Thomas Powys (judge)
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Sir Thomas Powys (1649 – 4 April 1719), of Henley, near Ludlow, Shropshire and Lilford cum Wigsthorpe, Northamptonshire, was an English lawyer, judge and Tory politician, who sat in the
Early years
Powys was the second son of Thomas Powys of Henley Hall in
Career
Powys was attorney-general for Denbighshire and Montgomeryshire from 1680 to 1686 and was knighted on 23 April 1686. He became solicitor-general in 1686, when Heneage Finch was dismissed. Having acquiesced in the appointment of Roman Catholics to office, and argued in favour of the king's dispensing power, he was promoted to attorney-general in December 1687, the same year that he became treasurer of Lincoln's Inn.[1]
Trial of the Seven Bishops
Powys conducted the prosecution of the Seven Bishops in June 1688. The charge was seditious libel, in presenting to the King a petition against the enforcement of his second Declaration of Indulgence. The acquittal of the Bishops was a disastrous blow to the Crown's prestige, and Powys was heavily criticised for incompetence: inexplicably he forgot to adduce evidence that the Petition had ever been presented, so that the trial almost collapsed at the outset. However, given the immense public sympathy for the Bishops, and that two of the four judges directed the jury to acquit, it is unlikely that any prosecutor could have secured a conviction.
Parliamentary career
Powys was removed from office after the Glorious Revolution in 1688, and built up a lucrative private practice at the bar.[1] He acquired a reputation for fairness, especially in defence of state prisoners, among whom was Sir John Fenwick, 3rd Baronet, and at the bar of both houses of parliament.
Powys was returned as
Later life and legacy
Powys lived in Shropshire prior to acquiring Lilford Hall in 1711, induced to inspect it by his friend, Sir Edward Ward. Powys is buried at Achurch.[7] He died in 1719, and was buried at Lilford. He was twice married: first to Sarah, daughter of Ambrose Holbech of Mollington, Warwickshire; and secondly, to Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Philip Meadows. He had issue by both; and his great-grandson Thomas Powys, was created Lord Lilford in 1797. His portrait hangs at the Tarlton Law Library, University of Texas at Austin.[6]
References
- ^ a b c d e "POWYS, Sir Thomas (c.1649-1719), of Henley, nr. Ludlow, Salop and Lilford cum Wigsthorpe, Northants". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
- ^ Shropshire Archaeological and Natural History Society (Great Britain) (1907). Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Natural History Society (Public domain ed.). Shropshire Archaeological and Natural History Society. pp. 97–. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
- ^ Foster, Joseph. "Popham-Price in Alumni Oxonienses 1500-1714 pp.1181-1208". British History Online. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
- ^ Admissions Register VOL 1 1420-1799. The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn. 1896.
- ^ Sainty, p. 36
- ^ a b "Sir Thomas Powys Justice of the King's Bench (1649-1719)". Tarlton Law Library, University of Texas. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
- ^ Drewitt, Caroline Mary Powys (1900). Lord Lilford Thomas Littleton, fourth baron F. Z. S. president of the British ornithologists' union: A memoir by his sister (Public domain ed.). Smith, Elder, & co. pp. 3–. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
- Sainty, John (1993). The Judges of England 1272 -1990: a list of judges of the superior courts. Oxford: OCLC 29670782.
- . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
- Attribution
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Powys, Thomas". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
- ^ "Biography of Sir Thomas Powys". lilfordhall.com. Retrieved 11 February 2012.