1884 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1884 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

Events

18 January – Physician William Price attempts to cremate his son, Iesu Grist, at Llantrisant. Later tried at Cardiff Assizes and acquitted on the grounds that cremation is not contrary to law, he is thus able to carry out the ceremony on 14 March.
27 January – 14 miners are killed in an accident at the Naval Colliery, Penygraig.
4 March – A Royal Commission on the Housing of the Working Classes is established. The Prince of Wales accepts nomination to the Commission and offends protocol by trying to have Octavia Hill included as a member.
18 October – Opening of the University College of North Wales, Bangor in the former Penrhyn Arms Hotel.
22 October – The Argentine Congress authorises the construction of the Central Chubut Railway by Lewis Jones y Cia.
8 November – 15 miners are killed in an accident at the Pochin Colliery, Tredegar.
unknown dates
*Isolation hospital for cholera patients opens on Flat Holm.
*A Chair of Celtic Studies is founded at the University College of South Wales, Cardiff.
*Closure of Talargoch lead mine, near Dyserth.
*Slate industry in Wales: A flood at Dorothea quarry in the Nantlle Valley kills 7 and there is a major rockfall in the underground Cwmorthin quarry in the Blaenau Ffestiniog district.

Arts and literature

Awards

National Eisteddfod of Wales – held at Liverpool

Chair – Evan Rees, "Gwilym Hiraethog"
Crown – Edward Foulkes

New books

Amy Dillwyn – Jill
Robert Owen – ''Institutes of Canon Law''

Music

Joseph Parry – ''Nebuchadnezzar''

Sport

Football – Oswestry win the Welsh Cup for the first time.
Rugby union – The first international match is played at Cardiff Arms Park.

Births

9 January – William Llewellyn Morgan, Wales international rugby union player
19 February – Clement Davies, politician, leader of the Liberal Party
6 April – J. G. Parry-Thomas, engineer and racing driver
7 April – C. H. Dodd, theologian
12 April – Tenby Davies, half-mile world champion runner
20 June – John Dyke, Wales international rugby union player
31 July – Lionel Rees, aviator, recipient of the Victoria Cross
15 August – Ivor Morgan, Wales international rugby union player
21 August – John Chandless, cricketer
24 November – Jack Jones, novelist
3 December – Bailey Davies, Wales international rugby union player
14 December – Margaret Davies, patron of the arts
15 December – Florrie Evans, revivalist and missionary
date unknown – Thomas Jones, footballer

Deaths

12 February – Henry Morgan-Clifford, politician, 77
17 March – Edward Lloyd-Mostyn, 2nd Baron Mostyn, 89
11 April – Thomas William Davids, nonconformist minister and ecclesiastical historian, 67
24 May – Henry Thomas Edwards, preacher, 46
17 July – Charles James Watkin Williams, judge, doctor and politician, 55
27 August – Dewi Havhesp, poet, 53
6 November – George Vane-Tempest, 5th Marquess of Londonderry, industrialist and owner of Plas Machynlleth, 63
16 December – John Davies, Congregational minister, writer, linguist and poet, 80
20 December – Philip Jacob, Archdeacon of Winchester, 80