This article is about the particular significance of the year 1985 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

* Secretary of State for Wales –

Nicholas Edwards Roger Nicholas Edwards, Baron Crickhowell, PC (25 February 1934 – 17 March 2018) was a British Conservative Party politician who served as an MP from 1970 until 1987 and as Secretary of State for Wales during the first two terms of the Tha ...

* Archbishop of Wales –

Derrick Childs Derrick Greenslade Childs (14 January 1918 – 18 March 1987 ) was the Anglican Bishop of Monmouth and Archbishop of Wales. Childs grew up in Laugharne. He was educated at Whitland Grammar School, before reading history at University College, ...

Bishop of Monmouth The Bishop of Monmouth is the diocesan bishop of the Church in Wales Diocese of Monmouth. The episcopal see covers the historic county of Monmouthshire with the bishop's seat located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Woolos in Newport, whi ...

* Archdruid of the

National Eisteddfod of Wales The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Welsh language, Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Eur ...

– Elerydd

Events

3 March Events Pre-1600 * 473 – Gundobad (nephew of Ricimer) nominates Glycerius as emperor of the Western Roman Empire. * 724 – Empress Genshō abdicates the throne in favor of her nephew Emperor Shōmu, Shōmu who becomes emperor of Japa ...

– The UK miners' strike (1984–85) formally ends. Among the mines not reopening is

Bedwas Navigation Colliery Bedwas Navigation Colliery was a coal mine in the small Welsh village of Bedwas, north of Caerphilly. The colliery opened in 1913, and closed after the miners' strike of 1984-85. Development In 1909 the Bedwas Colliery Company leased 1,475 acre ...

. *

16 May Events Pre-1600 * 946 – Emperor Suzaku abdicates the throne in favor of his brother Murakami who becomes the 62nd emperor of Japan. * 1204 – Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. *136 ...

– Dean Hancock and Russell Shankland are convicted of murder at

Cardiff Crown Court Cardiff Crown Court ( cy, Llys y Goron Caerdydd) is a historic building situated in Cathays Park, Cardiff, Wales. The building is a Grade I listed building. As a Crown Court venue it is part of the Wales Circuit of Her Majesty's Courts Servi ...

and jailed for life. The previous November, at the height of the miners' strike, they had caused the death of a taxi driver by dropping a concrete block onto his car as it passed under a bridge. *

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 ...

– The A55 Colwyn Bay bypass is completed. *

4 July Events Pre-1600 *362 BC – Battle of Mantinea: The Thebans, led by Epaminondas, defeated the Spartans. * 414 – Emperor Theodosius II, age 13, yields power to his older sister Aelia Pulcheria, who reigned as regent and proclaime ...

– At the Brecon and Radnor by-election (caused by the death of sitting Conservative MP Tom Ellis Hooson) local farmer

Richard Livsey Richard Arthur Lloyd Livsey, Baron Livsey of Talgarth (2 May 1935 – 16 September 2010) was a British Liberal Democrat politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Brecon and Radnorshire from 1985 to 1992, and again from 1997 to ...

takes the seat for the Liberals. *

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 ...

–

Swansea City A.F.C. Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...

, struggling in the English Third Division just three years after being in the First, are issued with a winding-up order in the High Court and are at risk of closure and being forced out of the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

. *''exact date unknown'' **

Terry Matthews Sir Terence Hedley Matthews (born 6 June 1943) is a Welsh-Canadian business magnate, serial high-tech entrepreneur, and Wales' first billionaire. He was the richest man in Wales until 2012, when he was surpassed by Sir Michael Moritz. He h ...

sells his stake in Mitel to

British Telecom BT Group plc (trade name, trading as BT and formerly British Telecom) is a British Multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered in London, England. It has operations in around 180 countries and is th ...

. **"Cefn" is founded to campaign for the civil rights of Welsh speakers. **The Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies is founded at the University of Wales,

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...

. **Seventeen women are prosecuted on

conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between persons (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation, while keeping their agree ...

charges after the occupation of a nuclear bunker near Carmarthen.

Arts and literature

*Robat Powell becomes the first Welsh learner to win the Chair at the National Eisteddfod (see below).

Awards

*National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Rhyl) *National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - Robat Powell *National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - John Roderick Rees *National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - Margaret Dafydd

New books

English language

Alice Thomas Ellis Alice Thomas Ellis (born Ann Margaret Lindholm, 9 September 1932 – 8 March 2005) was an English writer and essayist born in Liverpool. She wrote numerous novels and some non-fiction, including cookery books. Life Ellis was born in Liverpool to ...

– ''Unexplained Laughter'' *Lady Olwen Carey Evans – ''Lloyd George Was My Father'' *

David Hughes David Hughes may refer to: Arts *Dave Hughes (born 1970), Australian comedian *Dave Hughes (producer), American television producer and editor *David Hughes (illustrator), British illustrator *David Hughes (Emmerdale), fictional character in the I ...

– ''The Pork Butcher'' *

Christopher Meredith Christopher Meredith Learned Society of Wales, FLSW (born 1954) is a poet, novelist, short story writer, and translator from Tredegar, Wales. Biography Meredith was born in Tredegar, Wales. His father, Emrys, from Tredegar, was a steelworker ...

– ''This'' * Robert Minhinnick – ''The Dinosaur Park'' *

John Powell Ward John Powell Ward (born 1937) is an English poet and academic. He is an Honorary Research Fellow in the College of Arts and Humanities at Swansea University. John Powell Ward was born in Felixstowe, Suffolk. He studied at the University of Toronto ...

– ''The Clearing'' * Ivor Wilks – ''South Wales and the Rising of 1839''

Welsh language

* Geraint Bowen – ''Cerddi'' * Bryan Martin Davies – ''Lleoedd'' *

Glanmor Williams Sir Glanmor Williams (5 May 1920 – 24 February 2005) was one of Wales's most eminent historians. Sir Glanmor was born in Dowlais, into a working-class family, and was educated at Cyfarthfa Grammar School in Merthyr Tydfil. He studied at ...

**''Harri Tudur a Chymru'' **''Grym Tafodau Tân'' * Eluned Phillips – ''Cerddi Glyn-y-Mêl''

Music

Downtown Julie Brown Julie Dorne Brown, better known as Downtown Julie Brown, is an English-born actress, television personality, SiriusXM DJ and former MTV VJ. Brown is best known as the host of the television music show ''Club MTV'', which ran from 1987 until 19 ...

makes her debut on

Club MTV ''Club MTV'' is a half hour television show modeled after ''American Bandstand'' that aired on MTV from August 31, 1987, to June 26, 1992. ''Club MTV'' was part of MTV's second generation of programming, as the channel was phasing out its origi ...

. *"Dwylo Dros y Môr", performed by various artists, is the Welsh charity song released in coordination with Band Aid. * Aled Jones – ''Aled Jones With The BBC Welsh Chorus'' (album) *Living Legends – ''Better Dead Than Wed''

Film

Jonathan Pryce Sir Jonathan Pryce (born John Price; 1 June 1947) is a Welsh actor who is known for his performances on stage and in film and television. He has received numerous awards, including two Tony Awards and two Laurence Olivier Awards. In 2021 he wa ...

stars in ''

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

''. *

Richard Marquand Richard Alfred Marquand (22 September 1937 – 4 September 1987) was a British film and television director active in both US and UK film productions, best known for directing 1983's ''Return of the Jedi''. He also directed the critically accla ...

directs '' Jagged Edge''.

Welsh-language films

*''None''

Broadcasting

Welsh-language television

*''Helfa Drysor'' *''Sam Tân'' ( Fireman Sam)

English-language television

10 September Events Pre-1600 * 506 – The bishops of Visigothic Gaul meet in the Council of Agde. *1419 – John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy is assassinated by adherents of the Dauphin, the future Charles VII of France. *1509 – An eart ...

– ITV broadcasts the Wales vs Scotland World Cup qualifying match live from Ninian Park in

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

. Scotland manager

Jock Stein John "Jock" Stein (5 October 1922 – 10 September 1985) was a Scottish football player and manager. He was the first manager of a British side to win the European Cup, with Celtic in 1967. Stein also guided Celtic to nine successive Scottish ...

collapses and dies in the stadium's first aid room.

Sport

BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year The BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality of the Year is a televised sporting competition, broadcast on BBC Two every year; and the most prestigious annual sport award in Wales. It was first awarded in 1954, and is currently organised by BBC Cymru W ...

–

Steve Jones Steve or Steven Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Steve Jones (English presenter) (born 1945), English musician, disk jockey, television presenter, and voice-over artist *Steve Jones (musician) (born 1955), English rock and roll guita ...

Horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

– Hywel Davies wins the Grand National on "Last Suspect".

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 ...

– Mark Evans, musical theatre actor, singer, dancer and choreographer *

9 January Events Pre-1600 * 681 – Twelfth Council of Toledo: King Erwig of the Visigoths initiates a council in which he implements diverse measures against the Jews in Spain. *1127 – Jin–Song Wars: Invading Jurchen soldiers from the J ...

–

Elen Evans Elen Evans (born 9 January 1985) is a Welsh rugby union player who plays centre or wing for Caernarfon RFC, the Scarlets and the Wales women's national rugby union team. She won her first international cap against Ireland in the 2004 Women's Si ...

, rugby player *

23 February Events Pre-1600 * 303 – Roman emperor Diocletian orders the destruction of the Christian church in Nicomedia, beginning eight years of Diocletianic Persecution. * 532 – Byzantine emperor Justinian I lays the foundation stone of a ...

– Shaun Hopkins, rugby player *

– David Davies, swimmer *

8 April Events Pre-1600 * 217 – Roman emperor Caracalla is assassinated and is succeeded by his Praetorian Guard prefect, Marcus Opellius Macrinus. * 876 – The Battle of Dayr al-'Aqul saves Baghdad from the Saffarids. * 1139 – R ...

– Gareth Rees, cricketer *

16 April Events Pre-1600 * 1457 BC – Battle of Megido - the first battle to have been recorded in what is accepted as relatively reliable detail. * 69 – Defeated by Vitellius' troops at Bedriacum, Otho commits suicide. * 73 – Masada ...

– Mark Baker, historian and author *

13 May Events Pre-1600 * 1373 – Julian of Norwich has visions of Jesus while suffering from a life-threatening illness, visions which are later described and interpreted in her book ''Revelations of Divine Love''. * 1501 – Amerigo Vesp ...

** Iwan Rheon, screen actor ** Danny Thomas, footballer *

31 May Events Pre-1600 * 455 – Emperor Petronius Maximus is stoned to death by an angry mob while fleeing Rome. *1223 – Mongol invasion of the Cumans: Battle of the Kalka River: Mongol armies of Genghis Khan led by Subutai defeat Kieva ...

–

Laura Daniels Laura Daniels (née Laura Thomas; born 31 May 1985) is a Welsh lawn and indoor bowler. Bowls career World Outdoor Championship In 2016, Daniels won the gold medal with Jess Sims in the pairs at the 2016 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in Ch ...

, lawn bowler *

16 June Events Pre-1600 * 363 – Emperor Julian marches back up the Tigris and burns his fleet of supply ships. During the withdrawal, Roman forces suffer several attacks from the Persians. * 632 – Yazdegerd III ascends the throne as king ...

– Craig Morgan, footballer *

17 July Events Pre-1600 * 180 – Twelve inhabitants of Scillium (near Kasserine, modern-day Tunisia) in North Africa are executed for being Christians. This is the earliest record of Christianity in that part of the world. * 1048 – Damasu ...

– Tom Cullen, actor *

30 August Events Pre-1600 * 70 – Titus ends the siege of Jerusalem after destroying Herod's Temple. *1282 – Peter III of Aragon lands at Trapani to intervene in the War of the Sicilian Vespers. *1363 – The five-week Battle of Lake Po ...

–

Richard Duffy Richard Michael Duffy (born 30 August 1985) is a Welsh former professional footballer who is now the player-manager at club Congleton Town. A versatile player who can play either on the right or at the centre of defence, he won 13 caps for Wal ...

, international footballer *

11 September Events Pre-1600 * 9 – The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends: The Roman Empire suffers the greatest defeat of its history and the Rhine is established as the border between the Empire and the so-called barbarians for the next four hun ...

–

Daniel Parslow Daniel James Parslow (born 11 September 1985) is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a centre-back in the English Football League for York City and Cheltenham Town. Parslow started his career with Cardiff City in their youth s ...

, footballer *

19 September Events Pre-1600 * 85 – Nerva, suspected of complicity of the death of Domitian, is declared emperor by Senate. The Senate then annuls laws passed by Domitian and orders his statues to be destroyed. * 634 – Siege of Damascus: Th ...

–

Alun Wyn Jones Alun Wyn Jones (born 19 September 1985) is a Welsh professional rugby union player who plays as a lock for the Ospreys and the Wales national team. He is the world's most-capped rugby union player. Jones also holds the records for the most ...

, international rugby union captain *

24 September Events Pre-1600 *787 – Second Council of Nicaea: The council assembles at the church of Hagia Sophia. *1568 – Spanish naval forces defeat an English fleet, under the command of John Hawkins, at the Battle of San Juan de Ulúa near ...

– Kimberley Nixon, actress *

10 October Events Pre-1600 * 680 – The Battle of Karbala marks the Martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali. * 732 – Charles Martel's forces defeat an Umayyad army near Tours, France. * 1471 – Sten Sture the Elder, the Regent of Sweden, with the ...

– Marina Lambrini Diamandis, singer *

14 December Events Pre-1600 * 557 – Constantinople is severely damaged by 557 Constantinople earthquake, an earthquake, which cracks the dome of Hagia Sophia. * 835 – Sweet Dew Incident: Emperor Wenzong of Tang, Emperor Wenzong of the Tang dyn ...

–

Alex Pennie Alexander Gregor Pennie (born 14 December 1985) was previously in Welsh band The Automatic from the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales, where he provided backing vocals as well as playing synthesizers and keyboards for the act. Pennie left The Autom ...

, musician *

15 November Events Pre-1600 * 655 – Battle of the Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. *1315 – Growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy: The Schweizer Eidgenossenschaft ambushes the army of Leopold I in the Battle of Morg ...

–

Simon Spender Simon Spender (born 15 November 1985) is a Welsh football coach and former professional footballer who is currently an academy coach at The New Saints. Career Born in Mold, Flintshire, Spender came up through the youth system at Wrexham and mad ...

, footballer *

25 December Events Pre-1600 * 36 – Forces of Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han, under the command of Wu Han, conquer the separatist Chengjia empire, reuniting China. * 274 – A temple to Sol Invictus is dedicated in Rome by Emperor Aurel ...

** Leon Pisani, pop singer **

Perdita Weeks Perdita Rose Weeks (born 25 December 1985) is a British actress who plays Juliet Higgins in the CBS-turned-NBC reboot series ''Magnum P.I.'' Life and education Weeks was born in South Glamorgan, to Robin and Susan (née Wade) Weeks, was educat ...

, actress *

28 December Events Pre-1600 * 418 – A papal conclave begins, resulting in the election of Pope Boniface I. * 457 – Majorian is acclaimed as Western Roman Empire, Western Roman emperor. * 484 – Alaric II succeeds his father Euric and beco ...

– Nicola Davies, footballer *''date unknown'' – Claire Jones, harpist

Deaths

19 January Events Pre-1600 * 379 – Emperor Gratian elevates Flavius Theodosius at Sirmium to ''Augustus'', and gives him authority over all the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire. * 649 – Conquest of Kucha: The forces of Kucha surrender ...

–

Tom Richards Tom Richards may refer to: * Tom Richards (actor) (born 1948), Australian television actor * Tom Richards (athlete) (1910–1985), British marathon runner * Tom Richards (rugby union) (1882–1935), Australian rugby union footballer * Tom Richards ( ...

, athlete, 74 *

26 January Events Pre-1600 * 661 – The Rashidun Caliphate is effectively ended with the assassination of Ali, the last caliph. *1531 – The 6.4–7.1 Lisbon earthquake kills about thirty thousand people. *1564 – The Council of Trent ...

– David Ormsby-Gore, 5th Baron Harlech, 66 (car accident) *

9 March Events Pre-1600 *141 BC – Liu Che, posthumously known as Emperor Wu of Han, assumes the throne over the Han dynasty of China. *1009 – First known mention of Lithuania, in the annals of the monastery of Quedlinburg. * 1226 – ...

– John Tudor Jones, journalist, poet, critic, broadcaster, and translator, 81 *

29 March Events Pre-1600 * 845 – Paris is Siege of Paris (845), sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collects a huge ransom in exchange for leaving. *1430 – The Ottoman Empire under Murad II Siege of Thessalonica (14 ...

–

Rae Jenkins Rae Jenkins , born Henry Horatio Jenkins (19 April 1903 – 29 March 1985) was a Welsh violinist and later conductor of light music, notably with the BBC Midland Light Orchestra (1942–1946), the BBC Variety Orchestra (from 1946), and as pr ...

, violinist and conductor *

4 April Events Pre-1600 *503 BC – Roman consul Agrippa Menenius Lanatus celebrates a triumph for a military victory over the Sabines. * 190 – Dong Zhuo has his troops evacuate the capital Luoyang and burn it to the ground. * 611 – ...

– Kate Roberts, author, 94 *

21 April Events Pre-1600 *753 BC – Romulus founds Rome ( traditional date). *43 BC – Battle of Mutina: Mark Antony is again defeated in battle by Aulus Hirtius, who is killed. Antony fails to capture Mutina and Decimus Brutus is murdered s ...

–

Owen Temple-Morris Sir Owen Temple-Morris, QC (15 September 1896 – 21 April 1985) was a British barrister and Conservative politician, who sat for Cardiff East from 1931 until being appointed a County Court judge in 1942. The son of Dr Frederick Temple-Morri ...

, barrister and politician, 88 *

22 April Events Pre-1600 *1500 – Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral lands in Brazil. * 1519 – Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés establishes a settlement at Veracruz, Mexico. * 1529 – Treaty of Zaragoza divides the eastern h ...

– Sir

Thomas Parry Thomas Parry may refer to: * Thomas Parry (Comptroller of the Household) (c. 1515–1560), serving Queen Elizabeth I of England * Thomas Parry (ambassador) (1541–1616), English MP, ambassador to France and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster * T ...

, academic, 80 *

8 May Events Pre-1600 * 453 BC – Spring and Autumn period: The house of Zhao defeats the house of Zhi, ending the Battle of Jinyang, a military conflict between the elite families of the State of Jin. * 413 – Emperor Honorius signs ...

– Tom Hooson, politician, 52 (cancer) *

9 June Events Pre-1600 *411 BC – The Athenian coup succeeds, forming a short-lived oligarchy. * 53 – The Roman emperor Nero marries Claudia Octavia. * 68 – Nero dies by suicide after quoting Vergil's ''Aeneid'', thus ending the Ju ...

– Clifford Evans, actor, 73 *July -

Roger Ashton (footballer) Roger William Ashton (16 August 1921 – July 1985) was a Welsh professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. During his career, he made twelve appearances in The Football League during spells with Cardiff City and Newport County. Caree ...

, footballer, 63 *

1 September Events Pre-1600 * 1145 – The main altar of Lund Cathedral, at the time seat of the archiepiscopal see of all the Nordic countries, is consecrated. * 1173 – The widow Stamira sacrifices herself in order to raise the siege of Ancon ...

–

Saunders Lewis Saunders Lewis (born John Saunders Lewis) (15 October 1893 – 1 September 1985) was a Welsh politician, poet, dramatist, Medievalist, and literary critic. He was a prominent Welsh nationalist, supporter of Welsh independence and was a co-found ...

, writer, 91 *

14 September Events Pre-1600 *AD 81 – Domitian becomes Emperor of the Roman Empire upon the death of his brother Titus. * 629 – Emperor Heraclius enters Constantinople in triumph after his victory over the Persian Empire. * 786 – "Night o ...

– Niel Morgan, cricketer and diplomat, 81 *

17 September Events Pre-1600 *1111 – Highest Galician nobility led by Pedro Fróilaz de Traba and the bishop Diego Gelmírez crown Alfonso VII as "King of Galicia". *1176 – The Battle of Myriokephalon is the last attempt by the Byzantine Empire ...

–

Laura Ashley Laura Ashley (née Mountney; 7 September 1925 – 17 September 1985) was a Welsh fashion designer and businesswoman. She originally made furnishing materials in the 1950s, expanding the business into clothing design and manufacture in the 1960s ...

, designer, 60 (brain haemorrhage after fall) *

18 September Events Pre-1600 * 96 – Domitian, who has been conducting a reign of terror for the past three years, is assassinated as a result of a plot by his wife Domitia and two Praetorian prefects. * 96 – Nerva is proclaimed Roman empero ...

– Iorwerth Evans, rugby player, 79 *

28 October Events Pre-1600 * 97 – Roman emperor Nerva is forced by the Praetorian Guard to adopt general Marcus Ulpius Trajanus as his heir and successor. * 306 – Maxentius is proclaimed Roman emperor. * 312 – Constantine I defeats ...

** Harold Davies, Baron Davies of Leek, politician, 81 ** Leslie Harris, cricketer, 70 *

4 November Events Pre-1600 *1429 – Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War: Joan of Arc liberates Saint-Pierre-le-Moûtier. *1493 – Christopher Columbus reaches Leeward Island and Puerto Rico. *1501 – Catherine of Aragon (later Henry VIII's ...

–

Hilda Vaughan Hilda Campbell Vaughan (married name Morgan, 12 June 1892 – 4 November 1985) was a Welsh novelist and short story writer writing in English. Her ten varied novels, set mostly in her native Radnorshire, concern rural communities and heroines. ...

, novelist, 93 *

17 December Events Pre-1600 *497 BC – The first Saturnalia festival was celebrated in ancient Rome. * 546 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoths under king Totila plunder the city, by bribing the Byzantine garrison. * 920 – Romanos I Lekapen ...

–

Gwyn Richards Ernest Gwyn Richards (22 December 1905 – 17 December 1985) was a Welsh rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1920s and 1930s. He played representative level rugby union (RU) for Wales, and at club level for B ...

, dual-code rugby player, 79 *

27 December Events Pre-1600 * 537 – The second Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is consecrated. *1512 – The Spanish Crown issues the Laws of Burgos, governing the conduct of settlers with regard to Indigenous peoples of the Americas, native Indi ...

–

Len Richards Leonard George Richards (13 April 1911 — 27 December 1985) was a Welsh professional Association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football), full back. He played in the English Football League, Football League for Cardi ...

, footballer, 74 *''date unknown'' – Dewi-Prys Thomas, architect{{cite book, author=Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales, title=An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Glamorgan: pt. 1. pt. a. The early castles from the Norman Conquest to 1217, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ooiJ_BTB42wC, year=1976, publisher=H.M.S.D., isbn=978-0-11-300035-7, page=x