# 1868 in Wales

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This article is about the particular significance of the year 1868 to Wales and its people.

## Incumbents

* Lord Lieutenant of Anglesey – Henry Paget, 2nd Marquess of Anglesey
* Lord Lieutenant of Brecknockshire – Charles Morgan, 1st Baron Tredegar
* Lord Lieutenant of Caernarvonshire – Edward Douglas-Pennant, 1st Baron Penrhyn (from 14 September)
* Lord Lieutenant of Cardiganshire – Edward Pryse
* Lord Lieutenant of Carmarthenshire – John Campbell, 2nd Earl Cawdor
* Lord Lieutenant of Denbighshire – Robert Myddelton Biddulph
* Lord Lieutenant of Flintshire – Sir Stephen Glynne, 9th Baronet
* Lord Lieutenant of Glamorgan – Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot
* Lord Lieutenant of Merionethshire – Edward Lloyd-Mostyn, 2nd Baron Mostyn
* Lord Lieutenant of Monmouthshire – Henry Somerset, 8th Duke of Beaufort
* Lord Lieutenant of Montgomeryshire – Sudeley Hanbury-Tracy, 3rd Baron Sudeley
* Lord Lieutenant of Pembrokeshire – William Edwardes, 3rd Baron Kensington
* Lord Lieutenant of Radnorshire – John Walsh, 1st Baron Ormathwaite
* Bishop of Bangor – James Colquhoun Campbell
* Bishop of Llandaff – Alfred Ollivant
* Bishop of St Asaph – Thomas Vowler Short
* Bishop of St Davids – Connop Thirlwall

## Events

* 13 January – The brig Albion runs aground off Whitford Point and is abandoned by her seven crew members, all of whom drown.
* 22 January – Sixteen vessels are lost in a gale off the Burry estuary, with a total of thirty lives lost.
* 1 February – At the bridge over the Severn at Caersws an approach embankment, damaged by flood water, collapses under a train. The driver and fireman are killed.
* July – Pastor Karl Herman Lunde begins fund-raising for the new Norwegian Seamen's Church in Cardiff.
* 4 August – Opening of the Bala and Dolgelly Railway, completing the Ruabon to Barmouth Line via Corwen and alongside Bala Lake.
* 20 August – Abergele rail disaster: 33 people die in a fire resulting from a collision between a mail train and a set of trucks at Llandulas station near Abergele, the greatest loss of life in a railway accident in Wales.
* October – Work begins on Nant-y-Ffrith reservoir.
* 2 December – The United Kingdom general election leaves Gladstone's Liberals the dominant party in Wales, with 21 seats.
** Among the Conservative members who lose their seats are Crawshay Bailey and Henry Austin Bruce, the latter replaced by two MPs for the expanded constituency of Merthyr Tydfil: Richard Fothergill and Henry Richard.
** Richard Davies becomes MP for Anglesey.
** Love Jones-Parry wins Caernarvonshire from Douglas Pennant.
** George Osborne Morgan is elected for the first time in Denbighshire, winning the seat from the lord lieutenant, Robert Myddelton Biddulph.
** Farmers in Cardiganshire are evicted for returning a Liberal MP, Thomas Lloyd.
* John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute, sponsors restoration work at Caerphilly Castle.
* English manufacturer Frederick Walton, the inventor of linoleum, takes up residence on his father's Cwmllecoediog Estate near Aberangell, whose development he begins.
* First publication of the Welsh-language periodical, Baner America, in the USA.
* Y Dydd is founded, with Samuel Roberts (S. R.) as editor.
* Iron Age crannog is discovered on an island in Llangorse Lake, near Brecon.

## Arts and literature
### Awards

* National Eisteddfod of Wales is held at Ruthin.

### New books
#### English language

* William Forbes Skene – The Four Ancient Books of Wales

#### Welsh language

* Robert Elis (Cynddelw) – Geiriadur Cymreig Cymraeg
* John Ceiriog Hughes – Oriau eraill
* Jabez Edmund Jenkins – Rhiangerdd – Gwenfron o'r Dyffryn
* Griffith Jones (Glan Menai) – Enwogion Sir Aberteifi
* Rhys Gwesyn Jones – Caru, Priodi, a Byw
* John Phillips (Tegidon) – Y Ddeilen ar y Traeth

### Music

* William Lewis Barrett is appointed flautist at the Italian Opera of Lutz.
* Gŵyl Ardudwy music festival is founded by John Roberts (Ieuan Gwyllt).
* Publication of Llyfr Tonau ac Emynau, edited by Edward Stephen (Tanymarian) and Joseph David Jones.

## Sport

* Cricket
** May – A team from Cadoxton play the United South of England (including W. G. Grace) at The Gnoll, Neath.

## Births

* 13 April (in Birkenhead) – Caradoc Rees, politician (d. 1924)
* 29 May – Sydney Nicholls, Wales rugby international player (d. 1946)
* 10 June
** John Jones (Ioan Brothen), poet (d. 1940)
** David Prosser, bishop (d. 1950)
* 2 August – Sir Alfred Edward Lewis, banker (d. 1940)
* 28 August – Thomas Charles Williams, minister (d. 1927)
* 28 November – Arthur Linton, cyclist (d. 1896)
* 30 November – Ernest Newman, English-born music critic of Welsh parentage (d. 1959)
* 29 December – William Owen Jones (Eos y Gogledd), musician (d. 1928)
* date unknown
** Roger Doughty, English-born footballer of Welsh maternity (d. 1914)
** David Matthews, politician (d. 1960)

## Deaths

* 13 January – John Parry, Mormon convert, 79
* 25 April – Sarah Williams, English novelist of Welsh parentage, 30
* 22 June – Owain Meirion, poet, 65
* 3 August – Edward Welch, architect, 61/62
* 17 August – William Nevill, 4th Earl of Abergavenny, 76
* 11 September – Maria James, poet, 74
* 16 September – John Vaughan, English ironmaster, 68
* 24 November – Sir John Dorney Harding, lawyer, 59
* date unknown – Dafydd Jones (Dewi Dywyll), balladeer (born 1803)