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14. The Uncrowned King Of Swansea
[ Up ] [ Reading about the Port of Swansea ] [ Swansea Harbour in 1771 ] [ Swansea's South Dock (c.1870s) ] [ Swansea's South Dock (c. 1880s) ] [ Swansea Docks in 1881 ] [ Brunel's report for Swansea Docks 1846 ] [ 2. Charter of William de Newburgh ] [ 6. A Royal Charter ] [ 9. Trade In The Early Port ] [ 10. A port Indenture of 1135 ] [ 11. Salt A vital commodity ] [ 12. Swansea's Layer Keeper ] [ 12a. Early Quays and Docks ] [ 14. The Uncrowned King Of Swansea ] [ 15. Swansea in the 1790s ] [ 16. After Gabriel ] [ 17. 1790s Swansea;The Time For Change ] [ More about Swansea in the 1790s ] [ 17a. Smuggling in Swansea and Gower ] [ 18. The Harbour Act and the Mumbles Lighthouse ] [ 19. Port Tennant ] [ Port Tennant in 1827 ] [ 20. port Development. A Chronology ] [ 21. The South Wales ports ] [ 22. Joseph Rutter's pamphlet of 1843 ] [ 25. Thomas Page's report of 1846. ] [ 27. John Henry Vivian ] [ 29. The East Dock ] [ 30. The Prince of Wales opens the East Dock ] [ The Helwick Lightvessel ] [ Jack's World: Swansea North Dock in the 1880s ] [ James Harris Seascape Painter ] [ Mr Padley of Swansea ] [ Plan of the Prince of Wales Dock ] [ Who put the 'Sweyn' in Swansea? ] [ Swansea's first tugs ] [ The Victorian port of Swansea ]
| The Uncrowned King Of
Swansea
Gabriel Powell 1710 - 1788
In the eighteenth century the affairs of the town were largely
controlled by one man. Such was his influence that this period in the
town’s history can be justifiably called ‘the Gabriel Powell years’.
Powell’s influence characterises the nature of local government in
many towns across the country in the eighteenth century, a time when
democracy as we know it today did not exist, and the affairs or
direction of the town were solely in the hands of men who were deemed to
know best as a result of their station in life or as fact of their
birth.
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| The young Gabriel Powell learned
his trade from his father who as steward to the Duke of Beaufort,
guarded the rights of the Duke over the extensive lands and estates upon
which the town was built. It is hardly surprising that Gabriel became a
lawyer, steeped in the tradition of maintaining the Duke’s rights and
privileges. It had become traditional for the Duke’s steward to exert
a certain amount of influence over the town, but a new era of
manipulation and dominance began with Gabriel’s admission as a burgess
and election to the ranks of the Swansea aldermen on his twenty-first
birthday. |
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1731 Becomes a burgess and an alderman.
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1731 -1789 Powell blocks the appointment of any burgesses or
officers who wanted to improve or change the nature of the town.
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1740 Appointed as Portreeve.
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1745 Becomes recorder and solicitor to the Corporation of
Swansea.
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1768 Powell blocks attempts to improve the harbour.
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1762 Powell drafts the Town Hill Enclosure Act to the
considerable advantage of the Duke and himself.
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1774 Powell blocks attempts to improve the harbour and pave the
town.
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1775 Powell moves to prevent travelling players visiting
Swansea.
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1787 Inhabitants of the town petition Parliament, the move is
successfully opposed by Powell.
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1787 Powell attempts to block the foundation of a theatre in
Wind Street.
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1787 Powell successfully blocks another attempt at port
improvement.
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| The Lord’s Steward was extremely
powerful in the affairs of the Borough. As Steward, Powell controlled
all appointments nullifying any democratic processes that may have been
developed. Whilst the Portreeve was seen as the head of the corporation,
he only presided under the control of the steward. The ‘election’ of
Portreeve took place each year in September. Two names from the body of
aldermen were put forward and the Steward decided which man would take
the office. Powell himself took a year as Portreeve in 1740. The duties
of the Portreeve were numerous; presiding over various legal courts, the
council of aldermen, Common Hall meetings, acting as coroner, constable,
distributing the poor relief in the parish, and collecting the many
rents and dues payable to the Lord. |
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