1868 in Wales

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales – Albert Edward
• Princess of Wales – Alexandra

  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 – 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.
• * 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.
• First publication of the Welsh-language periodical, Baner America, in the USA.
• * Y Dydd is founded, with Samuel Roberts 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 – Geiriadur Cymreig Cymraeg
• John Ceiriog Hughes – Oriau eraill
• Jabez Edmund Jenkins – Rhiangerdd – Gwenfron o'r Dyffryn
• Griffith Jones – Enwogion Sir Aberteifi
• Rhys Gwesyn Jones – Caru, Priodi, a Byw
• John Phillips – 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.
• Publication of Llyfr Tonau ac Emynau, edited by Edward Stephen and Joseph David Jones.

  Sport

• Cricket
• * May – A team from Cadoxton play the United South of England at The Gnoll, Neath.

  Births

• 13 April – Caradoc Rees, politician
• 29 May – Sydney Nicholls, Wales rugby international player
• 10 June
• *John Jones, poet
• *David Prosser, bishop
• 2 August – Sir Alfred Edward Lewis, banker
• 28 August – Thomas Charles Williams, minister
• 28 November – Arthur Linton, cyclist
• 29 December – William Owen Jones, musician
• date unknown
• *Roger Doughty, footballer
• *David Matthews, politician

  Deaths

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