Sir Thomas Phillips (1801 – 26 May 1867) was a Welsh lawyer, politician, and businessman, who was Mayor of Newport in

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...

at the time of the Newport Rising in 1839.

Life

The eldest son of Thomas Phillips of Llanellen House, Abergavenny,

, by Ann, eldest daughter of Benjamin James of Llangattock, Crickhowell,

Brecknockshire Brecknockshire ( or ), also known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon, was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was created in 1 ...

, was born at Llanelly in 1801. The family later moved to Trosnant, near Pontypool.Morgan, John (1892)
Four Biographical Sketches: Bishop Ollivant, Bishop Thirlwall, Rev. Griffith Jones, and Sir Thomas Phillips, Q.C. with A Chapter on 'The Church of Wales'.
' Project Canterbury. Retrieved: 12 August 2019. On 9 November 1838, Phillips was elected Mayor of Newport and became a figure of the Newport Rising. On 4 November 1839, he was in charge of the town when John Frost, at the head of 7,000 Chartists, entered it with the intention of releasing Henry Vincent from gaol. A 30-strong company of the 45th Regiment of Foot was placed at his disposal and took up station in the Westgate Inn. When the hotel was attacked, Phillips was wounded with bullets in the arm and groin. The soldiers then fired on the crowd, which was completely routed, 22 being killed and about 50 wounded. On 9 December, Phillips was knighted to mark his "individual exertions in maintaining her majesty's authority". On 26 February 1840, he was voted the Freedom of the City of London, and admitted on 7 April. Phillips continued to warn about Chartist activity in south Wales in 1842. Phillips was called to the bar at the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

on 10 June 1842. Shortly afterwards, he set off on a tour of parts of Europe and the Middle East. He wanted to take a draughtsman and, on the recommendation of David Roberts, employed Richard Dadd; Roberts knew Dadd's father. The journey, via Venice, Greece, and Egypt, saw Dadd suffer a breakdown, and he returned to England, leaving Phillips in Paris, in May 1843. Suffering from mental illness, Dadd subsequently stabbed his father to death and was confined to Bethlem Hospital as insane. Phillips was named a

Queen's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

on 17 February, and a bencher of his inn on 5 May 1865. His principal practice lay in parliamentary committees, and many lawsuits were referred to him for arbitration. In Monmouthshire, he acquired coal-mines and became a large landed proprietor in Wales. Phillips played a major part in the success of Brecon College. He was an active member of the governing bodies of

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

, and the Church Institution, and president of the council of the

Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...

. In 1848 he became a member of the National Society, and devoted time and labour to the work of national education. While living simply, he gave large sums to charities. At Court-y-bella, near Newport, he built and maintained schools for the education of the colliers.

Death and descendants

After addressing a committee of the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

in 1867, Phillips was struck with paralysis and died five days later, on 26 May, at his London home, 77 Gloucester Place, Portman Square. He was buried in the churchyard of St Helen's church at Llanellen, Monmouthshire. He was unmarried, and his fortune was inherited by his sister's son, Thomas Phillips Price, who later became MP for North Monmouthshire between 1885 and 1895.

Works

Phillips was also known as a writer on Welsh education and

Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic languages, Celtic language of the Brittonic languages, Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales by about 18% of the population, by some in England, and in (the Welsh c ...

, and a champion of the Welsh church, particularly in ''Wales, the Language, Social Condition, Moral Character, and Religious Opinions of the People, considered in their relation to Education, with some account of the provision made for education in other parts of the kingdom'' (1849). This work defended the Welsh people and language against the 1847 " Blue Books" – the Reports of the Commissioners of Inquiry into the state of education in Wales. Authors Lingen, Symons and Johnson concluded from the evidence they were given in Wales that the Welsh were dirty, lazy, ignorant, superstitious, deceitful, promiscuous and immoral, and advocated eradication of the Welsh language and the encouragement of the English language. Fluent in Welsh, Phillips exposed the lies of the "Blue Books", defended the Welsh people and their language, and proposed way to improve education in Wales; a biographer described his work: He was also the author of ''The Life of James Davies, a Village Schoolmaster'' (1850; 2nd edit. 1852), a biography of James Davies (1765–1849) of Devauden.

References

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Thomas 1801 births 1867 deaths Welsh solicitors Welsh barristers 19th-century Welsh businesspeople Mayors of places in Wales Committee members of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge