Thomas Powell (c. 1701–1752) of Nanteos, was a Welsh politician who sat in 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 ...

from 1725 to 1727 and from 1742 to 1747. Powell was the eldest son of William Powell and Averina Le Brun; his mother was the daughter of Cornelius Le Brun of Cologne and Anne Jones, daughter of Colonel John Jones of

Nanteos Mansion Nanteos ( Welsh: ''Plas Nanteos'', Nanteos Mansion) is an 18th-century former country house in Llanbadarn-y-Creuddyn, near Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales. A Grade I listed building, it is now a country house hotel. The gardens and parkland surrou ...

. Powell's father was a leading Welsh Jacobite who acquired Nanteos through his mother. Powell was admitted at

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...

in 1718. He married Mary Frederick, daughter of Thomas Frederick of

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

.Dictionary of Welsh Biography Powell family of Nanteos
/ref> Powell was returned as Tory Member of Parliament for Cardigan Boroughs at a by-election on 1 April 1725 on the strength of his control of

Tregaron Tregaron ( "town of St Caron") is an ancient market town in Ceredigion, Wales. It is sited astride the River Brenig, a tributary of the River Teifi, and is north-east of Lampeter. According to the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census, the po ...

, one of the boroughs in the constituency. At the 1727 general election, he stood for

Cardiganshire Ceredigion (), historically Cardiganshire (, ), is a county in the west of Wales. It borders Gwynedd across the Dyfi estuary to the north, Powys to the east, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. Ab ...

instead, but was unsuccessful. He then stood again for Cardigan Boroughs at a by-election in May 1729, which resulted in a double return. The House of Commons awarded the seat to Powell's opponent and also disfranchised the additional freemen which Powell had created at Tregaron, thus destroying his interest. Powell succeeded to Nanteos on the death of his father in 1738, and almost immediately set about rebuilding the mansion. Thomas and Mary Powell laid the foundation stone on 3 May 1739. The History of Nanteos – Timeline
/ref> At the 1741 general election, Powell stood at Cardiganshire again. He was defeated in the poll but was returned as MP on petition on 22 March 1742. He voted regularly against the Government and retired at the

1747 general election Events January–March * January 31 – The first venereal diseases clinic opens at London Lock Hospital. * February 11 – King George's War: A combined French and Indian force, commanded by Captain Nicolas Antoine II Co ...

. Powell died in the street of an apoplectic fit on 17 November 1752. The estate passed to his brother Rev. William Powell, who completed the rebuilding of the house.

References

External links

Art UK: ''Thomas Powell of Nanteos (c.1701–1752) and His Wife Mary''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Thomas 1700s births 1752 deaths Members of the Middle Temple Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Welsh constituencies British MPs 1722–1727 British MPs 1741–1747