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Yorkshire Chess History |
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T Powell |
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There is some doubt as to the identity of this player. He gets referred to simply as “Powell”, but R. A. Brown, in describing the Leeds-Liverpool correspondence matches, gives us the initial “T”.
White’s Directory of Leeds & the Clothing District, 1842, listed Thomas Powell running a “fancy repository” at Lounge, 17 Boar lane, with his home at Belle vue, Leeds, and it listed Thomas Wild Powell, solicitor, at 16½ Albion street, with home at Lyddon terrace, Leeds. Of the two, the solicitor conforms more to the mould of the typical recorded chess-player of the day, yet the consistent omission of a middle initial “W” supports the dealer in fancy goods as being our man. That the latter traded from premises entitled “Lounge” suggests a high-class establishment, a well-to-do owner, and hence one who, like the solicitor, had what was necessary to be recorded as a chess-player.
On balance, of these two, the dealer in fancy goods seems more likely to be our man, as careful accuracy regarding initials for making such distinctions seems to have been common in those days.
Pigot & Co.'s Directory of Yorks, Leics &c , 1841, listed the fancy-goods man, but not the solicitor.
However, Baines’s General & Commercial Directory of Leeds, 1834, besides the fancy-goods man, listed Thomas Powell, worsted dealer at 10 Mabgate, Leeds, as well as an overseer and a shoemaker in Leeds, by the same name.
Chess
During the correspondence matches between Leeds and Liverpool from 1838 to 1841, he joined the Leeds committee for the second match. He attended the first two meetings of the Yorkshire Chess Association, in January and November 1841 respectively.
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Created 25/04/2012 |
Copyright © 2012 Stephen John Mann Census information is copyright of The National Archive, see UK Census Information |
Last Updated 25/04/2012 |