Griffith Powell
Encyclopedia
Griffith Powell was a philosopher and Principal of Jesus College, Oxford
from 1613 to 1620.
, Carmarthenshire
, Wales
. Powell matriculated at Jesus College in 1581, obtaining his BA in 1584, MA in 1589, and BCL in 1593. He was elected Fellow of the college in 1589. He effectively ran the college during the principalships of his two predecessors, Francis Bevans
and John Williams
. Williams deprived him of his Fellowship, but it was restored on the Chancellor's orders.
Powell wrote two volumes on Aristotelian philosophy
, Analysis analyticorum posteriorum (1594) and De sophisticis elenchis (1598). He was awarded his DCL in 1599. During his time as Principal he "requested" various "worthy personages" to contribute to the construction of college buildings, in particular the chapel, hall, buttery and kitchen, and raised £838 12s 2d: £259 from merchants and gentry of London, £160 from citizens of Oxford, £341 from people in Wales and the borders, and £78 from seven members of the clergy in Wales (Richard Parry
, Bishop of St Asaph
, giving £66 13s 2d of this sum). The hall still retains the panelling, three tables and two benches from the time of this work. His careful approach to college finances also made it possible to increase the numbers of resident fellows and scholars, and the popularity of the college with students from South Wales in particular increased during his time as Principal.
He died in 1620 and was buried in the Church of St Michael at the Northgate
near the College. He left his whole estate to the college; lands in Flintshire
were bought with the proceeds, and these remained in college ownership until 1966. The college chapel was completed within a year of his death.
Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College is one of the colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship Street, Cornmarket Street and Market Street...
from 1613 to 1620.
Life
Powell was the third of four sons of John ap Hywel of LlansawelLlansawel
Llansawel is a community located in Carmarthenshire, West Wales....
, Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Powell matriculated at Jesus College in 1581, obtaining his BA in 1584, MA in 1589, and BCL in 1593. He was elected Fellow of the college in 1589. He effectively ran the college during the principalships of his two predecessors, Francis Bevans
Francis Bevans
Francis Bevans was a lawyer and Principal of Jesus College, Oxford from 1586 to 1602.-Life:Bevans became a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford in 1573. He gained a B.C.L. in 1579, a Cambridge LL.B. in 1581, and an Oxford D.C.L. in 1583....
and John Williams
John Williams (college principal)
John Williams was Principal of Jesus College, Oxford from 1602 to 1613 and also Dean of Bangor.Born in Llansawel, Carmarthenshire, Williams entered Corpus Christi College, Oxford in 1569, graduating with a BA in 1573/4 and an MA in 1577, before being elected a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford...
. Williams deprived him of his Fellowship, but it was restored on the Chancellor's orders.
Powell wrote two volumes on Aristotelian philosophy
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
, Analysis analyticorum posteriorum (1594) and De sophisticis elenchis (1598). He was awarded his DCL in 1599. During his time as Principal he "requested" various "worthy personages" to contribute to the construction of college buildings, in particular the chapel, hall, buttery and kitchen, and raised £838 12s 2d: £259 from merchants and gentry of London, £160 from citizens of Oxford, £341 from people in Wales and the borders, and £78 from seven members of the clergy in Wales (Richard Parry
Richard Parry (bishop)
Richard Parry was a bishop of St. Asaph and translator of the Bible to the Welsh language. He was born in 1560, the son of John ap Harri, from Pwllhalog, Cwm, Flintshire, and Ruthin, and his wife, Elen ferch Dafydd ap John, a lady from Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd, near Ruthin, North Wales.He was...
, Bishop of St Asaph
Bishop of St Asaph
The Bishop of St Asaph heads the Church in Wales diocese of St Asaph.The diocese covers the counties of Conwy and Flintshire, Wrexham county borough, the eastern part of Merioneth in Gwynedd and part of northern Powys. The Episcopal seat is located in the Cathedral Church of St Asaph in the town of...
, giving £66 13s 2d of this sum). The hall still retains the panelling, three tables and two benches from the time of this work. His careful approach to college finances also made it possible to increase the numbers of resident fellows and scholars, and the popularity of the college with students from South Wales in particular increased during his time as Principal.
He died in 1620 and was buried in the Church of St Michael at the Northgate
St Michael at the Northgate
St Michael at the North Gate is a church in Cornmarket Street, at the junction with Ship Street, in central Oxford, England. The church is so-called because this is the location of the original north gate of Oxford when it was surrounded by a city wall....
near the College. He left his whole estate to the college; lands in Flintshire
Flintshire
Flintshire is a county in north-east Wales. It borders Denbighshire, Wrexham and the English county of Cheshire. It is named after the historic county of Flintshire, which had notably different borders...
were bought with the proceeds, and these remained in college ownership until 1966. The college chapel was completed within a year of his death.