This article is about the particular significance of the year 1856 to

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

and its people.

Incumbents

Lord Lieutenant of Anglesey This is a list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of Anglesey. Since 1761, all Lord Lieutenants have also been Custos Rotulorum of Anglesey. The office was abolished on 31 March 1974. Lord Lieutenants of Anglesey to 1974 *''see Lord Lieute ...

– Henry Paget, 2nd Marquess of Anglesey *

Lord Lieutenant of Brecknockshire This is a list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of Brecknockshire. After 1723, all Lord Lieutenants were also Custos Rotulorum of Brecknockshire. The office was abolished on 31 March 1974 and replaced with the Lord Lieutenant of Powys, with ...

–

John Lloyd Vaughan Watkins John Lloyd Vaughan Watkins (1802 – 28 September 1865) was a Welsh Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons in three periods between 1832 and 1865. Watkins was the son of Re ...

Lord Lieutenant of Caernarvonshire This is a list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of Caernarvonshire. Since 1778, all Lord Lieutenants have also been Custos Rotulorum of Caernarvonshire. The post was abolished on 31 March 1974 and replaced with that of Lord Lieutenant of Gw ...

–

Sir Richard Williams-Bulkeley, 10th Baronet Sir Richard Bulkeley Williams-Bulkeley, 10th Baronet (23 September 1801 – 28 August 1875) was an English Whig (British political party), Whig and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons of the United King ...

* Lord Lieutenant of Cardiganshire –

Thomas Lloyd, Coedmore Thomas Lloyd (1 November 1793 – 12 July 1857), was a 19th-century landowner who served as Lord Lieutenant of Cardiganshire from 1854 until his death in 1857. Lloyd was from Coedmore, a relatively small estate in the parish of Llangoedmor in sout ...

* Lord Lieutenant of Carmarthenshire –

John Campbell, 1st Earl Cawdor John Frederick Campbell, 1st Earl Cawdor (8 November 1790 – 7 November 1860) was a British peer and MP. He was born the son of John Campbell, 1st Baron Cawdor and Lady Caroline Howard and educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford, gradua ...

Lord Lieutenant of Denbighshire This is an incomplete list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of Denbighshire in Wales. After 1733, all Lord Lieutenants were also Custos Rotulorum of Denbighshire. The office was abolished on 31 March 1974, being replaced by the Lord Lieut ...

– Robert Myddelton Biddulph *

Lord Lieutenant of Flintshire This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Flintshire. Since 1802, all Lord Lieutenants have also been Custos Rotulorum of Flintshire. The office was abolished on 31 March 1974, and was replaced by the Lord Lieutenant of Clwyd ...

–

Sir Stephen Glynne, 9th Baronet Sir Stephen Richard Glynne, 9th Baronet (22 September 1807 – 17 June 1874) was a Welsh landowner and Conservative Party politician. He is principally remembered as an assiduous antiquary and student of British church architecture. He was a ...

Lord Lieutenant of Glamorgan This is a list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of Glamorgan. After 1729, all Lords Lieutenant were also Custos Rotulorum of Glamorgan. The post was abolished on 31 March 1974. Lord Lieutenants of Glamorgan to 1974 *Henry Herbert, 2nd Ear ...

–

Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot FRS (10 May 1803 – 17 January 1890) was a Welsh landowner, industrialist and Liberal politician. He developed his estate at Margam near Swansea as an extensive ironworks, served by railways and a port, which was ...

Lord Lieutenant of Merionethshire This is a list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of Merionethshire. After 1762, all Lord Lieutenants were also Custos Rotulorum of Merionethshire. The office was abolished on 31 March 1974, and the area is now covered by the Lord Lieutenant ...

–

Edward Lloyd-Mostyn, 2nd Baron Mostyn Edward Mostyn Lloyd-Mostyn, 2nd Baron Mostyn (13 January 1795 – 17 March 1884), was a British peer and Member of Parliament (MP). Mostyn was the son of Edward Lloyd, 1st Baron Mostyn. Born Edward Lloyd, assumed by Royal licence the addit ...

* Lord Lieutenant of Monmouthshire – Capel Hanbury Leigh * Lord Lieutenant of Montgomeryshire –

Charles Hanbury-Tracy, 1st Baron Sudeley Charles Hanbury-Tracy, 1st Baron Sudeley (28 December 1778 – 10 February 1858), known as Charles Hanbury until 1798 and as Charles Hanbury Tracy from 1798 to 1838, was a British Whig politician. Early life Hanbury-Tracy was born on 28 Decemb ...

* Lord Lieutenant of Pembrokeshire – Sir John Owen, 1st Baronet * Lord Lieutenant of Radnorshire – John Walsh, 1st Baron Ormathwaite * Bishop of Bangor –

Christopher Bethell Christopher Bethell (21 April 1773 – 19 April 1859) was Bishop of Bangor. Bethell was the second son of the Reverend Richard Bethell, the rector of St Peter's Wallingford, Berkshire, who died 12 January 1806 having married his wife Ann in 177 ...

* Bishop of Llandaff – Alfred Ollivant *

Bishop of St Asaph The Bishop of St Asaph heads the Church in Wales diocese of St Asaph. The diocese covers the counties of Conwy and Flintshire, Wrexham county borough, the eastern part of Merioneth in Gwynedd and part of northern Powys. The Episcopal seat is loca ...

–

Thomas Vowler Short Thomas Vowler Short (16 September 1790 – 13 April 1872) was an English academic and clergyman, successively Bishop of Sodor and Man and Bishop of St Asaph. Life He was the eldest son of William Short, Archdeacon of Cornwall, with Eliza ...

* Bishop of St Davids – Connop Thirlwall

Events

6 February Events Pre-1600 *1579 – The Archdiocese of Manila is made a diocese by a papal bull with Domingo de Salazar being its first bishop. 1601–1900 *1685 – James II of England and VII of Scotland is proclaimed King upon the death of h ...

– The sailing ship ''Grand Duke'' is wrecked off St Govan's Head, with the loss of 29 lives. *

10 March Events Pre-1600 * 241 BC – First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates: The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing the First Punic War to an end. * 298 – Roman Emperor Maximian concludes his campaign in North Africa and makes a t ...

–

John Jones (Shoni Sguborfawr) Shoni Sguborfawr or Sioni Ysgubor Fawr (''Johnny ''of'' Big Barn'') (1811–1858) was a notorious Welsh criminal, most notable for his part in the Rebecca Riots and his subsequent attempts to blackmail fellow rioters. Early history Shoni was chris ...

is sentenced to three months hard labour for drunkenness. *May – John Frost is given an unconditional pardon for his role in the Newport Chartist demonstrations of 1839. *

3 July Events Pre-1600 * 324 – Battle of Adrianople (324), Battle of Adrianople: Constantine the Great, Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium. * 987 – Hugh Capet is crowned King of France, the first of the Capetian dynas ...

– 11 men are killed in a mining accident at Coalbrookdale,

Nantyglo Nantyglo () is a village in the ancient parish of Aberystruth and county of Monmouth situated deep within the South Wales Valleys between Blaina and Brynmawr in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent. Governance An electoral ward in the same name ...

. *

15 July Events Pre-1600 * 484 BC – Dedication of the Temple of Castor and Pollux in ancient Rome * 70 – First Jewish–Roman War: Titus and his armies breach the walls of Jerusalem. (17th of Tammuz in the Hebrew calendar). * 756 – A ...

– 114 men and boys are killed in a mining accident at Cymmer Old Pit,

Porth Porth ( cy, Y Porth) is a town and a community in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales. Lying in the Rhondda Valley, it is regarded as the gateway connecting the Rhondda Fawr and Rh ...

, Rhondda. *

16 September Events Pre-1600 * 681 – Pope Honorius I is posthumously excommunicated by the Sixth Ecumenical Council. *1400 – Owain Glyndŵr is declared Prince of Wales by his followers. 1601–1900 *1620 – A determined band of 35 religi ...

– The

Festiniog Railway The Ffestiniog Railway ( cy, Rheilffordd Ffestiniog) is a heritage railway based on narrow-gauge, located in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a major tourist attraction located mainly within the Snowdonia National Park. The railway is roughly long an ...

publishes its first printed timetable. * 8 September – At the Siege of Sevastopol in the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

, Corporal Robert Shields of the

23rd Regiment of Foot Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (d ...

recovers a fatally wounded officer from an exposed position, an action for which he will receive the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

. *''unknown dates'' **Troops are sent into Talargoch in Flintshire to deal with an industrial dispute involving lead miners. ** Fishguard becomes the first

county court A county court is a court based in or with a jurisdiction covering one or more counties, which are administrative divisions (subnational entities) within a country, not to be confused with the medieval system of ''county courts'' held by the high ...

in Wales to close. ** Halkyn-born

Mormon missionary Missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)—widely known as Mormon missionaries—are volunteer representatives of the church who engage variously in proselytizing, church service, humanitarian aid, and commu ...

Dan Jones returns to the United States on conclusion of his second (4-year) mission for

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

with between 550 and 700 Welsh

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

s bound for

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

. **Richard Cory sells his provision business and begins to trade as "Richard Cory and Sons" in the coal and shipping business. ** Pryce Pryce-Jones takes over a drapery business in Newtown and begins to trade as the "Royal Welsh Warehouse", a mail order business. **The estate around Dinas Mawddwy is purchased by Lancashire industrialist Edmund Buckley. ** Jane Williams (Ysgafell) returns to her native London, where she remains until her death nearly thirty years later.

Arts and literature

*Summer – Marian Evans (who has not yet adopted the pseudonym George Eliot) drafts "The Sad Fortunes of the Reverend Amos Barton", the first of her '' Scenes of Clerical Life'' (1857) and her first work of fiction, while holidaying at

Tenby Tenby ( cy, Dinbych-y-pysgod, lit=fortlet of the fish) is both a walled seaside town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, on the western side of Carmarthen Bay, and a local government community. Notable features include of sandy beaches and the Pembroke ...

New books

English language

* Erasmus Jones – ''The Higher Law Triumphant: The Captive Youths of Judah'' *

Samuel Prideaux Tregelles Samuel Prideaux Tregelles (30 January 1813 – 24 April 1875) was an English biblical scholar, lexicographer, Christian Hebraist, textual critic, and theologian. Life Tregelles was born at Wodehouse Place, Falmouth, of Quaker parents, but h ...

– ''An Introduction to the Textual Criticism of the New Testament'' * Jane Williams (Ysgafell) – ''The Origin, Rise, and Progress of the Paper People''

Welsh language

John Ceiriog Hughes John Ceiriog Hughes (25 September 1832 – 23 April 1887) was a Welsh poet and collector of Welsh folk tunes, sometimes termed a Robert Burns of Wales. He was born at Penybryn Farm, overlooking the village of Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog in the Cei ...

– ''Gohebiaethau Syr Meurig Crynswth'' (vol. 1) * John Jones (Ioan Emlyn) – ''Tiriad y Ffrancodym Mhencaer'' * John Williams (Ab Ithel) – ''Dosparth Edeyrn Davod Aur''

Music

*January – The Welsh national anthem, '' Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau'', is composed by

James James James James (also known by the bardic name ''Iago ap Ieuan'') (1832–1902) was a harpist and musician from Hollybush, Blackwood, Wales. He composed the tune of the Welsh national anthem ''Hen Wlad fy Nhadau'' (also known as ''Land of my Fathe ...

with lyrics by his father Evan James.

Births

2 January Events Pre-1600 * 69 – The Roman legions in Germania Superior refuse to swear loyalty to Galba. They rebel and proclaim Vitellius as emperor. * 366 – The Alemanni cross the frozen Rhine in large numbers, invading the Roman Empir ...

–

John Viriamu Jones John Viriamu Jones, FRS (2 January 1856 – 1 June 1901), was a Welsh scientist, who worked on measuring the ohm, and an educationalist who was instrumental in establishing the University of Sheffield and Cardiff University. (Reproduced on the ...

, academic (died

1901 Events January * January 1 – The Crown colony, British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria (Australia), Victoria and Western Australia Federation of Australia, federate as the Australia, ...

) *

26 March Events Pre-1600 * 590 – Emperor Maurice proclaims his son Theodosius as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire. * 1021 – On the feast of Eid al-Adha, the death of the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, kept secret for six weeks, is ...

–

David Alfred Thomas, 1st Viscount Rhondda David Alfred Thomas, 1st Viscount Rhondda, PC (26 March 1856 – 3 July 1918), was a Welsh industrialist and Liberal politician. He was UK Member of Parliament (MP) for Merthyr Tydfil from 1888 until the January 1910 general election, then M ...

, politician (died

1918 This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide. Events Below, the events ...

) *

1 April Events Pre-1600 * 33 – According to one historian's account, Jesus Christ's Last Supper is held. * 527 – Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne. *1081 – Alexios I Kom ...

–

Walter Jenkin Evans Walter Jenkin Evans (1 April 1856 – 10 February 1927) was a Welsh academic who served as Principal of Carmarthen Presbyterian College and who wrote about the history and people of Unitarianism in Carmarthen. Early life and education Eva ...

, academic (died

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General. * January 7 * ...

) *

15 April Events Pre-1600 * 769 – The Lateran Council ends by condemning the Council of Hieria and anathematizing its iconoclastic rulings. *1071 – Bari, the last Byzantine possession in southern Italy, is surrendered to Robert Guiscard. ...

–

James Bevan James Alfred Bevan (15 April 1858 – 3 February 1938) was a Wales international rugby union three-quarter who played club rugby for Clifton RFC and Newport. He is best known for being the first Welsh international captain, whilst at Cambridg ...

, first Wales rugby union captain (died

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

) *

15 June Events Pre-1600 *763 BC – Assyrians record a solar eclipse that is later used to fix the chronology of Mesopotamian history. * 844 – Louis II is crowned as king of Italy at Rome by pope Sergius II. * 923 – Battle of Sois ...

–

Richard Garnons Williams Colonel Richard Davies Garnons Williams (15 June 1856 – 27 September 1915) was a British Army officer and Welsh rugby union player who represented , Brecon and Newport. He played in the first Wales international rugby union match in 18 ...

, soldier and Wales international rugby union player (died

1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 ...

) *

11 October Events Pre-1600 * 1138 – A massive earthquake strikes Aleppo; it is one of the most destructive earthquakes ever. *1142 – A peace treaty ends the Jin–Song wars. * 1311 – The peerage and clergy restrict the authority of Eng ...

– Sir

Harry Reichel Sir Henry Rudolf Reichel (11 October 1856 – 22 June 1931), was a founder of the University of Wales. Life Born in Belfast, the son of a future Bishop of Meath, Reichel was educated at Christ's Hospital and Balliol College, Oxford. He was a F ...

, academic (died

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

) *

20 December Events Pre-1600 *AD 69 – Antonius Primus enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor for Nero's former general Vespasian. *1192 – Richard I of England is captured and imprisoned by Leopold V of Austria on his way home to England af ...

–

Egerton Phillimore Egerton Grenville Bagot Phillimore (20 December 1856 – 5 June 1937) was a British antiquarian of Welsh literature, language, and history. He published little but was widely regarded as the greatest living expert on Welsh placenames. Early li ...

, scholar (died

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Fe ...

)

Deaths

3 January Events Pre-1600 * 69 – The Roman legions on the Rhine refuse to declare their allegiance to Galba, instead proclaiming their legate, Aulus Vitellius, as emperor. * 250 – Emperor Decius orders everyone in the Roman Empire (except ...

– Thomas Richard, minister, 72 *

18 February Events Pre-1600 * 1229 – The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, signs a ten-year truce with al-Kamil, regaining Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem with neither military engagements nor support from the papacy. *1268 &nda ...

– James Morgan, engineer, 80? *

28 March Events Pre-1600 *AD 37 – Roman emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, bestowed on him by the Senate. * 193 – After assassinating the Roman Emperor Pertinax, his Praetorian Guards auction off the throne to Didius ...

– Henry Watkins Williams-Wynn, politician, 73 *May – Thomas Robert Jones, founder of the

Philanthropic Order of True Ivorites Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

, 54 *

28 May Events Pre-1600 * 585 BC – A solar eclipse occurs, as predicted by the Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling Cyaxares in the Battle of the Eclipse, leading to a truce. This is one of the cardinal dates from w ...

– John Bryan, minister, 79/80 *

29 June Events Pre-1600 * 226 – Cao Rui succeeds his father as emperor of the Kingdom of Wei. * 1149 – Raymond of Poitiers is defeated and killed at the Battle of Inab by Nur ad-Din Zangi. * 1194 – Sverre is crowned King of Norway ...

– Peter Jones, Welsh-descended missionary, 54 *

14 August Events Pre-1600 * 74 BC – A group of officials, led by the Western Han minister Huo Guang, present articles of impeachment against the new emperor, Liu He, to the imperial regent, Empress Dowager Shangguan. The articles, enumerating t ...

– Rev William Buckland, palaeontologist and discoverer of the " Red Lady of Paviland", 72

References

{{reflist

1856 in Europe 1850s in Wales

Incumbents

Events

Arts and literature

New books

English language

Welsh language

Music

Births

Deaths

See also

References