1873 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1873 to Wales and its people.

← 1872 1871 1870 1869 1868 1873 in Wales → 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878
Centuries:	17th 18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1850s 1860s 1870s 1880s 1890s
See also:	List of years in Wales 1873 in The United Kingdom Ireland Scotland

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales – Albert Edward
• Princess of Wales – Alexandra

Events

• 1 March – The sailing ship Chacabuco sinks off the Great Orme with the loss of 24 lives.[1]
• 18 March – Work begins on construction of the Severn Tunnel.[2]
• 30 March – The Glyn Valley Tramway opens as a horse-worked line to carry slate and other minerals from Glyn Ceiriog to Chirk.[3]
• 19 August – The Holyhead Breakwater (the longest in the world) is officially opened by Albert Edward, Prince of Wales.[4] having taken 28 years to construct.
• 9 October – The first recorded sheepdog trial in the UK takes place at Bala.[5]
• 2 December – In a mining accident at Hafod Colliery, Rhiwabon, five men are killed.
• date unknown
  • Construction of the Morriston Tabernacle chapel, the biggest in Wales at this time.
  • Construction of lighthouse on Ynys Llanddwyn.

Arts and literature

New books

• Rhoda Broughton – Nancy
• Robert Elis (Cynddelw) – Manion Hynafiaethol
• Ebenezer Thomas – Gweithiau Barddonol Eben Fardd (posthumously published)

Music

• Henry Brinley Richards – Songs of Wales
• Richard Davies (Mynyddog) writes the song "Rheolau yr Aelwyd", the basis of "Sosban Fach".

Sport

• December – Major Walter Wingfield of Nantclwyd Hall at Llanelidan designs a game for the amusement of his visitors. Wingfield soon patents nets for the game of lawn tennis, which he calls "sphairistike".

Births

• 7 January – Christopher Williams, artist (died 1934)
• 16 January – Ivor Guest, 1st Viscount Wimborne, politician (died 1939)
• 7 April
  • John Dyfnallt Owen, poet and Archdruid (died 1956)
  • Charles Butt Stanton, politician (died 1946)[6]
• 23 April – Sir Robert Thomas, 1st Baronet, politician (died 1951)[7]
• 1 May – Harry Evans, musician (died 1914)[8]
• 22 May – J. Brynach Davies (Brynach) (died 1923)
• 5 June – Ben Davies, Wales international rugby player (died 1930)
• date unknown – Arthur Tysilio Johnson ("The Perfidious Welshman") (died 1956)

Deaths

• January – John Emlyn Jones, poet, 54[9]
• 27 January – Josiah Thomas Jones, publisher, 73
• 20 February – (at Launceston, Tasmania) William Jones, Chartist leader, 64
• 29 March – David Jones, merchant in Australia, 80
• 17 May – Lord William Paget, soldier and politician, 70
• 9 October – John Evan Thomas, sculptor, 63
• 31 October – William Ambrose (Emrys), poet, 60
• 10 November – Maria Jane Williams, musician, 78

References

1. "Chacabuco". Coflein. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
2. "Severn Tunnel." engineering-timelines.com, Retrieved: 2 July 2018.
3. Milner, John (1984). The Glyn Valley Tramway. Oxford Publishing Co.
4. Denton, A., & Leach, N. (2008). Lighthouses of Wales. Landmark Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-84306-459-6.
5. Janet Larson (1999). The Versatile Border Collie. Alpine Publications. ISBN 978-0931866920.
6. Huw Morris-Jones. "Stanton, Charles Butt (1873–1946), M.P. for the Merthyr and Aberdare constituency, 1915–1922". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
7. John Graham Jones. "Thomas, Sir Robert (1873–1951), politician and shipowner". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
8. Robert David Griffith. "Evans, Harry (1873–1914), musician". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
9. Robert Thomas Jenkins. "Jones, John (Ioan Emlyn; 1818–1873), Baptist minister, poet, and man of letters". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 28 March 2019.