1880 in Wales

Centuries:	17th; 18th; 19th; 20th; 21st;
Decades:	1860s; 1870s; 1880s; 1890s; 1900s;
See also:	List of years in Wales; 1880 in The United Kingdom Ireland Scotland

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1880 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents[]

Monarch - Victoria
Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Clwydfardd

Events[]

25 February – The Resurgam, an early mechanically-powered submarine, sinks off Rhyl.^[1]
10 March – Six miners are killed in an accident at the Bedwellty Colliery, Tredegar.
29 April – At the United Kingdom general election, Wales elects 28 Liberal MPs. David Davies, Llandinam, is returned unopposed as member for Cardigan.
17 June – The rebuilt Holyhead railway station and inner harbour are officially opened by the Prince of Wales.^[2]
15 July – 120 miners are killed in an accident at the Risca Colliery.
3 August – Nine miners are killed in an accident at the Bersham Colliery in Wrexham.
10 December – 101 miners are killed in an accident at the Penygraig Colliery, Rhondda.

Arts and literature[]

Beriah Gwynfe Evans' Owain Glyndwr, one of the first full-length plays in the Welsh language, is first performed at Llanberis.

Awards[]

National Eisteddfod of Wales held at Caernarfon (first "official" National Eisteddfod)

Chair – , "Athrilyth"^[3]
Crown –

New books[]

Sir William Boyd Dawkins – Early Man in Britain and his place in the Tertiary Period
Amy Dillwyn – The Rebecca Rioter

Music[]

Joseph Parry – Emmanuel (cantata)

Sport[]

Football – The Druids of Rhiwabon win the Welsh Cup for the first time.
Rugby union – Cwmbran RFC and Crumlin RFC are founded.
Yachting – Penarth Yacht Club is founded as Penarth Boat Club.

Births[]

31 January – Phil Hopkins, Wales international rugby player (died 1966)
12 February – , writer (died 1967)
17 March – Harry Grindell Matthews, inventor (died 1941)
8 April – Thomas Thomas, boxing champion (died 1911)
19 April – Jack Jenkins, Wales international rugby player (died 1971)
30 April – George Maitland Lloyd Davies, pacifist (died 1949)
9 May – Thomas Scott-Ellis, 8th Baron Howard de Walden, patron of the arts (died 1946)
11 May – David Davies, 1st Baron Davies, politician (died 1944)
22 May
- Dr Teddy Morgan, Wales international rugby player (died 1947)
- ('Meuryn'), journalist and poet (died 1967)
31 May – Edward Tegla Davies, author (died 1967)
22 June – Rhys Gabe, rugby player (died 1967)
2 September – Isaac Daniel Hooson, poet (died 1948)^[4]
15 September – William Charles Williams, VC recipient (died 1915)
20 September – Ernie Jenkins, Wales international rugby player (died 1958)

Deaths[]

6 January – , minister and author, 71^[5]
12 February – John Whitehead Greaves, slate mine proprietor, 72^[6]
2 March – Charles Meredith, Tasmanian politician, 68^[7]
12 April – Thomas Joseph Brown, Roman Catholic bishop, 81^[8]
23 April – Robert Thomas ('Ap Vychan'), minister and writer, 70^[9]
10 May – , hymn-writer, 76?^[10]
21 August – Evan Mathew Richards, politician, 68^[11]
30 August – Mordecai Jones, industrialist, 67^[12]
9 September – William Watkin Edward Wynne, politician and antiquarian, 78^[13]

References[]

^ Richard Compton-Hall (2003). The Submarine Pioneers: The Beginnings of Underwater Warfare. Periscope Publishing Ltd. p. 53. ISBN 978-1-904381-19-8.
^ Roger Cragg (1997). Wales and West Central England. Thomas Telford. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-7277-2576-9.
^ "Winners of the Chair | National Eisteddfod". eisteddfod.wales. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
^ Thomas Parry, Arwyn Lloyd Hughes. "Hooson, Isaac Daniel (1880–1948), solicitor and poet". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
^ Derwyn Jones. "Roberts, John (Minimus; 1808–1880), Calvinistic Methodist minister, and author". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
^ "JW Greaves, Slate and the Festiniog Railway". Lillington Parish Church. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
^ Sally O'Neill. "Meredith, Charles (1811–1880)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
^ Robert O'Neil (25 October 1997). Cardinal Herbert Vaughan: Archbishop of Westminster, Bishop of Salford, founder of the Mill Hill Missionaries. Burns & Oates. p. 49. ISBN 978-0-8245-1717-5.
^ Richard Griffith Owen. "Thomas, Robert Ap Vychan (1809-1880), Independent minister and tutor, poet and man of letters". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
^ Thomas Iorwerth Ellis. "Charles, David, II (1803–1880), Calvinistic Methodist minister and hymnist". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
^ "Sudden Death of Mr Evan Mathew Richards". The Cambrian. 27 August 1880. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
^ Watkin William Price. "Jones, Mordecai (1813–1880), promoter of British Schools, colliery proprietor, etc". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
^ Thomas, D. L.; Jones, Beti (2004). "Wynne, William Watkin Edward (1801–1880)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 10 March 2009.

[1] Richard Compton-Hall (2003). The Submarine Pioneers: The Beginnings of Underwater Warfare. Periscope Publishing Ltd. p. 53. ISBN 978-1-904381-19-8.

[2] Roger Cragg (1997). Wales and West Central England. Thomas Telford. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-7277-2576-9.

[3] "Winners of the Chair | National Eisteddfod". eisteddfod.wales. Retrieved 27 February 2021.

[4] Thomas Parry, Arwyn Lloyd Hughes. "Hooson, Isaac Daniel (1880–1948), solicitor and poet". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 7 March 2019.

[5] Derwyn Jones. "Roberts, John (Minimus; 1808–1880), Calvinistic Methodist minister, and author". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 7 March 2019.

[6] "JW Greaves, Slate and the Festiniog Railway". Lillington Parish Church. Retrieved 26 September 2019.

[7] Sally O'Neill. "Meredith, Charles (1811–1880)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 7 March 2019.

[8] Robert O'Neil (25 October 1997). Cardinal Herbert Vaughan: Archbishop of Westminster, Bishop of Salford, founder of the Mill Hill Missionaries. Burns & Oates. p. 49. ISBN 978-0-8245-1717-5.

[9] Richard Griffith Owen. "Thomas, Robert Ap Vychan (1809-1880), Independent minister and tutor, poet and man of letters". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 7 March 2019.

[10] Thomas Iorwerth Ellis. "Charles, David, II (1803–1880), Calvinistic Methodist minister and hymnist". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 7 March 2019.

[11] "Sudden Death of Mr Evan Mathew Richards". The Cambrian. 27 August 1880. Retrieved 26 September 2019.

[12] Watkin William Price. "Jones, Mordecai (1813–1880), promoter of British Schools, colliery proprietor, etc". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 7 March 2019.

[13] Thomas, D. L.; Jones, Beti (2004). "Wynne, William Watkin Edward (1801–1880)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 10 March 2009.

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