Ritual, Symbol and Politics: Gladstone, Swansea and Wales in 1887

Gladstone visited south Wales in 1887 to draw attention to the support given for Irish Home Rule in Wales in an effort to rally similar feeling in England and Scotland. Along his route from Hawarden to Swansea he was greeted by huge crowds and probably the biggest demonstration in Welsh history at Swansea. Welsh Liberals hoped to gain his support for Church disestablishment from the visit. The events brought much press attention to Wales and many in Wales were proud of the display that was made. While it has been argued that Welsh national identity had informed electoral politics since the middle of the century, Gladstone's visit demonstrates how this political national identity took on a more vocal, ritual form after the Third Reform Act. What is more, the proximity of Gladstone's visit to the celebration of Queen Victoria's Jubilee resulted in comparisons between the events. His visit was also a civic occasion, to open the new public library in the town, so it was difficult for his political opponents to muster total opposition to it, while his role as both a politician and a man of letters meant that many opponents had divided feelings about him. The events had little real impact on either Home Rule or disestablishment but they provide insights into the political culture of Wales and its sense of nationality in the late Victorian period, while the occasion also illustrates the importance of ritual and symbol in the era.