1957 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1957 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

*Prince of Wales - "vacant" (Charles, Prince of Wales, had not been officially designated with the title)
*Princess of Wales - "vacant"
*Archbishop of Wales - John Morgan
*Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales - William Morris

Events

*18 January - Nigel Birch is appointed Economic Secretary to the Treasury.
*1 July - Royal physician Horace Evans is created Baron Evans of Merthyr Tydfil.
*6 July - The Royal Welsh Show is held at Blaendolau; the showground is flooded to a depth of 1 metre.
*16 July - Five people drown in a boating accident at Barmouth.
*31 July - The Tryweryn Bill, permitting Liverpool City Council to build a reservoir which will drown the village of Capel Celyn, becomes law.
*8 September - The town hall at Aberystwyth is seriously damaged by fire.
*12 December - Wales gets its own minister of state in the Westminster government for the first time.
*Morgan Phillips and Aneurin Bevan, along with Richard Crossman, successfully sue "The Spectator" for libel.
*Brecon Beacons becomes a national park.

Arts and literature

*Paul Robeson addresses the Miners' Eisteddfod at Porthcawl via a transatlantic link to the miners' leader Will Paynter.
*Elizabeth Rees-Williams marries Richard Harris.

Awards

*National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Llangefni)
*National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - Gwilym Tilsley
*National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - Dyfnallt Morgan
*National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - Tom Parri Jones

New books

*John Charles - "King of Soccer"
*Rhys Davies - "The Perishable Quality"
*Islwyn Ffowc Elis - "Wythnos Yng Nghymru Fydd"
*Trevor Ford - "I Lead the Attack"
*Dick Francis - "The Sport of Queens"
*Bobi Jones - "Y Gân Gyntaf"
*T. Harri Jones - "The Enemy in the Heart"
*W. Leslie Richards - "Telyn Teilo"

New drama

*Albert Evans-Jones - "Absalom Fy Mab"

Music

*Shirley Bassey - "Banana Boat Song" (debut single)
*Daniel Jones - "String Quartet 1957"

Film

*Donald Houston stars in "The Girl in the Picture".

Broadcasting

*Alun Oldfield-Davies becomes senior regional BBC controller, after several years of successful campaigning for Welsh-language television.

Welsh-language television

*February - "Cefndir" (first regular Welsh-language programme)
*September - "Dewch i Mewn" (magazine programme)

English-language television

*Adaptation of Dylan Thomas's "Under Milk Wood", starring Donald Houston and William Squire.

port

*Football
**John Charles transfers from Leeds United to Juventus.
**Pelé scores a hattrick against Wales
*BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year - Dai Rees
*Inaugural Glamorgan County Silver Ball Trophy competition held, Taibach RFC are champions.

Births

*March 10 - Terry Holmes, rugby player
*March 19 (in Birmingham) - Jane Davidson, AM, politician
*April 20 - Geraint Wyn Davies, actor
*April 26 - Edwina Hart, AM, politician
*June 12 - Javed Miandad, former Glamorgan cricketer
*July 1 - Wayne David MP, politiican
*August 11 - Leighton Andrews AM, politician
*October 11 (in Holyhead) - Dawn French, actress and comedienne
*November 10 - Nigel Evans, MP, politician

Deaths

*July 30 - William Richard Arnold, rugby player
*August 1 - Llewellyn Lloyd, Wales international rugby union player
*August 20 - Edward Evans, 1st Baron Mountevans, explorer and admiral
*December 7 - Maurice Jones, priest and academic
*December 9 - Llewellyn Henry Gwynne, first bishop of Egypt and Sudan (b. 1863)