First Act of Disunion

Although Wales had been fully annexed and incorporated within England since the 16th century, there remained a strong and distinct Welsh identity, and by the 19th century movements such as Cymru Fydd were actively campaigning for self-government for Wales.

The UK government started to recognize this and in 1881 passed the first law since the Acts of Union that applied only to Wales – the Sunday Closing (Wales) Act. Other Wales-only laws followed (the Welsh Intermediate Education Act in 1989, and the Welsh Cemeteries Act in 1908) but the next piece of Welsh legislation was more significant:

The Welsh Church Act of 1914 (although not implemented until 1920 because of the First World War), created a new Anglican Church in Wales – independent from the Church of England, and not part of the government establishment. This might seem largely irrelevant today, but was hugely significant (and at the time controversial) because it was the first time that a part of Wales was separated away from England. This was the first official recognition that the 1535 Act of Union had failed to integrate Wales into England as originally intended, and I consider this

....................... The First Act of Disunion