Landsliding in the 19th and early 20th century in Wales, UK: compilation and interpretation of inventory from digitised newspaper records

Understanding historical landslide occurrence, distribution and impacts can help to inform modern risk mitigation strategies. By reviewing the National Library of Wales’ recently digitised catalogue, a database of 532 unique landslide events was compiled spanning almost 100 years from 1822 to 1919. The mass movements were catalogued and geolocated with extent and timing information as well as failure mode, impacts, antecedent weather and trigger mechanisms. A wide range of transport infrastructure, commercial activities and residential buildings were impacted. 119 fatalities were identified. The distribution of events is compared with that of existing landslide databases for Wales. Landslides were found to occur predominantly in winter, and the dataset shows an apparent increase in landslide frequency from 1870 to 1909. The paper explores the links between landsliding and industrial development as well as weather events. Early approaches to landslide mitigation and remediation are considered. Select case study sites are examined in detail where landsliding remains an on-going hazard.