1831 in Wales

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales – vacant
• Princess of Wales – vacant

  Events

• 28 April–1 June – In the UK general election:
• *Robert Fulke Greville is defeated in Pembrokeshire by Sir John Owen of Orielton.
• *Edward Lloyd-Mostyn, 2nd Baron Mostyn becomes MP for Flintshire.
• *John Jones of Ystrad is injured in rioting during the election at Carmarthen, causing polling there to be postponed.
• 3 June – The Merthyr Rising reaches its climax.
• 5 August – Charles Darwin travels from Shrewsbury to Llangollen with his tutor, Rev Adam Sedgwick, to carry out geological studies. They remain in Wales for more than two weeks.
• 17 August – The paddle steamer Rothsay Castle is wrecked at the eastern end of the Menai Strait with the loss of 93 lives.
• August – John Jones of Ystrad holds the constituency of Carmarthen.
• 22 October – John Jones of Ystrad and Robert Fulke Greville fight a duel at Tafarnspite.
• Repeal of the slate tax.
• Port Talbot ironworks opens.
• William Rees becomes a minister.

  Arts and literature

New books

• John Evans – Hanes yr Iddewon

  New publications

Music

Births

• 13 January – William Hugh Evans, minister and author
• May – Dewi Havhesp, poet
• 3 May – Sir Walter Vaughan Morgan, Lord Mayor of London
• 16 May – David E. Hughes, musician and professor of music
• 21 July – Edward Lewis, Welsh-born New Zealand clergyman
• 16 October – John Jones, composer
• 8 December
• *William Dykins, poet
• *Edward Payson Evans, historian and linguist
• 14 December – Griffith John, missionary
• 20 December – William T. Davies, Governor of Pennsylvania
• date unknown – William Davies, writer

  Deaths

• 7 January – Edward "Celtic" Davies, author, 74
• 17 April – Sir Thomas Mostyn, 6th Baronet, politician, 54
• 8 June – Sarah Siddons, actress, 75
• 11 August – Cradock Glascott, Evangelical clergyman and associate of the Wesley brothers, 88
• 13 August – Dic Penderyn, labourer, 23