1888 in Wales

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

Incumbents

January – Plans are presented for a Welsh Presbyterian Chapel in Charing Cross Road, London.
March – Construction work begins on the Dowlais steelworks at East Moors, Cardiff.
11 April - Earthquake centred on Corwen.
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.
27 September – A new dock at Milford Haven is opened.
5 October – Five sailors are drowned at Colwyn Bay while returning to their ship by boat.
date unknown
*Wales, Bangor, opens its agriculture department – the first in a British university.
*The Welsh Parliamentary Liberal Party is formed.
*Henry Morton Stanley "discovers" Lake Edward and names it after the Prince of Wales.
*R. J. Lloyd Price opens a whisky distillery at Frongoch.
*The remains of Llantwit Major Roman Villa are discovered.

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

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.

23 February – Evan Davies (Myfyr Morganwg), poet and archdruid, 87
29 February – Thomas Price, Baptist minister and author, 67
7 March – Hugh Hughes, 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
24 March – Benjamin Piercy, civil engineer, 61
29 May – Edward Pryse, politician, 70
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
3 September – Robert H. Roberts, Welsh-born US senator, 51
20 September – Elias Owen, footballer, 35
23 November – Edward John Sartoris, politician, 74/75
date unknown
*John Evans, poet
*Morgan Morgans, mining engineer, 73/4