1865 in Wales

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

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

Incumbent[]

Monarch - Victoria

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 — 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]
20 December — Gethin Pit disaster, Abercanaid: the second of two firedamp explosions at this colliery near Merthyr Tydfil kills 34 miners.^[8]
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 (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^[9]
— Pregeth i Fyfyrwyr Coleg Hwlffordd ...
— Diferion Meddyliol^[10]

Music[]

(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)^[11]
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^[12]
26 April — William Williams, MP, 77^[13]
29 April — Thomas Evans (Telynog), poet, 24^[14]
18 June — William Parker Foulke, Welsh-descended American geologist, 49
10 August — Hugh Pugh, mariner, 71^[15]
28 September — John Lloyd Vaughan Watkins, politician, 63
20 November — Rees Howell Gronow, soldier, politician and memoirist, 70^[16]

References[]

^ Johnson, Peter (2007). An Illustrated History of the Festiniog Railway 1832–1954. Hersham: Oxford Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-86093-603-9.
^ Boyd, J. I. C. (1988). The Tal-y-Llyn Railway. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications. p. 45. ISBN 0-906867-46-0.
^ "County Treasures" (PDF). Vale of Glamorgan Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
^ 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.
^ Williams, R. Bryn (2000). The Welsh colony in Patagonia 1865–2000. Llanrwst: Gwasg Carreg Gwalch. ISBN 0-86381-653-3.
^ Jones, Peter Ellis (2011). "The Wales memorial to Prince Albert in Tenby". Pembrokeshire: The Journal of the Pembrokeshire Historical Society. 20: 53–60.
^ 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.
^ Gethin Pit Disaster 1865 Archived 2011-10-05 at the Wayback Machine pp. 41–44.
^ Celtic Culture: A-Celti. ABC-CLIO. 2006. p. 940. ISBN 978-1-85109-440-0.
^ Y Bywgraffiadur Cymreig hyd 1940. Paratowyd dan nawdd Anrhydeddus Gymdeithas y Cymmrodorion (in Welsh). Anrhydeddus Gymdeithas y Cymmrodorion. 1953. p. 1064.
^ Griffith Milwyn Griffiths. "Brace, William (1865-1947), miners' leader and M.P." Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
^ 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.
^ David Williams. "Williams, William (1788-1865), Member of Parliament". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
^ Walter Thomas Morgan. "Evans, Thomas (Telynog; 1840-1865), poet". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
^ David Thomas. "Pugh, Hugh (1794/5-1865), master mariner". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
^ Robert Thomas Jenkins. "Gronow, Rees Howell (1794-1865), writer of memoirs". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 8 August 2019.

[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.

[Quick-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] Gethin Pit Disaster 1865 Archived 2011-10-05 at the Wayback Machine pp. 41–44.

[9] Celtic Culture: A-Celti. ABC-CLIO. 2006. p. 940. ISBN 978-1-85109-440-0.

[10] Y Bywgraffiadur Cymreig hyd 1940. Paratowyd dan nawdd Anrhydeddus Gymdeithas y Cymmrodorion (in Welsh). Anrhydeddus Gymdeithas y Cymmrodorion. 1953. p. 1064.

[11] Griffith Milwyn Griffiths. "Brace, William (1865-1947), miners' leader and M.P." Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 29 December 2019.

[12] 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.

[13] David Williams. "Williams, William (1788-1865), Member of Parliament". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 8 August 2019.

[14] Walter Thomas Morgan. "Evans, Thomas (Telynog; 1840-1865), poet". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 8 August 2019.

[15] David Thomas. "Pugh, Hugh (1794/5-1865), master mariner". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 8 August 2019.

[16] Robert Thomas Jenkins. "Gronow, Rees Howell (1794-1865), writer of memoirs". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 8 August 2019.

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