Powell, Sir Francis Sharp, Bart, BL, MP, JP

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Watercolour portrait of Sir Francis Sharp Powell, Bart, BL, MP, JP by John Sowden.

Note in Sowden's notebook:
Sir Francis S. Powell B.L., M.P., J.P., of Horton Old Hall was the son of the Revd Benj[amin] Powell, late vicar of St George's, Wigan and was born in 1827. He inherited the Old Hall through his mother who was the niece of the well-known Francis Sharp Bridges. In Bradford for many years Sir Francis was the head and front of the Church building movement and filled many offices connected with church institutions. All Saints Church was erected at his own cost near his home and was consecrated by the Bishop Ripon in 1874. Mr Powell privately spent £50,000 On the Church, Schools and Vicarage. He also gave a site for a church in Grange Road, Horton, of which Lady Powell undertook the [?] cost. This is the church of St. Columba, Sir Francis was one of the first pastors of the Bradford Church Institute and in his later life was president for many years. The longest portion of Sir Francis’s long life was devoted to politics, seldom has a politician earned such a [?] patient energy on behalf of his cause, for Frances foought no fewer than nineteen elections losing 8 and winning 11. Thus during the 33 years ending with 1885, Sir Francis (then and until 1872 [?] [?] Mr Sharp had been merely 3 years outside the House and but ten years a member. His political record is somewhat [?]. Sir Francis’s own personal triumph was his winning the Northern Division of the West Riding in 1873, though only with a majority of 44. In the next election 1874 this majority was [?] a minority of 773. It was said that this was largely due to the fact Francis had tried to stop nuisance of mill “buzzers” which afterwards gave rise to his Parliamentary nickname as The Buzzer.\ Sir Francis took keen interest in his old school of Sedbergh where he himself was, in the years 1843 to 1847, under the greatest of headmasters that Sedbergh ever had the Revd J. H, Evans. SirFrancis became governor and afterwards chairman of the governors of the school in 1875 and he was the leading spirit of making Sedbergh take its place amongst the public schools of the country. He was a benefactor to the Bradford Technical College and intimately connected with the Yorkshire College, and its [?] the Leeds University and his contributions to its funds was £4500. He was treasurer of the University succeeding Sir John [?]. Sir Francis was a member of the old governing body of the Bradford Grammar School and upon it's [?] he became in 1872 one of the Co-[?] governors and so remained till his death. From 1875 onwards he was one of the governors also of the Girls Grammar School. At the Church Congress Sir Francis was a familiar [?], as well as the Ripper Diocesan [?]. In the house Of Laymen, [?] of York, he was one of the 12 members for Ripon; And it would be hard to say how many minor offices with church organisations he held from time to time. He was educated first at Wigan Grammar School and afterwards at Sedbergh Grammar School. He [?] to St. John's, Cambridge where he took B.A, in classical and mathematical honours in 1850, was elected a Fellow in 1852 and M.A. in 1853. In the latter year he was called to the bar at the Inner Temple, and for 2 or 3 years he practiced on the Northern Circuit. As he was under no necessity of following up the law for a livelihood he took up a political career and fighting his first contest for Wigan in 1852. Sir Francis was a co-opted member of the Bradford Board of Guardians and attended the meetings regularly, [?] most valuable help in London, as an intermediary between the Board and the local government board and other offices with which the Bradford Board of Guardians was concerned. Sir Francis was a vice president of the Bradford Conservative Association. He was presented in 1886 by a number of admirers with a portrait of himself painted by [?]. . He was a Justice of the Peace for the West Riding and Deputy Lieutenant for the County of York. He married Anne, second daughter of Mr Matthew Gregson, of Liverpool. There were no children of this marriage. Lady Powell it may be remarked took a very sympathetic if unobtrusive interest in her husband activities. The honour of baronry was conferred upon him by Queen Victoria in 1872 and in 1902 he was elected on a Freeman of Bradford the people of Wigan erected a statue of his long service to the town. It was unveiled in 1910 about 3 years before he retired. He died December 24th 1911 at the age of 84.

Year

1905

Creator

John Sowden

Image filename

sowden-41