1887 in Wales

• 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 – Herbert Davies-Evans^[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]

• 18 February – 39 miners are killed in an accident at Standard Colliery, Ynyshir.
• June – The Riot Act is read at Mochdre in the Vale of Clwyd at the height of a "Tithe War".
• 24 May – The new Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral, designed by Pugin, is opened.^[19]
• 24 August – Roath Dock opened in Cardiff Docks; the first sod of Roath Park is dug.^[20]
• 1 November – The Helvetia wrecked off Worms Head, Rhossili (remains can still be seen at low tide).^[21]
• The Turner House Gallery, Penarth, is built to house the art collection of Major James Pyke Thompson.
• Opening of Wrexham School of Science and Art, predecessor of Wrexham Glyndŵr University.
• Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn and Stuart Rendel affirm the Welsh Liberal Party's support of Irish Home Rule.^[22]
• Richard John Lloyd Price establishes a Welsh whisky distillery on his Rhiwlas estate at Frongoch.^[23]

National Eisteddfod of Wales – held at London

• Chair – Robert Arthur Williams, "Y Frenhines Victoria"^[24]
• Crown – John Cadfan Davies, "John Penry"^[25]

• Amy Dillwyn – Jill and Jack
• Daniel Silvan Evans – Dictionary of the Welsh Language (Geiriadur Cymraeg)

• Owen Evans – Geiriau Olaf Iesu Grist^[26]
• Thomas Levi – Crist a Gwroniaid y Byd Paganaidd^[27]
• The Text of the Mabinogion and Other Welsh Tales from the Red Book of Hergest (edited by John Gwenogvryn Evans)^[28]

• John Thomas (Pencerdd Gwalia) – Cambria’s Homage to our Empress Queen

• Football
  • Chirk win the Welsh Cup for the first time.
  • Knighton Town F.C. is founded.
• Rugby union
  • Ammanford RFC, Caerphilly RFC, Mumbles RFC, Newport RFC, Pontyclun RFC and Taffs Well RFC are established.
  • Wales play their first international in Llanelli; though the original venue of Stradey Park is moved to a local cricket pitch due to a frozen pitch.

• 13 January – Hedd Wyn, poet (died 1917)
• 27 February – James Dickson Innes, landscape painter (died 1914)^[29]
• 23 March – Percy Jones, Wales international rugby player (died 1969)
• 19 April – Bertrand Turnbull, Olympic hockey player (died 1943)
• 23 April – Len Trump, Wales international rugby player (died 1948)
• 13 July – Elizabeth Watkin-Jones, children's author (died 1966)^[30]
• 21 September – T. H. Parry-Williams, poet, author and academic (died 1975)^[31]
• 11 October – William Davies, national librarian (died 1952)
• 29 December – Jack Wetter, Wales international rugby union captain (died 1967)
• date unknown
  • Bessie Jones, singer (died 1974)
  • Artie Moore, wireless operator (died 1949)

• 25 January – Rowland Prichard, musician, 76^[32]
• 16 February – Richard Owen, preacher, 47^[33]
• 24 March – William Lucas Collins, priest and writer, 71^[34]
• 11 April – Samuel Bowen, Independent minister, 87^[35]
• 23 April – John Ceiriog Hughes, poet, 54^[36]
• 3 May – Robert Vivian, infantry officer, illegitimate member of the Vivian family, 84/5^[37]
• 21 May – Horace Jones, English architect who designed Cardiff Town Hall^[38][39]
• 28 May – Dan Isaac Davies, educationist, 48^[40]
• 19 July – Lewis Edwards, educationist, 77
• 1 August – Hugh Cholmondeley, 2nd Baron Delamere, politician, 75^[41]
• 11 August – Sir Richard Green-Price, 1st Baronet, politician, 83^[42]
• 7 November – Joshua T. Owen, Welsh-born educator, politician, and soldier in the Union army during the American Civil War, 66

• 1887 in Ireland