1981 in Wales

Centuries:	18th; 19th; 20th; 21st;
Decades:	1960s; 1970s; 1980s; 1990s; 2000s;
See also:	List of years in Wales; 1981 in The United Kingdom Ireland Scotland

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1981 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

Prince of Wales – Charles
Princess of Wales – Diana (from 29 July)[1]
Secretary of State for Wales – Nicholas Edwards[2]
Archbishop of Wales – Gwilym Williams, Bishop of Bangor[3]
Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
- Geraint (outgoing)
- Jâms Nicholas (incoming)

Events

January - First phase of St. David's Shopping Centre, Cardiff, opens to the public.
26 March - Roy Jenkins co-founds the Social Democratic Party (UK) in London. Welsh Labour MPs defecting to the new party are: Tom Ellis (Wrexham), Ednyfed Hudson Davies (Caerphilly) and Jeffrey Thomas (Abertillery).
24 February - Buckingham Palace announces the engagement of the Prince of Wales to Lady Diana Spencer.[4]
5 April - UK census: Results reveal that the percentage of Welsh language speakers has fallen to an all-time low of 18.9% of the Welsh population and Gwynedd is the only Welsh county with a Welsh-speaking majority.
11 June - Britain's first Urban Enterprise Zone is created in Lower Swansea Valley.[5]
29 July - Wedding of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral in London.
November - Joan Ruddock becomes Chair of CND.[6]
Independent film company Teliesyn begins producing programmes for S4C, BBC Wales and HTV.[7]

Arts and literature

6 June - The Alarm play their first gig under their new name, at the Victoria Hotel, Prestatyn.[8]
Theatre Wales is established.
Harry Secombe receives a knighthood.

Awards

National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Machynlleth)
National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - John Gwilym Jones, "Y Frwydr"[9]
National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - Siôn Aled, "Wynebau"[10]
National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - John Griffith Jones, "Cysgodion ar y Pared"[11]

English language

Clive Jenkins & Barrie Sherman - The Leisure Shock
Eiluned Lewis - The Old Home
Kenneth O. Morgan - Rebirth of a Nation: Wales 1880-1980[12]
R. S. Thomas - Between Here and Now

Welsh language

Irma Chilton - Y Cwlwm Gwaed
Eigra Lewis Roberts - Merch yr oriau mawr

Drama

J. R. Evans - Brawd am Byth

Music

Dafydd Iwan - "Yma o Hyd"
Daniel Jones - Symphony no. 10
William Mathias - Let the people praise Thee, O God

Film

English-language films

The Mouse and the Woman, starring Huw Ceredig.
Dragonslayer, with exterior scenes filmed in Wales.

Welsh-language films

Broadcasting

English-language television

The Life and Times of David Lloyd George, written by Elaine Morgan and starring Philip Madoc

Welsh-language television

Croeso i S4C, presented by Owen Edwards[13]

Sport

Boxing - Neville Meade becomes British heavyweight champion.
Football - Neville Southall joins Everton F.C.

Births

12 January – Sarah Thomas, field-hockey player
13 March – Ryan Jones, rugby player
17 March - Leigh De-Vulgt, footballer
28 March – Gareth David-Lloyd, actor
6 April – Robert Earnshaw, footballer
23 May – Gwenno Saunders, singer
24 May – Darren Moss, footballer
25 May – Huw Stephens, radio presenter
18 November – Sian Reese-Williams, actress
19 November – Mark Wallace, cricketer
16 December – Gareth Williams Scottish-Welsh footballer

Deaths

January - Leslie Jones, footballer, 69
March - Dai Francis, miners' leader[14]
1 March - Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones, theologian, 81[15]
8 March - Nigel Birch, Baron Rhyl, politician, 74[16]
3 April - Will Owen, miner and politician, 80
13 April - Gwyn Thomas, author, 67[17]
15 May - J. E. Meredith, Presbyterian minister and writer, 76[18]
16 June - Billy Hughes, footballer, 63
17 June - Ike Fowler, dual-code international rugby union player, 86
23 July - Goronwy Roberts, Baron Goronwy-Roberts, politician, 67[19]
6 August - George Lewis, footballer, 67
18 September - Brinley Richards, poet, author and archdruid[20]
30 September - Roy John, Wales and British Lions international rugby union player, 55
25 December - Tom Griffiths, Welsh international footballer, 75[21]

References

Tim Graham; Peter Archer (15 June 2010). William: HRH Prince William of Wales. Simon and Schuster. p. 18. ISBN 978-1-4516-0569-3.
Stephen Bates (19 March 2018). "Lord Crickhowell obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
Gerald Parsons (20 June 2013). The Growth of Religious Diversity - Vol 2: Britain From 1945 Volume 2: Controversies. Routledge. p. 106. ISBN 978-1-136-13628-3.
John Baselmans (6 December 2016). Drugs. Lulu.com. p. 266. ISBN 978-1-326-84325-0.
"IBA: enterprise zones: list of enterprise zones". Capital Allowances Manual. HM Revenue & Customs. 2006. Retrieved 2018-10-16.
Soviet Analyst. World Reports Limited. 1981. p. 59.
Ieuan Franklin; Hugh Chignell; Kristin Skoog (15 September 2015). Regional Aesthetics: Mapping UK Media Cultures. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-137-53283-1.
Graham Betts (2004). Collins Complete UK Hit Singles 1952-2004. Collins. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-00-717931-2.
"Winners of the Chair". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
"Winners of the Crown". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
"Winners of the Prose Medal". National Eisteddfod of Wales. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
Kenneth O. Morgan (1981). Rebirth of a Nation: Wales, 1880-1980. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-821736-7.
Tony Currie (2004). A Concise History of British Television, 1930-2000. Kelly Publications. p. 83. ISBN 978-1-903053-17-1.
Evan Smith; Matthew Worley (28 February 2018). Waiting for the Revolution: The British Far Left from 1956. Manchester University Press. p. 191. ISBN 978-1-5261-1368-9.
"Dr D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Papers". Archives Wales. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
Who was who: A Companion to Who's Who, Containing the Biographies of Those who Died. A. & C. Black. 1981. p. 636. ISBN 978-0-7136-3336-8.
Janet Podell (May 1982). Annual Obituary, 1981. Thomson Gale. p. 269. ISBN 978-0-912289-51-9.
D. Ben Rees. "Meredith, John Ellis (1904-1981), minister (Presbyterian Church of Wales) and author". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
Jones, John Graham. "Goronwy Owen Roberts, Baron Goronwy-Roberts". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
Llafur. Society for the Study of Welsh Labour History. 1980. p. 100.
Davies, Gareth; Garland, Ian (1991). Who's Who of Welsh International Soccer Players. Bridge Books. p. 75. ISBN 1-872424-11-2.

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[1] Tim Graham; Peter Archer (15 June 2010). William: HRH Prince William of Wales. Simon and Schuster. p. 18. ISBN 978-1-4516-0569-3.

[2] Stephen Bates (19 March 2018). "Lord Crickhowell obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 March 2020.

[3] Gerald Parsons (20 June 2013). The Growth of Religious Diversity - Vol 2: Britain From 1945 Volume 2: Controversies. Routledge. p. 106. ISBN 978-1-136-13628-3.

[4] John Baselmans (6 December 2016). Drugs. Lulu.com. p. 266. ISBN 978-1-326-84325-0.

[5] "IBA: enterprise zones: list of enterprise zones". Capital Allowances Manual. HM Revenue & Customs. 2006. Retrieved 2018-10-16.

[6] Soviet Analyst. World Reports Limited. 1981. p. 59.

[7] Ieuan Franklin; Hugh Chignell; Kristin Skoog (15 September 2015). Regional Aesthetics: Mapping UK Media Cultures. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-137-53283-1.

[8] Graham Betts (2004). Collins Complete UK Hit Singles 1952-2004. Collins. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-00-717931-2.

[9] "Winners of the Chair". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.

[10] "Winners of the Crown". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.

[11] "Winners of the Prose Medal". National Eisteddfod of Wales. Retrieved 7 November 2019.

[12] Kenneth O. Morgan (1981). Rebirth of a Nation: Wales, 1880-1980. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-821736-7.

[13] Tony Currie (2004). A Concise History of British Television, 1930-2000. Kelly Publications. p. 83. ISBN 978-1-903053-17-1.

[14] Evan Smith; Matthew Worley (28 February 2018). Waiting for the Revolution: The British Far Left from 1956. Manchester University Press. p. 191. ISBN 978-1-5261-1368-9.

[15] "Dr D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Papers". Archives Wales. Retrieved 31 January 2019.

[16] Who was who: A Companion to Who's Who, Containing the Biographies of Those who Died. A. & C. Black. 1981. p. 636. ISBN 978-0-7136-3336-8.

[17] Janet Podell (May 1982). Annual Obituary, 1981. Thomson Gale. p. 269. ISBN 978-0-912289-51-9.

[18] D. Ben Rees. "Meredith, John Ellis (1904-1981), minister (Presbyterian Church of Wales) and author". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 21 November 2019.

[19] Jones, John Graham. "Goronwy Owen Roberts, Baron Goronwy-Roberts". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 31 January 2019.

[20] Llafur. Society for the Study of Welsh Labour History. 1980. p. 100.

[21] Davies, Gareth; Garland, Ian (1991). Who's Who of Welsh International Soccer Players. Bridge Books. p. 75. ISBN 1-872424-11-2.