1780s in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the decade 1780 - 1789 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

*Prince of Wales - George, Prince Regent
*Princess of Wales - "vacant"

Events

*1780
**July 1 - Anthony Bacon acquires the lease of the Hirwaun ironworks.
**Admiral Sir Thomas Foley plays an important role in the relief of Gibraltar.
**Edward Williames Salusbury Vaughan succeeds to the Rûg estate.
**Thomas Parry Jones-Parry marries his cousin Margaret and acquires the Madryn estate.
**Richard Price devises the "Northampton Tables" for calculating actuarial valuation for assurance and pensions.
**Sir Watkin Lewes becomes Lord Mayor of London.
*1781
**June - The Chancery court agrees the sale of the Kinmel estate to a London buyer.
**Richard Price is made an honorary LL.D. by Yale University, in the company of George Washington.
*1782
**March - Lloyd Kenyon is appointed Attorney-General.
**April 12 - In the Battle of the Saintes, the British fleet defeat the French after a campaign in which Admiral Sir Thomas Foley has played a major part.
**William Owen Pughe and Robert Hughes (Robin Ddu yr Ail o Fôn) meet in London.
*1783
**Industrialist and slave-owner Richard Pennant is created 1st Baron Penrhyn in the county of Lough.
*1784
**March 30 - Lloyd Kenyon becomes Master of the Rolls.
**July - Hester Thrale marries Gabriele Piozzi, much to the displeasure of Dr Samuel Johnson.
**July 28 - Lloyd Kenyon is raised to a baronetcy.
**Henry Bayly Paget, 9th Baron Paget, is created Earl of Uxbridge.
*1785
**Sir Joshua Reynolds paints the Prince of Wales.
**The Mona Mine Company is formed by Thomas Williams of Llanidan and Henry Bayly Paget, 1st Earl of Uxbridge.
**Richard Pennant buys out the Yonge family of Devon and comes into possession of the whole of the Penrhyn estate.
**Griffith Rowlands becomes surgeon to Chester city hospital.
*1786
**The Kinmel estate is sold to the Rev Edward Hughes.
*1787
**Thomas Charles opens his first Sunday school.
*1788
**March 18 - Great Sessions at Wrexham hear a graveyard dispute between the "Old" and "New" chapels at Llanuwchllyn.
*1789
**October 23 - Christmas Evans marries Catherine Jones at Bryncroes chapel in Llŷn, shortly after his own ordination.

Arts and literature

New books

1780
*John Walters - "Poems with Notes"1781
*Thomas Pennant - "Tours in Wales", volume 21782
*Thomas Pennant - "Journey to Snowdon", volume 11783
*Julia Ann Hatton - "Poems on Miscellaneous Subjects"1784
*Richard Price - "Importance of the American Revolution"1785
*Nathaniel Williams - "Darllen Dwfr a Meddyginiaeth"1786
*David Samwell - "A Narrative of the Death of Captain James Cook"
*Hester Lynch Piozzi - "Anecdotes of the late Samuel Johnson, Ll.D., during the last twenty years of his life"1788
*Hester Lynch Piozzi - "Letters to and from the late Samuel Johnson"1789
*Richard Price - "Love for our Country"

Music

1781
*John Parry (harpist) - "British Harmony, being a Collection of Antient Welsh Airs"1783
*Evan Hughes (Hughes Fawr) - "Rhai Hymnau Newyddion o Fawl i'r Oen"1784
*Edward Jones (Bardd y Brenin) - "The Musical and Poetical Relicks of the Welsh Bards"1787
*Nathaniel Williams - "Ychydig o Hymnau Newyddion"

Births

*1780
**February 10 - James Henry Cotton, Dean of Bangor (died 1862)
**May 14 - Sir Thomas Frankland Lewis, politician (died 1855)
**October 7 - Wyndham Lewis, MP (died 1838)
*1781
*1782
**January 20 - Sir William Nott, military leader (died 1845)
**December 29 - Sir William Lloyd, soldier and mountaineer (died 1857)
*1783
**May - Cadwaladr Jones, minister and literary editor (died 1867)
*1784
**January 17 - Joseph Tregelles Price, ironmaster (died 1854)
**"date unknown" - Walter Coffin, coal-owner (died 1867)
*1785
**December - Richard Jones (Gwyndaf Eryri), poet (died 1848)
**December 24 - William Bruce Knight, clergyman and scholar (died 1845)
**"date unknown" - William Owen, historian (died 1864)
*1786
*1787
**October 2 - Thomas Price (Carnhuanawc), historian (died 1848)
*1788
**February 12 - William Williams, MP (died 1865)
**October 3 - John Montgomery Traherne, antiquary (died 1860)
*1789
**April 22 - Richard Roberts, engineer (died 1864)
**May 24 - Beti Cadwaladr, Crimea nurse (died 1860)

Deaths

*1780
**March 6 - Sir John Meredith, lawyer, 65
**April 1 - Sir Stephen Glynne, 7th Baronet, 35
**"date unknown" - Richard Thomas, genealogist, 46
*1781
**April 4 - Henry Thrale, brewer
**October 12 - David Powell (Dewi Nantbrân), Franciscan friar and author
*1782
**May 15 - Richard Wilson, landscape painter, 54
**November - John Parry, harpist
*1783
**August 7 - Thomas Llewellyn, Baptist minister and writer, 63?
**September 6 - Anna Williams, friend of Dr Johnson, 77?
*1784
**April 5 - David Williams, minister and schoolmaster, 74?
*1785
**February 2 - John Guest, industrialist, 63
**October 20 - David Jones of Trefriw, poet, 77?
*1789
**July 24 - Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 4th Baronet, politician, 39
**August 7 - William Edwards, minister and bridge-builder, 70
**November 26 - Elizabeth Baker, diarist, 70?