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THE POWELL FAMILY OF CASTLETON, PRIORY WOOD, AND DORSTONE, HEREFORDSHIRE By A. D. POWELL IN genealogy, documentation is everything. Each generation of a descent must be shown with reasonable certainty to link with the one before it. On the other hand, a stage is always reached, sooner or later, when the line stretches back no further. Earlier ancestors can only be conjectured. Provided there is good reason for the conjecture-and it is made clear no definite claim is established-it is sometimes useful to put on record what origins a family may have had, because such indications can help future researchers. In the case of the Powell family of Castleton (which it will be convenient to call them throughout this article), there is reason to suppose they may be a branch of the Powells descended from Llywelyn Crugeryr, discussed in various numbers of these Transactions. The latter lived, among other places, at Gladestry, Llowes and Clyro in Radnorshire, and Brilley in Herefordshire. I will here call them the Powells of The Travely, from the house in Llowes they inhabited for over two hundred years. The records and pedigrees in possession of the present representatives of the Powells of Castleton were put into order by Miss Ann Powell, of Orchard Gate, Winforton, Herefordshire, who has kindly allowed me to give this account of them. I will try to sift the evidence for, and against, the two families having the same origin. At the end of the article the Powell of Castleton pedigree appears in tabular form. A few words of introduction may be helpful. The Powell of Castleton pedigree begins with Thomas Powell of Brunant (Briwnant), a house in the parish of Llowes. In a copy of the administra- tion granted at Brecon to his widow, Sara Powell, 20 Feb. 1726/27, he is described as "of Llowes in the County of Radnor, Gent. The "Sureties" are "Thomas Williams of Llanbeder Painscastle" and "Johen Jones." In the inventory, filed at £ 326.5s., the "Apprisors" (i.e. creditors or perhaps just valuers) are "Thomas Williams" (no-address) and "Thomas Pugh". We shall return later to these names. Thomas Powell's burial is recorded in the Llowes parish register "1727. Thomas Powell of Brunent was burd. Janry. ye 21st". In the same PR we find: "Mary Powell wife of John Powell of Brunent" bur. 14 May, 1725 and, on 2 April, 1732, "John Powell of Breunant, widower" was buried. Obviously these two were husband and wife, but what relation were they to Thomas Powell of Brunant, who d. 1726/7 in the period between their deaths ? One's first thought is that Thomas Powell might have been a brother of John Powell, but I think it far more probable-indeed almost certain- that John and Mary were the parents of Thomas Powell and he prede- ceased them. The reasons for this supposition are again to be found in the Llowes PR. On 15 Oct., 1716, "Elinor, dau. of Thomas Powell' was bapt.-and bur 1st Aug. 1718. In 1719, "September ye 11th, Thomas ye son of Thomas Powell was born and he was baptised upon the 19th instant". In 1723, "John ye son of Thos. Powell was baptzd. Sept ye 7th."