Thomas Benbow Phillips (14 February 1828 - 30 January 1915) was a pioneer of the Welsh settlements in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

and, more successfully,

Patagonia Patagonia () is a geographical region that includes parts of Argentina and Chile at the southern end of South America. The region includes the southern section of the Andes mountain chain with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and glaciers ...

during the 19th century. Phillips was baptised 12 Sept 1830 at St. Saviour's church, Southwark, Surrey, the son of Thomas Phillips, a labourer, and Susan his wife, but is said to have been born in either

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

or Tregaron, where he grew up. Living in Manchester in 1848, he came into contact with

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

traders, who were eager to establish a colony in Brazil to grow cotton for their mills in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

. Phillips travelled to

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, ; ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative units of Brazil#List, fifth-most populous state and the List of Brazilian s ...

, Brazil to begin making arrangements, and by the end of May 1851 had been joined by six groups of Welsh immigrants. However, the settlement failed, apparently because most of the immigrants had backgrounds in the mining industry and found work in the Brazilian coal mines more profitable than growing cotton. Phillips married a Brazilian woman, María Januaria Buena Florinal, but after her death in 1872 moved to the larger Welsh colony of ''

Y Wladfa Y Wladfa (, 'The Colony'), also occasionally Y Wladychfa Gymreig (, 'The Welsh Settlement'), refers to the establishment of settlements by Welsh colonists and immigrants in the Argentine Patagonia, beginning in 1865, mainly along the coast of ...

'', in Patagonia. There, he became one of the most prominent members of the settlement at

Chubut Chubut may refer to: * Chubut Province Chubut ( from Tehuelche language, Tehuelche 'transparent'; ) is a provinces of Argentina, province in southern Argentina, situated between the 42nd parallel south (the border with Río Negro Province), ...

, and in 1898, with Llwyd ap Iwan, travelled to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

to present the

British government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

with a list of the community's grievances against the government of

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. However, the government in London refused to entertain demands that it should assert sovereignty over the settlement.Your Archives: Patagonia 1899-1905
/ref> Phillips returned to Patagonia, where he continued to live until his death in 1915.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Thomas Benbow 1828 births 1915 deaths Welsh pioneer settlers in Patagonia