Gabriel Powell’s death in December 1788 had a profound effect on the town. Centuries of continuity and conservatism would be swept aside as Swansea experienced a new found freedom to consider the needs and ambitions of the port on the threshold of the Industrial Revolution. Between 1770 and 1788, the burgesses met on average four times a year. In the year of Gabriel Powell’s death they arranged twenty three meetings. In that same year the burgess body consisted of thirty five men, telling evidence of Powell’s iron hand. By 1802, the number had risen to fifty three.