1905 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1905 to Wales and its people.

← 1904 1903 1902 1901 1900 1905 in Wales → 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s
See also:	List of years in Wales 1905 in The United Kingdom Ireland Scotland

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales – George (later George V)
• Princess of Wales – Mary
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Dyfed

Events

• 31 January – 1904–1905 Welsh Revival: Rev Peter Price writes to the Western Mail, criticising the "so-called" revival led by Evan Roberts.[1]
• 10 March – 33 men are killed in a mining accident at Cambrian Colliery, Clydach Vale, Rhondda.
• 29 March – Evan Roberts embarks on his first and only mission outside Wales, spending a three-week period in Liverpool.[2]
• 27 May – Thomas Price becomes Premier of South Australia.
• 30 June – Opening of the Prichard Jones Institute at Newborough, Anglesey.
• 11 July – National Colliery disaster at Wattstown in the Rhondda: an underground explosion kills 120 men, with just one survivor.[3]
• 28 August – The Dyserth branch line is opened to passengers.[4]
• 21 October - The centenary of the death of Horatio Nelson is commemorated in a ceremony at The Kymin. Participants include Lady Llangattock.
• 28 October - Edward VII grants city status to Cardiff.
• 10 December – David Lloyd George joins the new Liberal Cabinet of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman as President of the Board of Trade.
• 18 December – The earldom of Plymouth is revived in favour of Robert George Windsor-Clive, 14th Baron Windsor, who also becomes Viscount Windsor of St. Fagan's.
• 28 December – Godfrey Morgan is created Viscount Tredegar.[5]
• Sir John Williams purchases the Peniarth manuscripts at the instigation of John Gwenogvryn Evans.

Arts and literature

• Edward Morgan Humphreys joins the staff of Y Genedl Gymreig.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales – held in Mountain Ash
  • Chair – withheld[6]
  • Crown – Thomas Mathonwy Davies

New books

English language

• David Ffrangcon Davies – The Singing of the Future[7]
• W. H. Davies – The Soul's Destroyer[8]
• Allen Raine - Hearts of Wales[9]
• Owen Rhoscomyl – Flame-Bearers of Welsh History[10]

Welsh language

• Gwaith Ann Griffiths (ed. Owen Morgan Edwards)
• John Jones (Myrddin Fardd) – Cynfeirdd Lleyn[11]
• Gwyneth Vaughan - O Gorlannau'r Defaid[12]
• John Watson – Yr Hen Ddoctor[13]

Film

• The Life of Charles Peace made by Ifan ab Owen Edwards[14]

Music

• David John de Lloyd is the first music graduate of University of Wales, Aberystwyth.
• John Hughes - "Cwm Rhondda" (hymn tune, first version, as "Rhondda")
• William Penfro Rowlands – "Blaenwern" (hymn tune)

Sport

• Bowls – The International Bowling Board is formed in Cardiff.
• Rugby union
  • 11 March – Wales win the Home Nations Championship and take the Triple Crown.
  • 16 December – Wales defeat the first touring New Zealand team at Cardiff Arms Park.

Births

• 6 January – Idris Davies, poet (died 1953)
• 10 February – Rachel Thomas, actress (died 1995)[15]
• 28 February – Glyn Jones, writer (died 1995)
• 1 March – Doris Hare, actress (died 2000)
• 18 April – Alun Oldfield-Davies, controller of BBC Wales (died 1988)
• 18 May – Thomas Jones Pierce, historian (died 1964)
• 28 June – Albert Clifford Williams, politician (died 1987)
• 11 July – Jack Bassett, Wales international rugby union player (died 1989)
• 2 August – Myrna Loy, actress of Welsh descent (died 1993)
• 13 August – Gareth Jones, journalist and advisor to David Lloyd George (died 1935)
• 28 August – Cyril Walters, cricketer (died 1992)
• 31 October – W. F. Grimes, archaeologist (died 1988)
• 26 November – Emlyn Williams, dramatist and actor (died 1987)[16]
• 10 December – John Edward Jones, Plaid Cymru leader (died 1970)
• 18 December – Stanley Cornwell Lewis, artist (died 2009)
• 22 December – Gwyn Richards, dual-code rugby player (died 1985)
• 29 December – Billy Williams, dual-code international rugby player (died 1973)

Deaths

• 24 January – Richard Lewis, Bishop of Llandaff, 83[17]
• 7 March – Robert Isaac Jones, pharmacist, writer and printer[18]
• 14 March – Henry Paget, 5th Marquess of Anglesey, eccentric (died in Monte Carlo), 29[19]
• 25 April – David Watkin Jones, poet, 73
• 29 May – Robert Franklin John, Welsh-born farmer and political figure in British Columbia, 54[20]
• August/September – Peter Rees Jones, entrepreneur, 62
• 14 October – John Thomas, photographer, 67
• 15 October – Thomas Howells (Hywel Cynon), poet and musician, 66[21]
• 19 October – Anne Ceridwen Rees, practising physician in the US, 31[22]
• 23 October – William Phillips, botanist, 83[23]
• 28 October – Barry Girling, Wales international rugby union player
• 10 November – Rowland Williams (Hwfa Môn), poet and archdruid, 82[24]
• 19 November – Watkin Hezekiah Williams (Watcyn Wyn), schoolmaster and poet, 61[25]
• 25 November – William Cadwaladr Davies, educationist, 56[26]
• 8 December – Edward Davies, US-born minister, publisher of Y Cenhadwr, 78[27]
• 9 December – Arthur Humphreys-Owen, barrister, landowner and politician, 69[28]
• 14 December – Nathaniel Jones, minister and poet, 73[29]
• 17 December – Robert Jones Derfel, poet and dramatist, 81[30]

References

1. Rhodri Hayward, Resisting History: Religious Transcendence and the Invention of the Unconscious (Manchester University Press, 2007) p 124
2. Gwilym Hughes, "The story of the Liverpool mission" Archived 8 April 2014 at Archive.today. Accessed 8 April 2014
3. Great Britain. Parliament (1905). The Parliamentary Debates. Reuter's Telegram Company. p. 1362.
4. Peter E. Baughan (1980). North and mid Wales. David & Charles. p. 80. ISBN 978-0-7153-7850-2.
5. Welsh Biography Online. Accessed 1 June 2014
6. "Winners of the Chair". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 3 October 2019.
7. David Thomas Ffrangcon- Davies (1905). The Singing of the Future. J. Lane.
8. Ian Ousby (23 February 1996). The Cambridge Paperback Guide to Literature in English. Cambridge University Press. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-521-43627-4.
9. Allen Raine (1905). Hearts of Wales: An Old Romance. Hutchinson.
10. Owen Rhoscomyl (pseud.) (1905). Flame-bearers of Welsh History: Being the Outline of the Story of 'The Sons of Cunedda'.
11. Eric Hobsbawm; Terence Ranger (26 March 2012). The Invention of Tradition. Cambridge University Press. p. 49. ISBN 978-1-107-60467-4.
12. Y Bywgraffiadur Cymreig hyd 1940. Paratowyd dan nawdd Anrhydeddus Gymdeithas y Cymmrodorion. Anrhydeddus Gymdeithas y Cymmrodorio. 1953. p. 350.
13. Cardiff. Free Libraries (1900). Bibliography of Wales. p. 491.
14. Noël Burch (21 November 1990). Life to Those Shadows. University of California Press. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-520-07144-5.
15. "Obituary: Rachel Thomas". The Independent. 10 February 1995. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
16. Krebs, Albin (26 September 1987). "Emlyn Williams, Welsh Actor and Writer, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
17. Death Of The Bishop Of Llandaff, The Times, 25 January 1905; page 4; Issue 37613; col A
18. William Rowlands. "Jones, Robert Isaac (Alltud Eifion; 1815–1905), pharmacist, littérateur, and printer". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
19. The Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage & Companionage of the British Empire. 1907. p. 164.
20. "Vital Event Death Registration". BC Archives. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
21. "Howells, Thomas (Hywel Cynon; 1839–1905),collier, printer, poet". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
22. D. R. Lewis, "The Late Anne C. Rees, M. D. (Ceridwen)" The Cambrian 25(12)(December 1905): 543-544.
23. Lee, Sidney, ed. (1912). "Phillips, William" . Dictionary of National Biography (2nd supplement). 3. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
24. Richard Griffith Owen. "WILLIAMS, ROWLAND (Hwfa Môn; 1823–1905), Independent minister, and archdruid of Wales". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
25. Brinley Rees. "Williams, Watkin Hezekiah (Watcyn Wyn; 1844–1905), schoolmaster, poet, and preacher". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
26. John Edward Lloyd. "Davies, William Cadwaladr (1849–1905), educationist". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
27. Robert (Bob) Owen. "Davies, Edward (1827–1905), Independent minister in the U.S.A., and author". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
28. Robert Thomas Jenkins. "Humphreys-Owen, Arthur (1836–1905), Member of Parliament". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
29. Idwal Lewis. "Jones, Nathaniel Cynhafal (1832–1905), Calvinistic Methodist minister, and poet". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
30. David Gwenallt Jones. "Derfel, Robert Jones (1824–1905), poet and socialist". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 2 February 2019.