Kalpana Kalpana (Editor)

1897 in Wales

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Centuries:
  
17th 18th 19th 20th 21st

Decades:
  
1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s

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

Contents

Incumbents

  • Prince of Wales — Albert Edward
  • Princess of Wales — Alexandra
  • Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales — Hwfa Môn

    • 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.
  • 20 June — Celebration of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee is muted in Nonconformist parts of Wales, as the date falls on a Sunday.
  • November — Four Customs officers are rescued from the River Usk, near Newport's Alexandra Dock pier-head after their boat capsizes.
  • Completion of the first Jubilee Bridge (Queensferry) across the River Dee.
  • Opening of the Tal-y-cafn Bridge across the River Conwy.
  • Roller coaster erected on Barry Island, origin of Barry Island Pleasure Park.
  • Opening of the Grand Theatre, Swansea.
  • Construction of Pierhead Building as offices for Cardiff Docks.
  • 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.

    • Awards

    National Eisteddfod of Wales — held at Newport

  • Chair — John Thomas Job
  • Crown — Thomas Mafonwy Davies

    • New books

  • Caniadau Cymru (anthology)
  • John Cadvan Davies — Caneuon Cadvan
  • Alfred Neobard Palmer — Owen Tanat
  • Ellis Pierce — Teulu'r Gilfach
  • Owen Rhoscomyl — The White Rose of Arno
  • John William Willis-Bund — The Celtic Church of Wales

    • Music

  • Walford Davies — Overture in D minor
  • Llyfr Hymnau a Thonau y Methodistiaid Calfinaidd (collection of hymns)

    • 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)
  • 21 April — Albert Stock, Wales international rugby player (died 1969)
  • 22 June — Kathleen Freeman, classical scholar (died 1959)
  • 21 August — Victor Nash-Williams, archaeologist (died 1955)
  • 28 September — Harry Beadles, Wales international footballer (died 1958)
  • 15 November — Aneurin Bevan, politician (died 1960)
  • 31 December — Rhys Williams, politician (died 1969)

    • Deaths

  • 14 January — William Basil Jones, Bishop of St David's, 75
  • 3 February — David Pugh Evans, songwriter, 31
  • 1 April — William Gwynn, Rugby union international
  • 12 May — Thomas Llewellyn Thomas, linguist, 56
  • 6 September — Thomas Rees Morgan, engineer, 63
  • 8 September — James Milo Griffith, sculptor, 54
  • 16 September — Edward Edwards (Pencerdd Ceredigion), musician, 83
  • 20 September — Hugh Morris, footballer, 25
  • 15 October — Charles John Vaughan, former Dean of Llandaff, 81
  • 2 December — Thomas Lewis, politician, 76
  • 4 December — Griffith Rhys Jones ("Caradog"), choral conductor, 62
  • date unknown — Arthur James Herbert, Quartermaster-General

    • References

    1897 in Wales Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA