1862 in Wales

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales – Albert Edward
• Princess of Wales – vacant

  Events

• 1 January – South Wales Railway leased to Great Western Railway prior to merger.
• 5 May – Henry Austin Bruce, 1st Baron Aberdare, makes an important speech on the subject of education in Wales. He is later appointed vice-president of the Committee of Council on Education.
• 2 June – Llangollen is linked to the rail network for the first time.
• 4 July – Sarah Edith Wynne, noted soprano, makes her London début.
• c. August – First train through the Brecon and Merthyr Tydfil Junction Railway's Torpantau Tunnel.
• 7 August – Ferry from Porthmadog to Talsarnau sinks with the loss of 8 lives.
• 28 October – The incomplete Moel Famau Jubilee Tower collapses in a storm.
• 1 December – Great Orme's Head lighthouse at Llandudno, erected by the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board, is first illuminated.
• Guillermo Rawson, Interior Minister of Argentina, meets Love Jones-Parry and Lewis Jones to discuss the Welsh colonisation of Patagonia.
• The Clogau mine begins producing gold.
• Snowdon Mill, a steam-powered flour mill, is opened at Porthmadog.

  Arts and literature

• "Religion", by Joseph Edwards, and "The Tinted Venus" by John Gibson are among sculptures shown at the Great Exhibition.

  Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales is held at Caernarfon. The chair is won by Rowland Williams.

  New books

• George Borrow – Wild Wales
• Rees Howell Gronow – Reminiscences of Captain Gronow
• John Ceiriog Hughes – Oriau'r Bore
• Jane Williams – Celtic Fables, Fairy Tales and Legends versified

  Music

• Henry Brinley Richards – "God Bless the Prince of Wales"
• Ebenezer Thomas – Hymnau

  Sport

• Cricket
• *21 July – South Wales Cricket Club defeat Surrey at The Oval.
• *24 July – South Wales Cricket Club defeat MCC at Lord's.

  Births

• 5 January – John Fisher, Celtic scholar
• 16 January – Leifchild Jones, 1st Baron Rhayader, politician
• 17 January – Buckley Roderick, Wales international rugby player
• 23 January – Evan Richards, Wales international rugby player
• 1 February – Thomas Pryce-Jenkins, Wales international rugby player
• 16 February
• *Llewellyn John Montfort Bebb, academic
• *Philip Tanner, folk singer
• 22 March – Edward Treharne, Wales international rugby player
• 11 April – Charles Evans Hughes, American politician of Welsh parentage
• 27 April – Sir Hugh Vincent, solicitor and Wales international rugby player
• 28 April – William Norton, Wales international rugby player
• 17 May – Sir William Rice Edwards, surgeon
• 5 August - Robert Mills-Roberts, footballer
• 16 September – Thomas Baker Jones, Wales international rugby player
• 27 October – Sir Hugh Evan-Thomas, admiral
• 16 November – Sir David Rocyn-Jones, medical practitioner and President of the WRU
• 7 December – Humphrey Jones, footballer
• 9 December – John John Evans, journalist
• date unknown
• *John Daniel Evans, Patagonia settler
• *Seth Powell, footballer

  Deaths

• 3 January – Dan Jones, Mormon missionary, 51
• 8 February - Hans Busk, poet, 89
• 25 March – Timothy Davies, clergyman
• 1 May – Frederick Richard West, politician, 62/63
• 28 May – James Henry Cotton, Dean of Bangor, 82
• 2 August – Anthony Hill, industrialist, 78
• 27 August – John Williams, antiquary, 51
• 9 December – Edward Hughes, harpist, age unknown
• 31 December – Daniel Jones, Baptist minister, 74
• date unknown – Robert Edwards, hymn writer, 66?