Sir Littleton Powys FRS (1647?– 16 March 1732) was a

Justice of the King's Bench Justice of the King's Bench, or Justice of the Queen's Bench during the reign of a female monarch, was a puisne judicial position within the Court of King's Bench, under the Chief Justice. The King's Bench was a court of common law which modern ...

Early years

He was the eldest son of Thomas Powys of Henley Hall in

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

, serjeant-at-law, a Bencher of Lincoln's Inn, and the representative of one branch of the ancient Welsh family of Powys, by his first wife, Mary, daughter of Sir Adam Littleton, bart. Powys was named after his maternal grandfather. Powys was baptised at Bitterley 27 April 1647. After leaving

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13 –18) in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by Royal Charter, it was originally a boarding school for boys; girls have been admitted into ...

, he was admitted at

St Edmund Hall, Oxford St Edmund Hall (sometimes known as The Hall or informally as Teddy Hall) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. The college claims to be "the oldest surviving academic society to house and educate undergraduates in any universit ...

in 1663, but he does not appear to have taken any degree. In the following year, he became a student of Lincoln's Inn, and in May 1671, he was called to the Bar.

Career

In 1688, Powys took the side of William of Orange, reading the Prince's declaration at Shrewsbury, and, when the new government was established, was appointed a second justice on the Chester circuit in May 1689. In April 1692, he became a

Serjeant-at-law A Serjeant-at-Law (SL), commonly known simply as a Serjeant, was a member of an order of barristers at the English and Irish Bar. The position of Serjeant-at-Law (''servientes ad legem''), or Sergeant-Counter, was centuries old; there are wri ...

and a knight, and was appointed a Baron of the Exchequer on 29 October 1695. He was transferred to the

Court of King's Bench The King's Bench (), or, during the reign of a female monarch, the Queen's Bench ('), refers to several contemporary and historical courts in some Commonwealth jurisdictions. * Court of King's Bench (England), a historic court court of common ...

in June 1700, but did not take his seat till January 1701. While a member of this court, he was one of the majority of judges who heard the leading case Ashby v White, arising out of the Aylesbury election, and decided against the plaintiff. At the age of 78, he retired on 26 October 1726, and died in 1732. He was characterized as being a dull, respectable judge, not so able as his brother, Sir Thomas Powys, but less of a political partisan. His favourite expressions, "I humbly conceive" and "Look, do you see" were ridiculed by Philip Yorke. In 1724, he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

, retiring from his office two years later.

Personal life

Powys was patron of Bitterley Church, where in 1707 he set up a gallery at the west end, and in which he was buried after his death in 1732. His portrait hangs at the Tarlton Law Library,

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...

References

* ;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Powys, Littleton 1647 births 1732 deaths People educated at Shrewsbury School Alumni of St Edmund Hall, Oxford 18th-century English judges Serjeants-at-law (England) Justices of the King's Bench Barons of the Exchequer