:1859 in Wales
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{{Use Welsh English|date=September 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Year in Wales header|1859}}
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1859 to Wales and its people.
Incumbents
{{For|United Kingdom incumbents|1859 in the United Kingdom#Incumbents}}
- Lord Lieutenant of Anglesey – Henry Paget, 2nd Marquess of Anglesey{{cite book|author=Edward Breese|title=Kalendars of Gwynedd; or, Chronological lists of lords-lieutenant [&c.] ... for the counties of Anglesey, Caernarvon, and Merioneth|year=1873|page=24}}{{cite book | author=J.C. Sainty | author-link=John Sainty (civil servant) | title=List of Lieutenants of Counties of England and Wales 1660-1974 | publisher=Swift Printers (Sales) Ltd | location=London | year=1979}}{{cite book | last = Nicholas | first = Thomas | title = Annals and antiquities of the counties and county families of Wales | publisher = Genealogical Pub. Co | location = Baltimore | year = 1991 | isbn = 9780806313146 | page=695}}{{cite book|title=Cylchgrawn Hanes Cymru|publisher=University of Wales Press|year=1992|page=169}}
- Lord Lieutenant of Brecknockshire – John Lloyd Vaughan Watkins{{cite news|title=Editorial|url=http://welshnewspapers.llgc.org.uk/en/page/view/4353246/ART15|access-date=17 January 2022|newspaper=Welshman|date=6 October 1865}}{{cite book| author=Edwin Poole|title=The Illustrated History and Biography of Brecknockshire from the Earliest Times to the Present Day: Containing the General History, Antiquities, Sepulchral Monuments and Inscriptions|publisher=Edwin Poole|year=1886|page=378}}
- Lord Lieutenant of Caernarvonshire – Sir Richard Williams-Bulkeley, 10th Baronet{{cite book|author=Edward Breese|title=Kalendars of Gwynedd; or, Chronological lists of lords-lieutenant [&c.] ... for the counties of Anglesey, Caernarvon, and Merioneth|year=1873|page=26}}
- Lord Lieutenant of Cardiganshire – Edward Pryse{{cite book|author=Thomas John Hughes|title=The Welsh magistracy, by Adfyfr|publisher=South Wales and Monmouthshire Liberal Federation Offices|year=1887|page=5}}
- Lord Lieutenant of Carmarthenshire – John Campbell, 1st Earl Cawdor
- Lord Lieutenant of Denbighshire – Robert Myddelton Biddulph{{cite web|url=https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1820-1832/member/myddelton-biddulph-robert-1805-1872|title=Myddelton Biddulph, Robert (1805-1872), of Chirk Castle, Denb. and 35 Grosvenor Place, Mdx.|website=History of Parliament Online|access-date=5 December 2021}}
- Lord Lieutenant of Flintshire – Sir Stephen Glynne, 9th Baronet{{cite web|url=https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1820-1832/member/glynne-sir-stephen-1807-1874|title=Glynne, Sir Stephen Richard, 9th bt. (1807-1874), of Hawarden Castle, Flint|website=History of Parliament Online|access-date=16 January 2022}}
- Lord Lieutenant of Glamorgan – Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot{{cite web|url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1820-1832/member/talbot-christopher-1803-1890|title=TALBOT, Christopher Rice Mansel (1803-1890), of Penrice Castle and Margam Park, Glam.|website=History of Parliament Online|access-date=18 January 2022}}
- Lord Lieutenant of Merionethshire – Robert Davies Pryce{{cite book|author=Edward Breese|title=Kalendars of Gwynedd; or, Chronological lists of lords-lieutenant [&c.] ... for the counties of Anglesey, Caernarvon, and Merioneth|year=1873|page=29}}
- Lord Lieutenant of Monmouthshire – Capel Hanbury Leigh{{cite book|author=Amy Audrey Locke|title=The Hanbury Family|publisher=Arthur L. Humphreys|year=1916|page=147}}
- Lord Lieutenant of Montgomeryshire – Thomas Hanbury-Tracy, 2nd Baron Sudeley
- Lord Lieutenant of Pembrokeshire – Sir John Owen, 1st Baronet{{cite web |last1=Thorne |first1=R.G. |title=John Owen (1776-1861) of Orielton, Pembrokeshire |url=https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1790-1820/member/owen-john-1776-861 |website=History of Parliament |access-date=27 March 2020}}
- Lord Lieutenant of Radnorshire – John Walsh, 1st Baron Ormathwaite{{cite book|author=Jonathan Williams|title=The History of Radnorshire|publisher=R. Mason|year=1859|page=115}}
- Bishop of Bangor – Christopher Bethell (until 9 April); James Colquhoun Campbell (from 14 June){{cite book | last = Fryde | first = E. B. | title = Handbook of British chronology | publisher = New York Cambridge University Press | location = Cambridge England | year = 1996 | isbn = 9780521563505 | page=292}}{{cite book|author= Thomas Duffus Hardy|title=Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae: Or A Calendar of the Principal Ecclesiastical Dignitaries in England and Wales...|publisher= University Press|year=1854|page=305}}
- Bishop of Llandaff – Alfred Ollivant{{cite book|author1=Frederick Arthur Crisp|author2=Joseph Jackson Howard|title=Visitation of England and Wales|year=1898|page=15}}
- Bishop of St Asaph – Thomas Vowler Short{{cite book|author=Nicholas Harris Nicolas|title=The historic peerage of England: Revised, corrected, and continued ... by William Courthope|publisher=John Murray|year=1857|page=533}}{{cite book|title=The Apostolical Succession in the Church of England|publisher=James Parkes and Company|year=1866|page=15}}
- Bishop of St Davids – Connop Thirlwall{{cite book|title=Old Yorkshire, volume 3|year=1882|page=90}}{{cite book|author= Thomas Duffus Hardy|title=Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae: Or A Calendar of the Principal Ecclesiastical Dignitaries in England and Wales...|publisher= University Press|year=1854|page=307}}{{cite book|title=The Monthly Review Or Literary Journal Enlarged|publisher=Porter|year=1780|page=95}}
Events
File:StateLibQld 1 186783 Royal Charter (ship).jpg
- January - Y Brython changes from weekly to monthly publication.
- February - First race at Bangor-on-Dee racecourse.
- 1 April - Opening of the Corris Railway.
- 5 April - 27 men are killed by flooding at Neath Chain Colliery.
- 31 May - U.K. general election. This is the last general election in which the Conservative Party's vote share in Wales exceeds that in England.
- 29 June - Benjamin Hall is raised to the peerage as 1st Baron Llanover.
- 15 October–17 October - Queen Victoria stays at Penrhyn Castle.
- 25 October–26 October - 'Royal Charter Storm':
- Steam clipper Royal Charter is wrecked off the north-east Anglesey coast, with the estimated loss of around 459 lives, the greatest loss of life in any maritime accident in Welsh waters.{{cite web |last1=Carradice |first1=Phil |title=The great storm of 1859 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/wales/entries/d1d897e9-d2b2-3e31-82bd-16c023ce44d5 |website=BBC Wales |accessdate=10 April 2019}}
- St Brynach's Church, Cwm-yr-Eglwys, is destroyed.
- Peak year for copper production in Wales.
- The final stage of the East Bute Dock, Cardiff, is completed and opened.{{Coflein|num=34242|desc=Bute East Dock, Cardiff|access-date=10 April 2019}}
- Merger of Yr Amserau and Baner Cymru.
- Religious revival led by Humphrey Jones.
- The Cymanfa Ganu movement is launched in Aberdare.{{cite book|author=Gareth Williams|title=Valleys of Song: Music and Society in Wales 1840-1914|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9kwUAQAAIAAJ|year=1998|publisher=University of Wales Press|isbn=978-0-7083-1480-7|pages=38–39}}
- Sir Charles Morgan, 3rd Baronet, is created Baron Tredegar.{{cite book|author=Thomas Nicholas|title=Annals and Antiquities of the Counties and County Families of Wales: Containing a Record of All Ranks of the Gentry ... with Many Ancient Pedigrees and Memorials of Old and Extinct Families|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qjIwAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA785|year=1872|publisher=Longmans, Green, Reader|pages=785}}
Arts and literature
=Awards=
=New books=
- Hugh Hughes (Tegai) - Y Drydedd Oruchwyliaeth{{cite DNB|wstitle=Hughes, Hugh (1805-1864)|volume=28}}
- Nathaniel Jones - Fy Awenydd
- Richard Parry (Gwalchmai) - Adgofion am John Elias{{cite book|author=Harvard University Library|title=Celtic literatures: classification schedule, classified listing by call number, chronological listing, author and title listing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yC3jAAAAMAAJ|year=1970|publisher=Distributed by the Harvard University Press|page=78}}
- Thomas Stephens & Gweirydd ap Rhys - Orgraff yr Iaith Gymraeg{{cite DWB|id=arc_s-STEP-THO-1821|title=Stephens, Thomas (1821-1875), antiquary and literary critic|author=David Jacob Davies|year=1959|access-date=26 January 2022}}
- William Thomas (Gwilym Marles) - Prydyddiaeth
=Music=
Births
- 11 January - Sir Joseph Alfred Bradney, historian (died 1933){{cite book|author=Arthur Charles Fox-Davies|title=Armorial Families: A Directory of Gentlemen of Coat-armour|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M2VHAQAAMAAJ|year=1910|publisher=T.C. & E.C. Jack|page=178}}
- 29 January - Sir George Lockwood Morris, industrialist and Welsh international rugby player (died 1947){{cite book|title=Who was who: a companion to Who's who : containing the biographies of those who died during the period|url=https://archive.org/details/whowaswho191619200lond|url-access=registration|year=1967|publisher=A. & C. Black|page=[https://archive.org/details/whowaswho191619200lond/page/816 816]}}
- 7 February - Frank Hancock, Wales international rugby union international (died 1943)
- 16 February - T. E. Ellis, politician (died 1899){{cite DWB|id=s-ELLI-EDW-1859|title=Ellis, Thomas Edward (1859-1899), M.P. for Merioneth (1886-99) and chief Liberal whip (1894-5)|author=Thomas Iorwerth Ellis|author-link=Thomas Iorwerth Ellis|publisher=National Library of Wales|access-date=13 March 2019}}
- 18 April - Sir Evan Davies Jones, 1st Baronet, civil engineer (died 1949)
- 4 May - Sir Samuel Thomas Evans, politician and judge (died 1918)
- 22 May - Jonathan Ceredig Davies, travel writer (died 1932)
- 17 July - Ernest Rhys, writer (died 1946){{cite DWB|id=s-ELLI-EDW-1859|title=Rhys, Ernest (Percival) (1859-1946), poet, author, and editor|author=William Llewelyn Davies|publisher=National Library of Wales|access-date=26 January 2022}}
- 11 Oct – Aneurin Williams, politician (died 1924)
- 5 December - Edward John Lewis, Wales international rugby union player (died 1925)
- 7 December - Leonard Watkins, Wales international rugby union player (died 1901)
- 25 December - John Goulstone Lewis Wales international rugby union player (died 1935)
- November - Richard Bell, politician (died 1930)
Deaths
- 19 January - Charles Vachell, alderman and former mayor of Cardiff, 75{{cite news|title=Births, Marriages, and Deaths |url=https://newspapers.library.wales/view/3091572/3091577 |work=The Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian |place=(Glamorgan, Monmouthshire and Breconshire) |page=5 |date=22 January 1859 |via=Welsh Newspapers Online }}
- 19 April – Christopher Bethell, Bishop of Bangor, 85{{cite book|author=Joseph Haydn|title=Haydn's Dictionary of Dates Relating to All Ages and Nations: For Universal Reference|url=https://archive.org/details/haydnsdictionary10hayd|year=1866|publisher=E. Moxon and Company|pages=[https://archive.org/details/haydnsdictionary10hayd/page/76 76]}}
- 20 May - Thomas Penson the younger, county surveyor of Denbighshire, 69Colvin H. A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600–1840. Yale University Press 3rd ed 1995, pages 748-49
- 21 June - John Bowen, Bishop of Sierra Leone, 43 (yellow fever){{cite book|last1=Bowen|first1=John|title=Memorials of John Bowen, late Bishop of Sierra Leone;|date=1862|publisher=James Nisbet|location=London|url=https://archive.org/details/memorialsofjohnb00bowe|accessdate=1 April 2017}}
- 8 July - John Thomas (Siôn Wyn o Eifion), poet, 78
- 10 September - Sir John Hay Williams, landowner, 65{{cite book|author1=Joseph Jackson Howard|author2=Frederick Arthur Crisp|title=Visitation of England and Wales|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dVBFAAAAYAAJ|year=1905|publisher=Privately printed|page=12}}
- 24 September – Joseph Murray Ince, painter, 53
- October - Evan Jones (Ifan y Gorlan), harpist