Walter Powell (politician)
Encyclopedia
Walter Powell was a Welsh colliery owner and Conservative
politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1881. Powell was carried out over the English Channel
in a balloon and never seen again.
and continued in the family business. He was a J.P.
for Wiltshire. His great interest was ballooning.
Powell was elected Member of Parliament
for Malmesbury
. He held the seat until his disappearance and presumed death from a balloon accident at the age of 37 in 1881.
and James Agg-Gardner
in an ascent at Bath. The balloon was carried over Somerset to Exeter and then into Dorset. The crew tried to descend near Bridport
but the balloon hit the ground so hard that Templer was thrown out. As a result the balloon rose again, Agg Gardner fell out from a height of about eight feet and broke his leg, and Powell, remaining in the car, was swept out to sea to the south east. He was last seen waving his hand to Captain Templer and nothing more was heard of him.
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1881. Powell was carried out over the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
in a balloon and never seen again.
Early life and education
Powell was the son of Thomas Powell of Newport Monmouthshire and his wife Anne Williams, daughter of Walter Williams. His father had interests in coal, railways and shipping and was one of the world's largest coal producers in the 1840s. His company now operates under the name of Powell Duffryn plc in the areas of ports and engineering, although the coal and railway interests were nationalised in the 1940s. Powell was educated at Rugby SchoolRugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
and continued in the family business. He was a J.P.
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
for Wiltshire. His great interest was ballooning.
Member of Parliament
At the 1868 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1868
The 1868 United Kingdom general election was the first after passage of the Reform Act 1867, which enfranchised many male householders, thus greatly increasing the number of men who could vote in elections in the United Kingdom...
Powell was elected Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Malmesbury
Malmesbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Malmesbury was a parliamentary borough in Wiltshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1275 until 1832, and then one member from 1832 until 1885, when the borough was abolished.- MPs 1275–1508 :...
. He held the seat until his disappearance and presumed death from a balloon accident at the age of 37 in 1881.
Disappearance
The Meteorological Society had borrowed a balloon called Saladin from the War Office. On 10 December 1881 Powell accompanied Captain TemplerJames Templer
Colonel James Lethbridge Brooke Templer was an early British military pioneer of balloons. He was an officer in the King's Royal Rifle Corps and Royal Engineers. Templer set out a scientific foundation for British military ballooning...
and James Agg-Gardner
James Agg-Gardner
Sir James Tynte Agg-Gardner JP was an English brewery-owner and Conservative Party politician from Cheltenham in Gloucestershire...
in an ascent at Bath. The balloon was carried over Somerset to Exeter and then into Dorset. The crew tried to descend near Bridport
Bridport
Bridport is a market town in Dorset, England. Located near the coast at the western end of Chesil Beach at the confluence of the River Brit and its Asker and Simene tributaries, it originally thrived as a fishing port and rope-making centre...
but the balloon hit the ground so hard that Templer was thrown out. As a result the balloon rose again, Agg Gardner fell out from a height of about eight feet and broke his leg, and Powell, remaining in the car, was swept out to sea to the south east. He was last seen waving his hand to Captain Templer and nothing more was heard of him.