1901 in Wales explained

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1901 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Hwfa Môn^[1]
  • Lord Lieutenant of Anglesey – Sir Richard Henry Williams-Bulkeley, 12th Baronet Lord Lieutenant of Brecknockshire – Joseph Bailey, 1st Baron Glanusk^[2]
• Lord Lieutenant of Caernarvonshire – John Ernest Greaves^[3]
• Lord Lieutenant of Cardiganshire – Herbert Davies-Evans^[4]
• Lord Lieutenant of Carmarthenshire – Sir James Williams-Drummond, 4th Baronet^[5]
• Lord Lieutenant of Denbighshire – William Cornwallis-West^[6]
• Lord Lieutenant of Flintshire – Hugh Robert Hughes^[7]
• Lord Lieutenant of Glamorgan – Robert Windsor-Clive, 1st Earl of Plymouth
• Lord Lieutenant of Merionethshire – W. R. M. Wynne^[8]
  • Lord Lieutenant of Monmouthshire – Godfrey Morgan, 1st Viscount Tredegar^[9] *Lord Lieutenant of Montgomeryshire – Sir Herbert Williams-Wynn, 7th Baronet Lord Lieutenant of Pembrokeshire – Frederick Campbell, 3rd Earl Cawdor^[10]
• Lord Lieutenant of Radnorshire – Powlett Milbank^[11]
• Bishop of Bangor – Watkin Williams^[12]
• Bishop of Llandaff – Richard Lewis^[13]
• Bishop of St Asaph – A. G. Edwards (later Archbishop of Wales)^[14]
• Bishop of St Davids – John Owen^[15]

Events

• January – Samuel Thomas Evans becomes the last QC appointed by Queen Victoria.^[16]
• 22 January – Albert Edward, Prince of Wales accedes to the throne as King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, following the death of Queen Victoria.
• 31 March – The 10-yearly Census of England and Wales is taken. The population of Wales is shown to have topped two million for the first time in history. Over 15% of the population speak Welsh as their sole language.^[17]
• 3 April – Frederick Rutherfoord Harris, MP for Monmouth Boroughs, is unseated for alleged electoral malpractice.^[18]
• 17 April – Mawddwy Railway passenger services are suspended "pending repairs";^[19] goods services are also suspended between May and October.
• 7 May – In the by-election at Monmouth Boroughs, Joseph Lawrence becomes the new Conservative MP.
• 24 May – 81 miners are killed in an accident at Universal Colliery, Senghenydd.^[20]
• 10 September – Twelve miners are killed in a mining accident at Llanbradach Colliery in Glamorgan.^[21]
  • • 9 November Prince George, Duke of Cornwall and York (later George V) and his wife Mary of Teck officially become Prince and Princess of Wales.
  • Shipping magnate Alfred Lewis Jones is awarded a knighthood.^[22]
• December – The Rhymney Railway opens Caerphilly railway works.^[23]
• Gomer Berry and William Ewart Berry co-found Advertising World.^[24]
• Samuel Walker Griffith helps draft the Australian constitution.
• Construction of Port Talbot Steelworks begins.^[25]
• Construction of the 156-room Grand Hotel at Llandudno, the largest in Wales at the time.^[26]

Arts and literature

• Arthur Machen joins Frank Benson's travelling theatre company.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales – held in Merthyr Tydfil
  • Chair – Evan Rees, "Y Diwigiwr"^[27]
  • Crown – John Gwili Jenkins

New books

English language

• J. E. Morris – The Welsh Wars of Edward I^{[28] [29]}
• The Dau Wynne – A Maid of Cymru

Welsh language

• Morris Williams (Nicander) – Damhegion Esop ar Gân (published posthumously)^[30]
• Owen Morgan Edwards (ed) – Gwaith Dafydd ab Gwilym (Cyfres y Fil)^[31]

Sport

• Rugby Union
  • 9 February – Scotland beat Wales 18–8 at Inverleith, Edinburgh.
  • Pontypool RFC and Tenby United RFC are founded.

Births

• 4 January – Lonza Bowdler, Wales international rugby player (died 1963)
• 18 February – Will Owen, politician (died 1981)
• 27 February – Iorwerth Peate, social anthropologist, poet and author, founder of the Welsh Folk Museum (died 1982)^[32]
• 4 March – Edward Prosser Rhys, journalist and poet (died 1945)^[33]
• 1 April – Tom Jones, cricketer (died 1935)
• 18 April – Mel Rosser, dual-code international rugby player (died 1988)^[34]
• 22 May – David Morgan Jenkins, rugby player (died 1968)
• 11 June – Jack Livesey, actor (died 1961 in the United States)
• 22 June – Naunton Wayne, actor (died 1970)^[35]
• 3 September – Alexander Tudor-Hart, doctor and political activist (died 1992)^[36]
• 10 September – Rowe Harding, Wales and British Lions rugby player (died 1991)
• 9 November – Rhys Davies, writer (died 1978)^[37]
• 10 December – Ivor Jones, rugby player (died 1982)
• 24 December – Hilary Marquand, economist and MP (died 1972)^[38]
• date unknown – Ivor R. Davies, Welsh-descended organist and composer (died 1970)^[39]

Deaths

• 20 January – James Harvey Insole, English-born colliery proprietor, 79^[40]
• 7 February – Leonard Watkins, Wales international rugby union player, 41
• 21 February – John Deffett Francis, artist, 85^[41]
• 14 May – Fanny Price-Gwynne, polymath, 82
• June – Abel Jones (Bardd Crwst), balladeer, 71^[42]
• 1 June
  • John Viriamu Jones, scientist, 45^[43]
  • Morgan Albert Ellis, Welsh-American preacher (born 1832)
• 30 June – John Jones Griffiths^[44]
• 18 August – Evan James, rugby player, 32
• 26 August – Robert Ricketts Evans, executioner^[45]
• 5 September – Rhys Gwesyn Jones, minister and author, 75^[46]
• 15 September – John Richards (Isalaw), musician, 58^[47]
• 22 September – William Davies (Mynorydd), artist, 75^[48]
• 24 November – Evan Lewis, Dean of Bangor, 83^[49]
• 26 November – Robert Clayton, cricketer, 57
• 16 December – David Lewis, Archdeacon of Carmarthen, 62^[50]

See also

• 1901 in Ireland

Notes and References

1. Book: Hywel Teifi Edwards. The Eisteddfod. 20 July 2016. University of Wales Press. 978-1-78316-914-6. 39.
2. Book: Dod's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage of Great Britain and Ireland, Including All the Titled Classes. Dod. 1921. 356.
3. Book: National Museum of Wales. Adroddiad Blynyddol. The Museum. 1935. 3.
4. Book: The county families of the United Kingdom; or, Royal manual of the titled and untitled aristocracy of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. Dalcassian Publishing Company. 1860. 443.
5. Book: The Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion. The Society. 1986. 63.
6. Book: Potter, Matthew . The concept of the 'master' in art education in Britain and Ireland, 1770 to the present . Routledge . Abingdon, Oxon . 2016 . 9781351545471 . 149.
7. Journal of the Architectural, Archaeological, and Historic Society for the County and the City of Chester and North Wales. Popish recusants in Flintshire in 1625. Henry Taylor. Architectural, Archaeological, and Historic Society for the County and the City of Chester and North Wales. 1895. 304.
8. Web site: Transactions of the Liverpool Welsh National Society 1891-92. National Library of Wales. 15 March 2022.
9. Book: Cyril James Oswald Evans. Monmouthshire, Its History and Topography. W. Lewis (printers). 1953. 190.
10. s-CAMP-VAU-1847. Campbell, Frederick Archibald Vaughan, viscount Emlyn (1847-1898), earl Cawdor (1898-1911). Glyn Roberts. 1959. 20 March 2022.
11. Book: Whitaker's Almanack. Joseph Whitaker. Whitaker's Almanack. 1913. 847.
12. Book: Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage. Burke's Peerage Limited. 1925. 2437.
13. Book: David Henry Williams. Catalogue of Seals in the National Museum of Wales: Seal dies, Welsh seals, papal bullae. National Museum of Wales. 1993. 75.
14. [Who's Who (UK)#Who Was Who|''Who was Who 1897–2007'']
15. s-OWEN-JOH-1854. Owen, John (1854-1926), bishop. Thomas Iorwerth Ellis. 1959. 19 March 2022.
16. Book: The Law Journal. 1909. E.B. Ince. 63.
17. Book: 200 years of the census in Wales. 2001. Office for National Statistics.
18. The Times, 3 September 1920.
19. News: Welsh Railway Closed. Welsh Gazette. 6 June 1901. 6.
20. Book: John H. Brown. The Valley of the Shadow: An Account of Britain's Worst Mining Disaster, the Senghenydd Explosion. 1981. Alun Books. 978-0-907117-06-3. 146.
21. Book: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Sessional Papers. 1902. H.M. Stationery Office. 3.
22. Birthday Honours . 9 November 1901 . 8 . 36608.
23. Book: Mountford, E. R.. Caerphilly Works, 1901–1964. Roundhouse Books. Hatch End. 1965. 14.
24. Book: World's Press News and Advertisers' Review. 1966. World's Press News Publishing Company, Limited.
25. Book: John R. Hume. Michael S. Moss. A Bed of Nails: The History of P. MacCallum & Sons Ltd of Greenock, 1781-1981, a Study in Survival. 1983. Lang & Fulton. 978-0-900673-16-0. 36.
26. Book: Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science and Art. 1902. John W. Parker and Son. 616.
27. Web site: Winners of the Chair National Eisteddfod. 2021-02-27. eisteddfod.wales.
28. Web site: The Welsh Wars of Edward I. Llanerch Press. 25 May 2024. en.
29. s-MORR-EDW-1859. Morris, John Edward (1859-1933), schoolmaster and historian. Robert Thomas Jenkins. 1959. 25 May 2024.
30. Web site: Williams, Morris (Nicander; 1809-1874), cleric and man of letters. Thomas Iorwerth Ellis. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 25 August 2021.
31. [s:Gwaith Dafydd ap Gwilym|Gwaith Dafydd ap Gwilym]
32. s6-PEAT-CYF-1901. Peate, Iorwerth Cyfeiliog (1901–1982), Curator of the Welsh Folk Museum, 1948–1971, scholar and poet. Trefor M. Owen. National Library of Wales. 16 October 2019.
33. Jones. Evan David. Rhys, Edward Prosser. s2-RHYS-PRO-1901. National Library of Wales. 8 August 2015.
34. Book: They Played Rugby for Wales, 2023 edition. Eric Lemon. 2024. 9780645362664. 415.
35. Book: Evelyn Mack Truitt. Who was who on Screen. 1977. Bowker. 978-0-8352-0914-4. 482.
36. Web site: Alex Tudor-Hart. Spartacus educational. 12 October 2015.
37. Davies, Rhys [Rees Vivian]]. 2004 . 10.1093/ref:odnb/31011 . 978-0-19-861412-8 . 15 February 2021.
38. Web site: Marquand, Hilary (1901–1972), economist and Labour politician. John Graham Jones. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 16 October 2019.
39. Musical Opinion – Volume 94 – Page 483 1970 OBITUARY Ivor R. Davies, F.R.C.O., LJLA.M.
40. News: Death of Mr J. H. Insole. A Pioneer of Cardiff's Trade. 21 January 1901. Evening Express. 10 December 2019. 4.
41. Web site: Francis, John Deffett (1815–1901), painter and collector. Megan Ellis. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 17 October 2019.
42. Web site: Jones, Abel (1830–1901), ballad writer and strolling ballad singer. Robert Thomas Jenkins. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 17 October 2019.
43. s-JONE-VIR-1856. Jones, John Viriamu (1856–1901), first principal of the University College, Cardiff. Edgar William Jones. 1959. National Library of Wales. 14 October 2019.
44. News: Death of Alderman J. Jones Griffiths, Penygraig. 28 March 2014. Rhondda Leader. 6 July 1901.
45. Book: David N. Thomas. Dylan Remembered: 1914-1934. 2003. Seren. 978-1-85411-342-9. 230.
46. Book: The Cambrian. 1902. T.J. Griffiths. 97.
47. s-RICH-JOH-1843. Richards, John (Isalaw; 1843-1901), musician. Robert David Griffith. 1959. National Library of Wales. 15 February 2021.
48. Book: Charles Wilkins (of Merthyr-Tydfil.). The history of Merthyr Tydfil. 1908. J. Williams and sons. 468.
49. Lewis, Evan (1818–1901). Thomas. D. L.. 2004 . 10.1093/ref:odnb/34513 . 2008-04-26.
50. Obituary – Ven. David Lewis . 17 December 1901 . 11 . 36640.