← 1887 1886 1885 1884 1883 1888 in Wales → 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893
Centuries:	17th 18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1860s 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s
See also:	List of years in Wales Timeline of Welsh history 1888 in The United Kingdom Scotland Elsewhere

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1888 to Wales and its people.

• Lord Lieutenant of Anglesey – Richard Davies^[1]
• Lord Lieutenant of Brecknockshire – Joseph Bailey, 1st Baron Glanusk^[2]
• Lord Lieutenant of Caernarvonshire – John Ernest Greaves^[3]
• Lord Lieutenant of Cardiganshire – Edward Pryse (until 29 May); Herbert Davies-Evans (from 16 July)^[4]
• Lord Lieutenant of Carmarthenshire – John Campbell, 2nd Earl Cawdor^[5]
• Lord Lieutenant of Denbighshire – William Cornwallis-West^[6]
• Lord Lieutenant of Flintshire – Hugh Robert Hughes^[7]
• Lord Lieutenant of Glamorgan – Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot^[8]
• Lord Lieutenant of Merionethshire – Robert Davies Pryce^[9]
• Lord Lieutenant of Monmouthshire – Henry Somerset, 8th Duke of Beaufort^[10]
• Lord Lieutenant of Montgomeryshire – Edward Herbert, 3rd Earl of Powis^[11]
• Lord Lieutenant of Pembrokeshire – William Edwardes, 4th Baron Kensington^[12]
• Lord Lieutenant of Radnorshire – Arthur Walsh, 2nd Baron Ormathwaite^[13]

• Bishop of Bangor – James Colquhoun Campbell^[14]
• Bishop of Llandaff – Richard Lewis^[15]
• Bishop of St Asaph – Joshua Hughes^[16]
• Bishop of St Davids – Basil Jones^[17]

• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Clwydfardd^[18]

• January – Plans are presented for a Welsh Presbyterian Chapel in Charing Cross Road, London.^[19]
• March – Construction work begins on the Dowlais steelworks at East Moors, Cardiff.^[20]
• 11 April - Earthquake centred on Corwen.^[21]
• May – Owen Glynne Jones climbs Cadair Idris by the east ridge of the Cyfrwy.^[22]
• 13 May – The young Beatrix Potter records a trip to Machynlleth in her diary.
• 14 May – Five miners are killed in an accident at the Aber Colliery, Porth, Rhondda.
• August – Joshua Hughes, Bishop of St Asaph, has a seizure while staying in Scotland, and is paralysed until his death a few months later.^[23]
• 27 September – A new dock at Milford Haven is opened.^[24]
• 5 October – Five sailors are drowned at Colwyn Bay while returning to their ship by boat.
• date unknown
  • University of Wales, Bangor, opens its agriculture department – the first in a British university.^[25]
  • The Welsh Parliamentary Liberal Party is formed.^[26]
  • Henry Morton Stanley "discovers" Lake Edward and names it after the Prince of Wales.^[27]
  • R. J. Lloyd Price opens a whisky distillery at Frongoch.^[28]
  • The remains of Llantwit Major Roman Villa are discovered.^[29]

National Eisteddfod of Wales – held at Wrexham

• Chair – Thomas Tudno Jones, "Peroriaeth"^[30]
• Crown – Howell Elvet Lewis, "Y Sabath yng Nghymru"^[31]

• Daniel Owen – Y Siswrn
• J. Rhys – Lectures of the Origin and Growth of Religion as Illustrated by Celtic

• William Griffith – "I Will Extol Thee"^[32]

• Cricket – Glamorgan County Cricket Club founded.^[33]
• Golf – Tenby Links becomes the first golf course in Wales.^[34] The first competition held by the club is held on 25 October over 9 holes and is won by Mr T A Rees.
• Rugby union
  • Briton Ferry RFC, Builth Wells RFC, Llantrisant RFC, Newbridge RFC and Tonna RFC are founded.
  • Willie Thomas is the only Welsh international to take part in the first overseas tour by a British rugby union team.
  • Wales win their first international game against Scotland, during the 1888 Home Nations Championship.
  • Wales face their first international opposition, the New Zealand Native football team. Wales win by a goal to nil.

• February – Grace Wynne Griffith, novelist (died 1963)^[35]
• 23 March – Fred Hando, writer and artist (died 1970)^[36]
• 29 April – Fred Dyer, boxer and baritone singer (died after 1934)
• 14 May – Nansi Richards, harpist (died 1979)^[37]
• 21 May – William Cove, politician (died 1963)
• 24 May – Howell Lewis, Wales international rugby player (died 1971)
• 18 June – Margaret Lindsay Williams, artist (died 1960)^[38]
• 16 August – T. E. Lawrence, writer and war hero (died 1935)^[39]
• 24 August – Valentine Baker, pilot and war hero (died 1942)
• 5 September – Rhys Hopkin Morris, politician (died 1956)
• 7 October – Frances Stevenson, secretary and later wife of David Lloyd George (died 1972)
• 19 October – Peter Freeman, politician (died 1956)^[40]
• 27 November – Ezer Griffiths, physicist (died 1962)
• 29 December – Reg Plummer, Wales and British Lion rugby union player (died 1953)

• 23 February – Evan Davies (Myfyr Morganwg), poet and archdruid, 87^[41]
• 29 February – Thomas Price, Baptist minister and author, 67^[42]
• 7 March – Hugh Hughes (Cadfan), Patagonian colonist, 63
• 16 March – Thomas Thomas, chapel architect and minister, c. 81
• 22 March – Henry Robertson, Scottish engineer and founder of Brymbo Steel Works, 72^[43]
• 24 March – Benjamin Piercy, civil engineer, 61^[44]
• 29 May – Edward Pryse, politician, 70^[45]
• 7 June – Charles William Nevill, industrialist and politician, 72
• 2 August – David Davies (Dewi Emlyn), poet, 70
• 5 August – Charles Octavius Swinnerton Morgan, politician, historian and antiquary, 84^[46]
• 20 August – Henry Richard, politician and peace campaigner, 76^[47]
• 3 September – Robert H. Roberts, Welsh-born US senator, 51 (boatyard accident)^[48]
• 20 September – Elias Owen, footballer, 35 (suicide)^[49]
• 23 November – Edward John Sartoris, politician, 74/75
• date unknown
  • John Evans (Y Bardd Cocos), poet
  • Morgan Morgans, mining engineer, 73/4

• 1888 in Ireland