{"id":5467,"date":"2016-11-01T11:43:30","date_gmt":"2016-11-01T11:43:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/launcestonthen.co.uk\/?page_id=5467"},"modified":"2017-09-14T09:46:35","modified_gmt":"2017-09-14T08:46:35","slug":"william-lydra-powell","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/launcestonthen.co.uk\/index.php\/the-people\/william-lydra-powell\/","title":{"rendered":"William Lydra Powell"},"content":{"rendered":"

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William was born in 1853 to William and Sophia Powell at Exeter. His father was a mason. On leaving school, William served an apprenticeship as a print compositor. He married Elizabeth Jane Boston of Exeter in 1873.
\nWilliam started on \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThe Devon Weekly Times\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 moved later to \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThe Torquay Times\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 and later to \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThe North Devon Journal\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 at Barnstaple. Then he became associated with the National Press Agency, London, and subsequently started papers in the Home Counties. It was from \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThe Mid-Surrey Times\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 at Richmond that he came to Launceston, and was instrumental in converting the purely local \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcEast Cornwall Times\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 into the wider sphere of \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThe Cornish and Devon<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 building it eventually into what he called \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcA Newspaper Circle\u00e2\u20ac\u2122; with separate \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcPosts\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 for the different towns and areas. William \u00c2\u00a0printed and published the first edition of \u00c2\u00a0\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThe Cornish and Devon Post\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 for the proprietors, W. S. Cater and Co<\/a>. He soon took over the paper becoming its editor.
\nHis was the age of expansion for \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThe Cornish and Devon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, he published not only the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcBude and Stratton Post,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcHolsworthy Post,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcCallington Post,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcCamelford and Delabole Post,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcOkehampton Post\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 and \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcWadebridge Post,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 but also the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcBodmin Post\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 and the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcPadstow Post.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122
\nWilliam and Elizabeth first set up home at the Walk, Launceston but later moved to \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcDevonia,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 in Dunheved Road. They had no children.
\nWilliam Lydra Powell found time, too, to fight and win the battle for the standard gauge railway in North Cornwall<\/a>; he sat for nine years on the Town Council; he wrote various guide-books and directories; he campaigned vigorously for his beloved Liberal Party. The papers prospered under his expert leadership, and growing, it was necessary for larger premises and so in 1895 the papers were moved to the more commodious building in what was then Western Road and also called the Western Assembly rooms. New machinery was installed for the purpose of more expeditious production.
\nDuring the early months of 1904, William\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s health deteriorated and he died after a hemorrhage on Saturday, April 16th, at his home, aged just 51. The funeral service held on Thursday, April 21st was conducted by the Wesleyan minister Rev. J. E. Crawshaw at \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcDevonia,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 with the following service at the interment at Launceston Cemetery being conducted by Rev. F. R. Bell. The flag on the Castle was flown at half mast in respect and the funeral was attended by a large contingent of the towns dignatories.<\/p>\n

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Views: 18<\/p>\n

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. William was born in 1853 to William and Sophia Powell at Exeter. His father was a mason. On leaving school, William served an apprenticeship as a print compositor. He married Elizabeth Jane Boston of Exeter in 1873. William started on \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThe Devon Weekly Times\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 moved later to \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThe Torquay Times\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 and later to \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThe […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":1095,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5467","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","has-post-title","has-post-date","has-post-category","has-post-tag","has-post-comment","has-post-author",""],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t