Laura Hirtzel Powell
Laura Hirtzel Powell | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1828 |
| Died | December 24, 1901 (aged 72–73) |
Laura Hirtzel Powell (1828–1901)[1] was a Welsh diarist and aunt of the antiquary George Eyre Evans. Her diaries provide the most comprehensive account of life in nineteenth-century Carmarthen.[2][3]
Early life
Laura Hirtzel Powell was born in 1828,[2][3] the third child of Commander George Eyre Powell (1790–1855) of Colyton, Devon and Catherine Kingdon.[1][4]
Diarist
Powell kept a daily diary for 60 years. The diaries give an insight into the life of a nineteenth-century educated, unmarried middle-class woman and provide a comprehensive account of a family guided by religious and moral values.[2][3]
Personal life
Laura Hirtzel Powell moved to Carmarthen in 1864.[2][3]
She never married but raised her sister's children after her death. Laura's older sister Ophelia Catherine Powell (1823–1866) married David Lewis Evans (1813–1902), who was the minister of the Unitarian church in Colyton. They had four children, including George Eyre Evans. Ophelia died in Carmarthen in February 1866.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Powell was close friends with the artist Sarah Doidge, who requested to be buried next to her.[5]
Death
Laura Hirtzel Powell died on 24 December 1901 in Aberystwyth.[3][7] She was buried in Alltyblaca Chapel Yard,[8] and her brother-in-law, David Lewis Evans, was buried beside her upon his death the following year.[4] George Eyre Evans's ashes are scattered at the same graveyard.[5]
Legacy
Laura Hirtzel Powell's letters and postcards to her nephew George Eyre Evans were donated to the Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru.[9][10]
An alphabet cross stitch sampler believed to have been created by Laura Hirtzel Powell c. 1846 or c. 1848 was donated to Carmarthenshire Museum by George Eyre Evans.[11]
References
- 1 2 3 "George Eyre Evans Bequest". National Library of Wales Archives and Manuscripts. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Women's Heritage Walk: Carmarthen" (PDF). Women's Archive Wales. p. 6.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Laura Hirtzell Powell". Women of West Wales | Narberth Museum. 30 April 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 Evans, George Eyre (1902). "1902". Antiquarian Notes. II (VII). Kidderminster: Thomas Brooke: 65.
- 1 2 3 "Cofio Sarah Doidge yn Alltyblaca". BBC Local (in Welsh). 29 July 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
- ↑ Ewbank's Auctions. "Miniature oval portrait of Ophelia Catherine". Bid Square. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
- ↑ Copeland Bowie, W, ed. (1903). The Essex Hall year book for 1903. London: The British and Foreign Unitarian Association. p. 117.
- ↑ "Alltyblaca" (PDF). UK Unitarians | South Wales District Association.
- ↑ "Laura Hirtzel Powell letters". Jisc Archives Hub.
- ↑ "Laura Hirtzel Powell letters". National Library of Wales Archives and Manuscripts. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
- ↑ Carmarthenshire Museum. "Alphabet Sampler". Art UK.