Walter Rice Howell Powell
Walter Rice Howell Powell (1819 - 26 June 1889) was a Welsh landowner and Liberal politician.
Early Life
Powell was the son of Walter Rice Howell Powell and his wife Mary Powell. He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford. On the death of his father in 1834 he inherited Maesgwynne estate of 3,468 acres (14.03 km2) in the parish of Llanboidy, Carmarthenshire, which had been owned by the Howell family.[1]
Personal Life
Powell married Mary Anne, daughter of Henry Skrine, of Warleigh Manor, Somerset. They had one daughter.[2] Following her death he married the daughter of Grismond Phillips of Cwmgwilly, and they also had a daughter who married W.F. Roch of Butter Hill, Pembrokeshire.[2]
Powell and the Maegwynne Estate
From an early age, Powell took an active interest in hunting, and is said to have spent much of his time at Oxford engaged in this pastime.[2] For 50 years he was master of the foxhounds. He was a J.P. for Pembroke, Carmarthen and Cardiganshire and was High Sheriff of Carmarthenshire in 1849.[3] In 1867 he funded a 24 piece brass band for Llanboidy.[4]
He was responsible for building a new Market Hall in Llanboidy and also, during the 1870s, funded the restoration of the parish church.[2]
Political Career
Powell was engaged in public life from an early age and was High Sheriff of Carmarthenshire in 1840.[2] For many years he supported the Conservative Party but, as was noted at the time of his death, he 'gave active support to men who could not be called genuine Conservatives, and he appears to have long cherished certain opinions of a democrative kind.' At the 1868 General Election he supported the sitting member, David Pugh, who later followed him into the Liberal ranks.
Powell was elected Member of Parliament for Carmarthenshire in 1880 and when it was divided in 1885 became member for Carmarthenshire West, which he held until his death in 1889.[5]
In some quarters he was criticised for his relative silence in the House and lack of engagement with the great political issues of the day. Amongst the electors of West Carmarthenshire however, and especially after the extension of the franchise in 1884, he proved a very popular member who was regarded as being sympathetic with the views of those he represented.[6]
References
- ↑ National Library of Wales Maesgwynne Estate Records
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Death of Mr W.R.H. Powell M.P.. Biographical Sketch.". Carmarthen Journal. 28 June 1889. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
- ↑ Debretts Guide to the House of Commons 1886
- ↑ Matthew Cragoe An Anglican Aristocracy:: The moral economy of the landed estate in Carmarthenshire 1832-1895 Oxford Historical Monographs 1996
- ↑ Leigh Rayment
- ↑ "Ymgeisiaeth Mr Lloyd Morgan (editorial)". Tyst a'r Dydd. 12 July 1889. Retrieved 8 December 1889.
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Walter Powell
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Viscount Emlyn John Jones |
Member of Parliament for Carmarthenshire 1880 – 1885 With: Viscount Emlyn |
Constituency divided See Carmarthenshire East and Carmarthenshire West |
| New constituency |
Member of Parliament for Carmarthenshire West 1885 – 1889 |
Succeeded by John Lloyd Morgan |