1957 in Wales

← 1956 1955 1954 1957 in Wales → 1958 1959 1960
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s
See also:	List of years in Wales 1957 in The United Kingdom Ireland Scotland

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1957 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales – vacant (The Duke of Cornwall (Prince Charles) was not created Prince of Wales until 1958)
• Princess of Wales – vacant
• Archbishop of Wales
  • John Morgan, Bishop of Llandaff (died 26 June)
  • Edwin Morris, Bishop of Monmouth (elected)
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
  • Dyfnallt (outgoing)
  • William Morris (incoming)

Events

• 18 January - Nigel Birch is appointed Economic Secretary to the Treasury.
• 25 February - Goronwy Rees, Principal of the University of Wales College Aberystwyth, resigns following allegations that he has spied for the Soviet Union.
• 1 July - Royal physician Horace Evans is created Baron Evans of Merthyr Tydfil.
• 6 July - The Royal Welsh Show is held at Blaendolau; the showground is flooded to a depth of 1 metre.
• 16 July - Five people drown in a boating accident at Barmouth.
• 31 July - The Tryweryn Bill, permitting Liverpool City Council to build a reservoir which will drown the village of Capel Celyn, becomes law.
• 8 September - The town hall at Aberystwyth is seriously damaged by fire.
• 12 December - Wales gets its own minister of state in the Westminster government for the first time.
• Morgan Phillips and Aneurin Bevan, along with Richard Crossman, successfully sue The Spectator for libel.
• Brecon Beacons becomes a national park.

Arts and literature

• Paul Robeson addresses the Miners' Eisteddfod at Porthcawl via a transatlantic link to the miners' leader Will Paynter.
• Elizabeth Rees-Williams marries Richard Harris.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Llangefni)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - Gwilym Tilsley
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - Dyfnallt Morgan
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - Tom Parri Jones

New books

Welsh language

• Islwyn Ffowc Elis - Wythnos Yng Nghymru Fydd
• Bobi Jones - Y Gân Gyntaf
• T. Harri Jones - The Enemy in the Heart
• W. Leslie Richards - Telyn Teilo
• Gwilym Tilsley - Y glöwr a cherddi eraill

English language

• John Charles - King of Soccer
• Rhys Davies - The Perishable Quality
• Trevor Ford - I Lead the Attack
• Dick Francis - The Sport of Queens

New drama

• Albert Evans-Jones - Absalom Fy Mab

Music

• Shirley Bassey - Banana Boat Song (her first chart single)
• Alun Hoddinott - Harp Concerto (written for Osian Ellis)
• Daniel Jones - String Quartet 1957

Film

• Donald Houston stars in The Girl in the Picture.

Broadcasting

• Alun Oldfield-Davies becomes senior regional BBC controller, after several years of successful campaigning for Welsh-language television.

Welsh-language television

• February - Cefndir (first regular Welsh-language programme)
• September - Dewch i Mewn (magazine programme)

English-language television

• Adaptation of Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood, starring Donald Houston and William Squire.

Sport

• Football
  • Swansea-born John Charles transfers from Leeds United to Juventus of Turin for a transfer fee of £65,000 (almost double the previous British record)
  • Pelé scores a hattrick against Wales
• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year - Dai Rees
• Inaugural Glamorgan County Silver Ball Trophy competition held; Taibach RFC are champions.

Births

• 10 March - Terry Holmes, rugby player
• 19 March (in Birmingham) - Jane Davidson, AM, politician
• 20 April - Geraint Wyn Davies, actor
• 26 April - Edwina Hart, AM, politician
• 12 June - Javed Miandad, former Glamorgan cricketer
• 1 July - Wayne David MP, politician
• 20 July - Chris Bromham, stuntman
• 11 August - Leighton Andrews AM, politician
• 11 October
  • (in Holyhead) Dawn French, actress and comedian
  • Jon Langford, musician
• 10 November - Nigel Evans, MP, politician

Deaths

• 30 July - William Richard Arnold, rugby player, 76
• 6 June - John Morgan, Archbishop of Wales and Bishop of Llandaff, 71
• 1 August - Llewellyn Lloyd, Wales international rugby union player, 80
• 20 August - Edward Evans, 1st Baron Mountevans, explorer and admiral, 75
• 12 September - Tom Pearson, Wales national rugby player, 85
• 26 September - Arthur Powell Davies, Unitarian minister and writer, 55
• 12 November - Wilfred Hodder, Wales international rugby player, 61
• 7 December - Maurice Jones, priest and academic, 94
• 9 December - Llewellyn Gwynne, first bishop of Egypt and Sudan, 94