1908 in Wales explained

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1908 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Dyfed^[1]
  • Lord Lieutenant of Anglesey – Sir Richard Henry Williams-Bulkeley, 12th Baronet Lord Lieutenant of Brecknockshire – Joseph Bailey, 2nd 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 – Joshua Pritchard Hughes^[13]
• Bishop of St Asaph – A. G. Edwards (later Archbishop of Wales)^[14]
• Bishop of St Davids – John Owen^[15]

Events

• 22 January – J. Lloyd Williams delivers his paper on Welsh National Melodies and Folk-Songs to the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion.^[16]
• 28 January – In a colliery explosion at Ammanford, David Rees Griffiths is seriously injured. His brother is one of two men killed.^[17]
• March – The Local Authorities (Admission of the Press) Act, 1908 is passed as a result of a challenge by Frank Mason, editor of the Tenby Observer, after the local council tried to ban him from their meetings.^[18]
• 26 February – In the West Carmarthenshire by-election, the sitting Liberal MP, John Lloyd Morgan, retains the seat in the absence of any other candidates.^{[19] [20]}
• 5 March – Edgeworth David leads the party attempting the ascent of Mount Erebus in the Antarctic.^[21]
• 8 April – The Mawddwy Railway is closed to its remaining (freight) traffic.^[22]
• 18 June – A giant turtle weighing half a ton is pulled from the sea at Pwllheli.
• 16 July – In the Pembrokeshire by-election, brought about by elevation to the peerage of the incumbent Liberal MP, John Wynford Philipps, the seat is retained for the Liberals by Walter Francis Roch.^[23]
• 1 September – The barque Amazon sinks off Margam Sands, with the loss of 18 crew.^[24]
• 14 October – John Ballinger is appointed first librarian of the National Library of Wales.^[25]
• November – The North and South Wales Bank is absorbed into the London City and Midland Bank, bringing an end to banknote issue in Wales.^[26]
• 21 December – The Coal Mines Regulation Act 1908 ("Eight Hours Act") limits the amount of time spent by coal miners underground.^[27]
• date unknown
  • The South Wales Miners' Federation becomes affiliated to the Labour Party.
  • A factory for making artificial silk is opened at Greenfield, Flintshire^[28] by the British Glanzstoff Manufacturing Company.
  • Construction work begins on the lighthouse at Strumble Head.^[29]
  • Spa pump room built at Caergwrle.^[30]

Arts and literature

• Sydney Curnow Vosper completes his iconic watercolour of Welsh piety, Salem.^[31]

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales - held in Llangollen
  • Chair - John James Williams, "Ceiriog"^[32]
  • Crown - Hugh Emyr Davies

New books

English language

• W. H. Davies - Autobiography of a Super-Tramp^[33]
• W. Jenkyn Thomas - The Welsh Fairy Book

Welsh language

• John Davies Bryan  - O'r Aifft
• R. Silyn Roberts  - Y Blaid Lafur Anibynnol, ei Hanes a'i Hamcan^[34]
• Gwyneth Vaughan  - Plant y Gorthrwm^[35]
• Owen Williamson  - Ceris y Pwll^[36]

Music

• David Evans becomes professor of the Music department at University of Wales, Cardiff.
• Harry Evans - Dafydd ap Gwilym

Sport

• Boxing
  • 24 February - Jim Driscoll wins the Commonwealth featherweight title.
• Olympics
  • October - At the postponed 1908 Summer Olympics, Thomas Scott-Ellis, 8th Baron Howard de Walden, competes unsuccessfully in the motorboat racing.
    • Rugby league 1 January - The first-ever international match is held at Aberdare, where Wales defeat New Zealand 9 - 8. The match was won by a last minute try from former Welsh rugby union international Dai Jones.
  • Aberdare RLFC, Barry RLFC, Mid-Rhondda RLFC and Treherbert RLFC are formed, joining Ebbw Vale and Merthyr Tydfil in competing for the Welsh League, the first Welsh rugby league competition.
• Rugby union
  • Wales win their first Grand Slam and fifth Triple Crown.
  • The selection of players for the 1908 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia results in a comment by the Welsh Rugby Union that players for future tours should be chosen '...irrespective of the social position of the players.'^[37]

Births

• 29 February – Louie Myfanwy Thomas, novelist as Jane Ann Jones (d. 1968)
• 22 March – Martin Davies, art historian (d. 1978)
• 8 May – Bert Day, Wales international rugby union player (d. 1977)
• 29 May – Diana Morgan, playwright and screenwriter (d. 1996)
• 5 July – Francis Jones, heraldic expert (d. 1993)
• 10 July – Donald Peers, singer (d. 1973)
• 12 July – Bill Roberts, footballer (d. 1976)
• 15 August – Wynford Vaughan-Thomas, journalist (d. 1987)
• 14 December – Claude Davey, Wales international rugby union player (d. 2001)

Deaths

• 6 January – Lewis Pugh Pugh, lawyer and politician, 70^[38]
• 13 January – Caroline Elizabeth Williams, radical and champion of women's rights, 84^[39]
• 26 January – George Thomas Kenyon, politician, 67^[40]
• 1 February – Buckley Roderick, Wales international rugby player, 46^[41]
• 27 February – Norman Biggs, Wales international rugby player, 37
• 7 March – Richard Edwards, Welsh American educator, 85^[42]
• 21 June – Allen Raine, novelist, 71^[43]
• 24 August – William Bevan, archdeacon of Brecon, 87
• 4 September – Thomas Judson, Wales international rugby player, (c.) 51
• 19 October
  • Catherine Lynch, alcoholic, 28
  • John Henry Puleston, journalist and politician, 78^[44]
• 9 November – Solomon Andrews, entrepreneur, 73^[45]
• 1 December – Howell Jones, Wales international rugby player, 26
• 24 December – David John, Mormon leader, 75 (in Utah)

See also

• 1908 in Ireland

Notes and References

1. Rhys . James Ednyfed . Rees, Evan (Dyfed; 1850-1923), Calvinistic Methodist minister, poet, and archdruid of Wales . s-REES-EVA-1850 . National Library of Wales . 2 August 2018 . 1959.
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. s-HUGH-JOS-1807 . Hughes, Joshua (1807-1889), bishop . William Thomas . Havard . William Havard . 26 October 2021.
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: Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion. The Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion. 1908. The Society.
17. Book: The Carmarthenshire Antiquary: The Transactions of the Carmarthenshire Antiquarian Society and Field Club. 1999. Carmarthenshire Antiquarian Society and Field Club. 92.
18. Web site: Tenby tyranny and Barmy Barney. 22 June 2005. Northern Echo. 23 September 2022.
19. The Times (London) 17 February 1908 p. 9.
20. F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results, 1885-1918; Macmillan Press, 1974 p473
21. Book: Eleanor Jacka. Fred Jacka. Mawson's Antarctic Diaries. 1 October 2008. Allen & Unwin. 978-1-74175-609-8. 28.
22. Book: Rex. Christiansen. R. W.. Miller. The Cambrian Railways. II. David & Charles. Newton Abbot. 0-7153-4220-7. 44.
23. Web site: House of Commons . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140118053557/http://www.leighrayment.com/commons.htm . 18 January 2014 .
24. Book: Reference Wales. 1994. University of Wales Press. 978-0-7083-1234-6. 244.
25. Web site: John Ballinger. Andrew Green. Gwallter. 23 September 2022.
26. Book: The Bankers', Insurance Managers', and Agents' Magazine. 1908. Waterlow & Sons Limited. 693.
27. Book: Harrison Francis Bulman. Coal Mining and the Coal Miner. 1920. Methuen & Company, Limited. 157.
28. Book: Roy Millward. Adrian Henry Wardle Robinson. The Welsh Borders. 1978. Eyre Methuen. 978-0-413-28210-1.
29. Book: Douglas Bland Hague. Lighthouses of Wales: Their Architecture and Archaeology. 1994. RCAHMW. 978-1-871184-08-2. 65.
30. Book: Town and Country Planning. 1969. Town and Country Planning Association. 372.
31. Book: Academi Gymreig. The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales. 2008. University of Wales Press. 978-0-7083-1953-6. 795.
32. Web site: Winners of the Chair National Eisteddfod. 2021-02-27. eisteddfod.wales.
33. Web site: Autobiography of a Super-tramp . parthianbooks.com/ . 2010 . April 6, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131209220108/http://www.parthianbooks.com/content/autobiography-super-tramp . December 9, 2013 .
34. Web site: Roberts, Robert (Silyn) (Rhosyr; 1871-1930), Calvinistic Methodist minister, poet, social reformer, tutor. David Thomas. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 23 August 2021.
35. Web site: Hughes, Annie Harriet (Gwyneth Vaughan, 1852-1910), writer. Richard Bryn Williams. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 23 August 2021.
36. s-WILL-ROB-1807. Williamson, Robert (Mona) Bardd Du Môn (1807-1852), teacher and poet. William Llewelyn Davies. 1959. 25 May 2024.
37. Fields of Praise, The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881-1981, David Smith, Gareth Williams; University of Wales Press (1980), pg 175
38. Book: Who was who: A Companion to Who's Who, Containing the Biographies of Those who Died. 2002. A. & C. Black. 978-0-7136-6125-5. 670.
39. Web site: A champion of female education and a pioneer on the scholarship front. 1 March 2017. Anna Louvain Rees. WalesOnline. 10 October 2019.
40. Book: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Volume 31. 2004. Oxford University Press. 343. 0-19-861381-4. Article by J.E. Lloyd, revised by H.C.G. Matthew.
41. Book: The Law Society's Gazette. 1907. The Society. 73.
42. Bradsby, Henry C., ed. (1885). History of Bureau County, Illinois. Chicago, IL: World Publishing Company. p. 512.
43. Sally Roberts. Jones. Puddicombe, Anne Adalisa (1836–1908). 35628.
44. Web site: Puleston, Sir John Henry (1829-1908), banker and Member of Parliament. Emyr Gwynne Jones. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 16 February 2021.
45. News: Death of Mr Solomon Andrews. 13 November 1906. Carnarvon and Denbigh Herald and North and South Wales Independent. National Library of Wales. 29 March 2022.