SIR THOMAS POWYS 



the Third. Sir Littleton died unmarried. Sir 

 Thomas, Attorney-General in 1687 and the 

 younger of the two judges, married Sarah, 

 daughter of A. Holbech, and after her death 

 Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Philip Meadows. 

 From Sir Thomas Powys the present family of 

 Powys is descended. 



In 1687 the attitude of the seven bishops, in 

 declining to allow the celebrated Declaration of 

 Indulgence to pass their lips, drew down upon 

 them the indignation of James the Second, and 

 in the May of 1688 the Attorney-General, Sir 

 Thomas Powys, was ordered to prosecute the re- 

 calcitrants. 1 As we all know, the trial ended in 

 the acquittal of the rebellious seven, and the only 

 damage done was to the King's reputation, and 

 possibly to the rafters of the old Hall at West- 

 minster, since, as observes Clarendon, ' when the 

 verdict of "Not guilty" was brought in, there 

 was such a wonderful shout of joy that one 

 would have thought the hall would have 

 cracked.' 



1 The Dictionary of National Biography observes that he 

 ' conducted the trial with such conspicuous moderation and fairness 

 as to show his own personal disapprobation of the proceedings.' 



b 2 



