1888 in Wales

← 1887 1886 1885 1888 in Wales → 1889 1890 1891
Centuries:	17th 18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1860s 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s
See also:	List of years in Wales 1888 in The United Kingdom Ireland Scotland

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1888 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales — The Prince Albert Edward, son of Queen Victoria
• Princess of Wales — Alexandra of Denmark
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales — Clwydfardd

Events

• May — Owen Glynne Jones climbs Cadair Idris by the east ridge of the Cyfrwy.
• 13 May — The young Beatrix Potter records a trip to Machynlleth in her diary.
• 14 May — Five miners are killed in an accident at the Aber Colliery, Porth, Rhondda.
• August — Joshua Hughes, Bishop of St Asaph, has a seizure while staying in Scotland, and is paralysed until his death a few months later.^[1]
• 27 September — New dock at Milford Haven opened.
• 5 October — Five sailors are drowned at Colwyn Bay while returning to their ship by boat.
• University of Wales, Bangor, opens its agriculture department — the first in a British university.
• The Welsh Parliamentary Liberal Party is formed.
• Opening of the Dowlais steelworks at East Moors, Cardiff.
• Henry Morton Stanley "discovers" Lake Edward and names it after the Prince of Wales.
• R. J. Lloyd Price opens a whisky distillery at Frongoch.
• Llantwit Major Roman Villa is discovered.
• A Welsh Presbyterian Chapel opens in Charing Cross Road, London.

Arts and literature

Awards

National Eisteddfod of Wales — held at Wrexham

• Chair — Thomas Tudno Jones
• Crown — Howell Elvet Lewis

New books

• Daniel Owen — Y Siswrn
• J. Rhys — Lectures of the Origin and Growth of Religion as Illustrated by Celtic

Music

• William Griffith — I will extol Thee

Sport

• Cricket — Glamorgan County Cricket Club founded.
• Golf — Tenby Links becomes the first golf course in Wales. The first competition held by the club is held on 25 October over 9 holes and is won by Mr T A Rees
• Rugby union
  • Briton Ferry RFC, Builth Wells RFC, Llantrisant RFC, Newbridge RFC and Tonna RFC are founded.
  • Willie Thomas is the only Welsh international to take part in the first overseas tour by a British rugby union team.
  • Wales win their first international game against Scotland, during the 1888 Home Nations Championship.
  • Wales face their first international opposition, the New Zealand Native football team. Wales win by a goal to nil.

Births

• February — Grace Wynne Griffiths, novelist (died 1963)
• 23 March - Fred Hando, writer and artist (died 1970)
• 29 April - Fred Dyer, Boxer and baritone singer
• 14 May — Nansi Richards, harpist (died 1979)
• 21 May — William Cove, politician (died 1963)
• 24 May — Howell Lewis, Wales international rugby player (died 1971)
• 16 August — T. E. Lawrence, writer and war hero (died 1935)
• 24 August — Valentine Baker, pilot and war hero (died 1942)
• 5 September — Rhys Hopkin Morris, politician (died 1956)
• 19 October — Peter Freeman, politician (died 1956)
• 27 November — Ezer Griffiths, physicist (died 1962)
• 29 December — Reg Plummer, Wales and British Lion rugby union player (died 1953)

Deaths

• 23 February — Evan Davies (Myfyr Morganwg), poet and archdruid, 87
• 29 February — Thomas Price, Baptist minister and author, 67
• 7 March — Hugh Hughes (Cadfan), Patagonian colonist, 63
• 16 March — Thomas Thomas, chapel architect and minister, c. 81
• 22 March — Henry Robertson, Scottish engineer and founder of Brymbo Steel Works, 72
• 7 June — Charles William Nevill, industrialist and politician, 72
• 2 August — David Davies (Dewi Emlyn), poet, 70
• 5 August — Charles Octavius Swinnerton Morgan, politician, historian and antiquary, 84
• 20 August — Henry Richard, politician and peace campaigner, 76
• 20 September - Elias Owen, footballer, 35 (suicide)^[2]
• date unknown — John Evans (Y Bardd Cocos), poet

References

1. Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 28.
2. Davies, Gareth; Garland, Ian (1991). Who's Who of Welsh International Soccer Players. Wrexham: Bridge Books. p. 155. ISBN 1-872424-11-2.