1888 in Wales

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales – Albert Edward
• Princess of Wales – Alexandra
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Clwydfardd

  Events

• January – Plans are presented for a Welsh Presbyterian Chapel in Charing Cross Road, London.
• March – Construction work begins on the Dowlais steelworks at East Moors, Cardiff.
• May – Owen Glynne Jones climbs Cadair Idris by the east ridge of the Cyfrwy.
• 13 May – The young Beatrix Potter records a trip to Machynlleth in her diary.
• 14 May – Five miners are killed in an accident at the Aber Colliery, Porth, Rhondda.
• August – Joshua Hughes, Bishop of St Asaph, has a seizure while staying in Scotland, and is paralysed until his death a few months later.
• 27 September – A new dock at Milford Haven is opened.
• 5 October – Five sailors are drowned at Colwyn Bay while returning to their ship by boat.
• date unknown
• *University of Wales, Bangor, opens its agriculture department – the first in a British university.
• *The Welsh Parliamentary Liberal Party is formed.
• *Henry Morton Stanley "discovers" Lake Edward and names it after the Prince of Wales.
• *R. J. Lloyd Price opens a whisky distillery at Frongoch.
• *The remains of Llantwit Major Roman Villa are discovered.

  Arts and literature

Awards

• Chair – Thomas Tudno Jones, "Peroriaeth"
• Crown – Howell Elvet Lewis, "Y Sabath yng Nghymru"

  New books

• Daniel Owen – Y Siswrn
• J. Rhys – Lectures of the Origin and Growth of Religion as Illustrated by Celtic

  Music

• William Griffith – "I Will Extol Thee"

  Sport

• Cricket – Glamorgan County Cricket Club founded.
• Golf – Tenby Links becomes the first golf course in Wales. The first competition held by the club is held on 25 October over 9 holes and is won by Mr T A Rees.
• Rugby union
• *Briton Ferry RFC, Builth Wells RFC, Llantrisant RFC, Newbridge RFC and Tonna RFC are founded.
• *Willie Thomas is the only Welsh international to take part in the first overseas tour by a British rugby union team.
• *Wales win their first international game against Scotland, during the 1888 Home Nations Championship.
• *Wales face their first international opposition, the New Zealand Native football team. Wales win by a goal to nil.

  Births

• February – Grace Wynne Griffiths, novelist
• 23 March – Fred Hando, writer and artist
• 29 April – Fred Dyer, boxer and baritone singer
• 14 May – Nansi Richards, harpist
• 21 May – William Cove, politician
• 24 May – Howell Lewis, Wales international rugby player
• 16 August – T. E. Lawrence, writer and war hero
• 24 August – Valentine Baker, pilot and war hero
• 5 September – Rhys Hopkin Morris, politician
• 19 October – Peter Freeman, politician
• 27 November – Ezer Griffiths, physicist
• 29 December – Reg Plummer, Wales and British Lion rugby union player

  Deaths

• 23 February – Evan Davies, poet and archdruid, 87
• 29 February – Thomas Price, Baptist minister and author, 67
• 7 March – :cy:Hugh Hughes |Hugh Hughes, Patagonian colonist, 63
• 16 March – Thomas Thomas, chapel architect and minister, c. 81
• 22 March – Henry Robertson, Scottish engineer and founder of Brymbo Steel Works, 72
• 24 March – Benjamin Piercy, civil engineer, 61
• 29 May – Edward Pryse, politician, 70
• 7 June – Charles William Nevill, industrialist and politician, 72
• 2 August – David Davies, poet, 70
• 5 August – Charles Octavius Swinnerton Morgan, politician, historian and antiquary, 84
• 20 August – Henry Richard, politician and peace campaigner, 76
• 3 September – Robert H. Roberts, Welsh-born US senator, 51
• 20 September – Elias Owen, footballer, 35
• 23 November – Edward John Sartoris, politician, 74/75
• date unknown
• *:cy:John Evans |John Evans, poet
• *Morgan Morgans, mining engineer, 73/4