937)
• 8 September — David Williams, Swansea politician (died 1941)
• 23 September — William Brace, politician (died 1947)[10]
• 20 October — Sir Rhys Rhys-Williams, 1st Baronet, judge (died 1955)
• 26 October — Hugh Ingledew, Wales international rugby player (died 1937)
• October — Jack Doughty, footballer (died 1937)
• 16 December — George Rowles, footballer (died 1922)
• December — Richard Bagnall-Oakeley, Olympic archer (died 1947)
• date unknown
  • Dickie Garrett, rugby player (died 1908)
  • Albert Hybart, rugby player (died 1945)
  • George Owen, footballer (died 1922)
  • Robert Roberts, footballer (died 1945)

Deaths

• 21 February — Stapleton Cotton, military leader, 91[11]
• 26 April — William Williams, MP, 77[12]
• 29 April — Thomas Evans (Telynog), poet, 24[13]
• 18 June — William Parker Foulke, Welsh-descended American geologist, 49
• 10 August — Hugh Pugh, mariner, 71[14]
• 28 September — John Lloyd Vaughan Watkins, politician, 63
• 20 November — Rees Howell Gronow, soldier, politician and memoirist, 70[15]

References

1. Johnson, Peter (2007). An Illustrated History of the Festiniog Railway 1832–1954. Hersham: Oxford Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-86093-603-9.
2. Boyd, J. I. C. (1988). The Tal-y-Llyn Railway. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications. p. 45. ISBN 0-906867-46-0.
3. "County Treasures" (PDF). Vale of Glamorgan Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
4. Wilkinson, Susan (September 1998). "Welsh immigrants in Patagonia: Mimosa, the old ship that sailed into history". Buenos Aires Herald. Archived from the original on 5 March 2007. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
5. Williams, R. Bryn (2000). The Welsh colony in Patagonia 1865–2000. Llanrwst: Gwasg Carreg Gwalch. ISBN 0-86381-653-3.
6. Jones, Peter Ellis (2011). "The Wales memorial to Prince Albert in Tenby". Pembrokeshire: the journal of the Pembrokeshire Historical Society. 20: 53–60.
7. Quick, Michael (2009). Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain: a Chronology (4th ed.). Oxford: Railway and Canal Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-901461-57-5.
8. Celtic Culture: A-Celti. ABC-CLIO. 2006. p. 940. ISBN 978-1-85109-440-0.
9. Y Bywgraffiadur Cymreig hyd 1940. Paratowyd dan nawdd Anrhydeddus Gymdeithas y Cymmrodorion (in Welsh). Anrhydeddus Gymdeithas y Cymmrodorion. 1953. p. 1064.
10. Griffith Milwyn Griffiths. "Brace, William (1865-1947), miners' leader and M.P." Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
11. Robert Thomas Jenkins. "Cotton, Sir Stapleton (1773-1865), 6th baronet, afterwards 1st viscount Combermere, field-marshal". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
12. David Williams. "Williams, William (1788-1865), Member of Parliament". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
13. Walter Thomas Morgan. "Evans, Thomas (Telynog; 1840-1865), poet". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
14. David Thomas. "Pugh, Hugh (1794/5-1865), master mariner". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
15. Robert Thomas Jenkins. "Gronow, Rees Howell (1794-1865), writer of memoirs". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 8 August 2019.