William Edward Powell (16 February 1788 – 10 April 1854) was a Welsh

Lord Lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility ...

and

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

politician who served as the

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP) for

Cardiganshire Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cere ...

from 1816 until shortly before his death in 1854.

Life

He was the eldest son of Thomas Powell of Nanteos and Elinor Corbet, daughter of Edward Maurice Corbet of

Ynysymaengwyn Ynysymaengwyn was a gentry house in the parish of Tywyn, Gwynedd (formerly Merioneth), situated near the left bank of the River Dysynni. The name means 'the white stone island'. Early history It was in the commote of Ystumanner or Ystum Anner ...

Merionethshire , HQ= Dolgellau , Government= Merionethshire County Council (1889-1974) , Origin= , Status= , Start= 1284 , End= , Code= MER , CodeName= ...

. He was educated at

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

, and matriculated at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

in 1804. Brought up in France by his widowed mother, Powell finally occupied his father's estate at Nanteos, near Aberystwyth at the age of 21 in 1809. He was made

High Sheriff of Cardiganshire The office of High Sheriff of Cardiganshire was established in 1541, since when a high sheriff was appointed annually until 1974 when the office was transformed into that of High Sheriff of Dyfed as part of the creation of Dyfed from the amalgamat ...

in 1810. He became the

Lord Lieutenant of Cardiganshire This is a list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of Cardiganshire. After 1780, all Lord Lieutenants were also Custos Rotulorum of Cardiganshire. The office was abolished on 31 March 1974, and replaced by the Lord Lieutenant of Dyfed. Lord ...

in 1817. Despite earning a reputation for living beyond his means and evidence of neglect on his substantial Cardiganshire estates, he was returned to Parliament in 1816 as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

upon the death of

Thomas Johnes Thomas Johnes FRS (1 September 1748 – 23 April 1816) was a Member of Parliament, landscape architect, farmer, printer, writer and social benefactor. He is best known for his development of the Hafod Estate in Wales. Johnes was born in Lud ...

. There was some support at the time for Herbert Evans of Highmead as an alternative candidate but Powell secured the candidacy soon after issuing an address to the electors. He was destined to sit for eleven successive parliaments without a single competitor. However, there were occasional challenges to his tenure. As early as 1820, friends of

Pryse Pryse Pryse Loveden Pryse (1 June 1774 – 4 January 1849) of Gogerddan, Cardiganshire and Buscot Park, Berkshire was a British Lord Lieutenant and Member of Parliament for Cardigan Boroughs from 1818 until his death in 1849. Early life and care ...

, the member for Cardigan Boroughs were said to be seeking to secure him the county seat at the expense of Powell. However, this opposition dis not materialise when Powell returned to the county for the nomination, having not undertaken any personal canvassing in advance. Powell made no recorded speeches in the Commons between 1820 and 1832. As Lord Lieutenant of Cardiganshire and MP for the county, Powell considered it necessary to entertain on a lavish scale both at Nanteos and at his London residence. He was regularly reprimanded by his legal advisors of the precarious financial position of the estate. Despite this, he embarked in 1845 upon a substantial renovation at Nanteos, with a new wing and portico being added, designed by Edward Heycock of Shrewsbury. These renovations cost nearly £3,000 when completed in 1847. In February 1854, Powell announced his retirement from the House of Commons. Powell died at his London home on 10 April 1854. On Monday, 17 April, his remains returned to Nanteoes, and the following days were interred in the family vault at Llanbadarn Fawr. In the town of

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...

, a mile from his burial place, all the shops and business were closed for the day. The estate was left to his eldest son.

Family

Powell married Laura-Edwyna Phelp, eldest daughter of James Sacksville Tufton Phelp, of Coston House Leics in 1810, and had two sons: *

William Thomas Rowland Powell William Thomas Rowland Powell (8 August 1815 – 13 May 1878) was a Welsh landowner and Conservative politician who served as Member of Parliament for Cardiganshire from 1859 until 1865. Early life Powell was born on 8 August 1815, son of Co ...

(4 August 1815 – 13 May 1878), who served as MP for

from 1859 until 1865. * Cornelius Powell Laura died in 1822. He married again in 1841 to Harriet Dell, widow of George Ackers of Moreton Hall, Cheshire.

References

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, William Edward 1788 births 1854 deaths Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Conservative Party (UK) MPs for Welsh constituencies Lord-Lieutenants of Cardiganshire Tory MPs (pre-1834) UK MPs 1812–1818 UK MPs 1818–1820 UK MPs 1820–1826 UK MPs 1826–1830 UK MPs 1830–1831 UK MPs 1831–1832 UK MPs 1832–1835 UK MPs 1835–1837 UK MPs 1837–1841 UK MPs 1841–1847 UK MPs 1847–1852 UK MPs 1852–1857 High Sheriffs of Cardiganshire