1770s in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the decade 1770 - 1779 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

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

Events

*1770
**September - Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 4th Baronet, holds his legendary coming-of-age party, to which 15,000 guests are invited. Three coachloads of cooks are sent from London to provide the refreshments, and a hall is built especially for the occasion at Wynnstay.
**December - First meeting of Cymdeithas y Gwyneddigion.
*1771
**December - Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 4th Baronet, marries Charlotte Grenville.
*1772
**May - Walter Siddons appears on stage at Chester and joins the Kemble family troupe.
**The Stepney family of Prendergast sell their Pembrokeshire estates.
*1773
**November 26 - Walter Siddons marries Sarah Kemble.
**David Williams resigns from the ministry and opens a school in Chelsea.
*1774
**Dr Samuel Johnson accompanies Hester Thrale and her husband on a visit to North Wales.
**John Wilkinson takes out a patent for cannon-boring at his works in Bersham.
*1775
**Dr Samuel Johnson accompanies Hester Thrale and her husband on a visit to France.
*1776
**July 22 - Sir Richard Philipps, 7th Baronet, is created Lord Milford in the Irish peerage.
**John, Lord Mountstuart is created Baron Cardiff of Cardiff Castle.
**Sir Thomas Wynn, 3rd Baronet, is created Baron Newborough.
**Herbert Mackworth is created a baronet.
*1777
**March 1 - David Samwell, at sea between New Zealand and Tahiti with Captain Cook, writes a "pennillion".
**July 22 - The business partnership between Anthony Bacon and William Brownrigg is dissolved.
**Thomas Pennant marries Anne Mostyn, daughter of Sir Thomas Mostyn, 4th Baronet.
**Francis Towne and John White go on a painting tour of North Wales.
*1778
**A furnace is built at Sirhowy by Thomas Atkinson and William Barrow of London. This is the first stage of the Tredegar ironworks.
*1779
**February - Ship's surgeon David Samwell witnesses the death of Captain James Cook in Hawaii.
**Valentine Morris, governor of St Vincent, negotiates unfavourable surrender terms with the French.
**A new bridge is built over the river Wye at Builth Wells.
**Haverfordwest prison is built on the site of the former castle.

Arts and literature

New books

*Thomas Churchyard - "The Worthines of Wales, a Poem" (1776)
*Evan Evans (Ieuan Fardd) - "Casgliad o Bregethau" (1776)
*Williams Evans - "A New English-Welsh dictionary: Containing All Words Necessary for Reading an English Author" (1771)
*Elizabeth Griffith - "The Morality of Shakespeare's Drama Illustrated" (1775)
*Evan Hughes (Hughes Fawr) - "Duwdod Crist" (1777)
*Jinny Jenks - "Tour through Wales" (1772)
*Dafydd Jones - "Marwnad Enoch Ffransis" (1774)
*Hugh Jones (Maesglasau)
**"Cydymaith yr Hwsmon" (1774)
**"Gardd y Caniadau" (1776)
*Robert Jones
**"Lleferydd yr Asyn" (1770)
**"Drych i'r Anllythrennog" (1778)
*Iolo Morganwg - "Dagrau yr Awen" (1772)
*Nicholas Owen - "British Remains" (1777)
*Thomas Pennant - "British Zoology", vol. 4 (1777)
*David Powell (Dewi Nantbrân) - "Allwydd y Nef. O gasgliad D.P. Off." (1776)
*Daniel Rowland - "Pum Pregeth ac Amryw o Hymnau" (1772)
*Nathaniel Williams - "Dialogus" (1778)
*William Williams Pantycelyn - "Ductor Naptiarum: Neu Gyfarwyddwr Priodas" (1777)
*Sir John Wynn - "History of the Gwydir Family" (posthumously published in 1770)

Music

*Dafydd Jones - "Difyrrwch i'r Pererinion", vol. 3

Births

*1770
**January 15 - Sir John Edwards, Baronet, politician (died 1850)
**April 14 - John Evans, explorer (died 1799)
**April 30 - David Thompson, explorer (died 1857)
*1772
**January 10 - William Jenkins Rees, antiquary (died 1855)
**July - Edward Hughes (Y Dryw), bard (died 1850)
**October 25 - Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 5th Baronet (died 1840)
*1773
**November 14 - Stapleton Stapleton-Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere, military leader (died 1865)
*1774
**May - John Elias, preacher (died 1841)
**June 24 - Azariah Shadrach, writer (died 1844)
*1775
**November 25 - Charles Kemble, actor (died 1854)
*1776
**April - Ann Griffiths, hymn-writer (died 1805)
**August 2 - Thomas Assheton Smith, industrialist and politician (died 1858)
*1777
**June 15 - David Daniel Davis, royal obstetrician (died 1841)
**August 29 - John James, hymn-writer (died 1848)
**September 15 - John Jones of Ystrad, MP (died 1842)
*1778
**September 29 - Benjamin Hall, industrialist and politician (died 1817)
**November - Sir Salusbury Pryce Humphreys, admiral (died 1845)
*1779
**August 24 - Charles Norris, artist (died 1858)

Deaths

*1771
**May 15 - Thomas Morgan (of Rhiwpera), politician, 43
**"date unknown"
***Lewis Hopkin, poet
***Richard Trevor, former bishop of St David's
*1772
**October 16 - Richard Farrington, antiquary, 71
*1773
**July 21 - Howell Harris, Methodist leader, 59
*1774
**"date unknown" - Dafydd Nicolas, poet
*1775
**August 14 - Sir Lynch Cotton, 4th Baronet
*1776
**November 1 - Miles Harry, Baptist minister, 76
**"date unknown" - Sir John Powell Pryce, 6th Baronet (in debtors' prison)
*1777
**March 4 - Edward Richard, teacher and poet, 62
**April - John Hodges, Methodist, 77
**July 1 - Sir John Glynne, 6th Baronet, 64
**August 30 - Dafydd Jones, hymn-writer, 66
**December 18 - William Lloyd, translator, 60
*1778
**October 6 - William Worthington, clergyman and author, 74
*1779
**December 11 - "Madam" Bridget Bevan, philanthropist, 81