1817 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1817 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

 * Lord Lieutenant of Anglesey – Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey
 * Lord Lieutenant of Brecknockshire and Monmouthshire – Henry Somerset, 6th Duke of Beaufort
 * Lord Lieutenant of Caernarvonshire – Thomas Bulkeley, 7th Viscount Bulkeley
 * Lord Lieutenant of Cardiganshire – William Edward Powell (from 22 November)
 * Lord Lieutenant of Carmarthenshire – George Rice, 3rd Baron Dynevor
 * Lord Lieutenant of Denbighshire – Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 5th Baronet
 * Lord Lieutenant of Flintshire – Robert Grosvenor, 1st Marquess of Westminster
 * Lord Lieutenant of Glamorgan – John Crichton-Stuart, 2nd Marquess of Bute
 * Lord Lieutenant of Merionethshire – Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 5th Baronet
 * Lord Lieutenant of Montgomeryshire – Edward Clive, 1st Earl of Powis
 * Lord Lieutenant of Pembrokeshire – Richard Philipps, 1st Baron Milford
 * Lord Lieutenant of Radnorshire – George Rodney, 3rd Baron Rodney


 * Bishop of Bangor – Henry Majendie
 * Bishop of Llandaff – Herbert Marsh
 * Bishop of St Asaph – John Luxmoore
 * Bishop of St Davids – Thomas Burgess

Events

 * March - A riot breaks out in Amlwch over food prices, and a ship carrying flour is prevented from leaving the harbour.
 * 22 July - Windham Sadler succeeds in crossing the Irish Sea by hot air balloon, landing near Holyhead.
 * October John Gibson arrives in Rome to study sculpture with help from Antonio Canova.
 * 6 December - Joseph Tregelles Price advertises Neath Abbey ironworks for sale.
 * dates unknown
 * Lewis Weston Dillwyn retires from managing the Cambrian Pottery at Swansea.
 * Joseph Harris (Gomer) launches the unsuccessful periodical, Greal y Bedyddwyr.
 * Sir Thomas Frankland Lewis drafts the report on the Poor Law which brings its abuses to the attention of the public.
 * Construction work commences on the first chapel in Tywyn.
 * Approximate date - Britain's longest tramroad tunnel is opened at Pwll du near Blaenavon. The Pwll Du Tunnel is more than a mile (2400 m) in length. Begun as a mineral adit, at this time it carries a horse-drawn double track plateway of approximately 2 ft (600 mm) gauge carrying material for Blaenavon Ironworks; next summer it will be incorporated in Thomas Hill's Tramroad, connecting to the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal.

New books

 * Catherine Hutton - The Welsh Mountaineer
 * John Thomas (Eos Gwynedd) - Annerch Plant a Rhieni oddi ar farwolaeth William Thomas mab Lewis Thomas, Llanrwst

Music

 * 14 July - Robert Williams composes the famous hymn-tune Llanfair (formerly named Bethel).

Births

 * 3 March - Robert Thompson Crawshay, iron-master (died 1879)
 * 6 May - John Prichard, architect (d. 1886)
 * June - John Corbett, industrialist (died 1901)
 * 16 June - Charles Herbert James, politician (died 1890)
 * 16 August - Rowland Williams, theologian and academic (died 1870)
 * 17 September - Hugh Humphreys, publisher (died 1896)
 * 13 November - Henry Brinley Richards, composer (died 1885)
 * 17 December - Erasmus Jones, novelist (died 1909)
 * Thomas Thomas, chapel architect and minister (died 1888)

Deaths

 * 16 January - General Vaughan Lloyd, commander of the Woolwich Arsenal, 80
 * 27 March - Josiah Boydell, artist, 65
 * 17 July - William Williams (antiquary), author, 79
 * 31 July - Benjamin Hall, industrialist, 36
 * date unknown - David Hughes, Principal of Jesus College, Oxford