Thomas Phillips (mayor)
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Thomas Phillips | |
|---|---|
 Sir Thomas Phillips (in Arab dress), watercolour by Richard Dadd | |
| Mayor of Newport | |
| In office 9 November 1838 – 1839 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Prosser |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Dyke |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1801 Llanelly, United Kingdom |
| Died | 26 May 1867 (aged 65–66) London, United Kingdom |
| Resting place | Llanellen churchyard, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire |
| Occupation | Lawyer, politician and businessman |
| Known for | Newport Rising |
Sir Thomas Phillips (1801 – 26 May 1867) was a Welsh lawyer, politician, and businessman, who was Mayor of Newport in Monmouthshire at the time of the Newport Rising in 1839.
The eldest son of Thomas Phillips of Llanellen House, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, by Ann, eldest daughter of Benjamin James of Llangattock, Crickhowell, Brecknockshire, was born at Llanelly in 1801.[1][2] The family later moved to Trosnant, near Pontypool.[3][4][5]
On 9 November 1838, Phillips was elected Mayor of Newport and became a figure of the Newport Rising. On 4 November 1839, he was in charge of the town when John Frost, at the head of 7,000 Chartists, entered it with the intention of releasing Henry Vincent from gaol. A 30-strong company of the 45th Regiment of Foot was placed at his disposal and took up station in the Westgate Inn. When the hotel was attacked, Phillips was wounded with bullets in the arm and groin.[4] The soldiers then fired on the crowd, which was completely routed, 22 being killed and about 50 wounded.[6]
On 9 December, Phillips was knighted to mark his "individual exertions in maintaining her majesty's authority". On 26 February 1840, he was voted the Freedom of the City of London, and admitted on 7 April.[7][8] Phillips continued to warn about Chartist activity in south Wales in 1842.[9]
Phillips was called to the bar at the Inner Temple on 10 June 1842.[1][2] Shortly afterwards, he set off on a tour of parts of Europe and the Middle East. He wanted to take a draughtsman and, on the recommendation of David Roberts, employed Richard Dadd; Roberts knew Dadd's father.[10] The journey, via Venice, Greece, and Egypt, saw Dadd suffer a breakdown, and he returned to England, leaving Phillips in Paris, in May 1843. Suffering from mental illness, Dadd subsequently stabbed his father to death and was confined to Bethlem Hospital as insane.[7]
Phillips was named a Queen's Counsel on 17 February, and a bencher of his inn on 5 May 1865. His principal practice lay in parliamentary committees, and many lawsuits were referred to him for arbitration. In Monmouthshire, he acquired coal-mines and became a large landed proprietor in Wales.[1]
Phillips played a major part in the success of Brecon College. He was an active member of the governing bodies of King's College London, and the Church Institution, and president of the council of the Society of Arts. In 1848 he became a member of the National Society, and devoted time and labour to the work of national education. While living simply, he gave large sums to charities. At Court-y-bella, near Newport, he built and maintained schools for the education of the colliers.[1][4]
