A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Rowley, Samuel Campbell
ROWLEY. (Rear-Admiral of the Red, 1837. f-p., 19; h-p., 38.)
Samuel Campbell Rowley was born 19 Jan. 1774, and died 28 Jan. 1846. He was third son of the late Clotworthy Rowley, Esq., Barrister-at-Law, and M.P. for Downpatrick, by Letitia, daughter and co-heir (with her sister, the late Lady de Clifford) of Sam. Campbell, Esq., of Mount Campbell, co. Leitrim; brother of Admiral Sir Josias Rowley, Bart., G.C.B., G.C.H.;[1] and first-cousin of Admiral Sir Chas. Rowley, Bart., G.C.B., G.C.H.
This officer (who had been educated at the Royal Naval Academy) embarked, 10 March, 1789, as a Volunteer, on board the Blonde, Capt. Affleck, in which vessel he served for nearly three years and a half on the West India station. In the course of 1793 he became attached in succession to the Alligator 28, Capt. Affleck, Romulus, Capt. Sutton, Sceptre, Capt. Dacres, and Boyne, bearing the flag of Sir John Jervis. On his arrival in the latter ship in the West Indies he was made Lieutenant, 30 Jan. 1794, into the Vengeance 74, Commodore Chas. Thompson. In the following summer, after he had served on shore at the capture of the French islands, he returned to England in the Reprisal, Capt. Jas. Young. On the night of 10 April, 1795, a few weeks prior to which he had joined the Astraea of 32 guns and 212 men, Capt. Lord Henry Paulet, he assisted at the capture of the French frigate La Gloire of 42 guns and 275 men, 40 of whom, in the course of a spirited action of 58 minutes, were killed and wounded, with a loss to the British of not more than 8 wounded. In the course of the same year he took part in Lord Bridport’s rencontre with the French fleet off the Ile de Groix. He continued serving in the Astraea in the Channel, West Indies, and North Sea, until made Commander, 6 April, 1799, into the Terror bomb. Having fought in that vessel at the battle of Copenhagen, 2 April, 1801, Capt. Rowley was advanced, 29 April, 1802, to Post-rank. His subsequent appointments were – 7 Jan. 1811, to the Venerable 74, lying at Spithead – 14 Feb. following, to the Laurel 38, in which ship, after visiting St. Helena, he was wrecked on the Govivas Rock, in the Teigneuse Passage, 31 Jan. 1812[2] – 24 March, 1815, for nine months, to the Impregnable 104, bearing the flag of his brother, Sir Josias Rowley, on the coast of France and in the Mediterranean – 28 Sept. 1818, to the Spencer 76, flag-ship of the same officer at Cork, where he remained for three years – and 15 Sept. 1830, to the Wellesley 74, employed on particular service. He paid the latter ship off early in 1832, and attained Flag-rank 10 Jan. 1837.
Rear-Admiral Rowley, a Magistrate for co. Leitrim, was presented, in 1819, with the freedom of the city of Cork in a silver box. He married first, 16 Sept. 1805, Mary, daughter of ___ Thompson, Esq., of White Park, co. Fermanagh; and, that lady dying in 1821, secondly, 4 Nov. 1830, Mary Frances, only daughter of Edm. Cronyn, Esq., of Newton, co. Kilkenny.
- ↑ Sir Josias Rowley was born in 1765, and went to sea in 1779. He was advanced to the rank of Lieutenant in 1783, to that of Commander in March, 1793, and to Post-rank (after having, in the Laurel sloop, escorted the Princess Caroline of Brunswick to this country) 6 April, 1795. He subsequently commanded the Braave of 40 guns, the Impérieuse 38, the Raisonnable 64, the Boadicea 38, and the America 74. In the Raisonnable he fought in Sir Robert Calder’s action, assisted at the reduction of the Cape of Good Hope, took part in the operations which preceded the evacuation of Spanish America by the British forces, and reduced the town of St. Paul’s, in the Ile de Bourbon. While stationed in the Rio de la Plata he commanded the detachment ofseamen landed with Lieut.-General Whitelocke’s army for the purpose of transporting the artillery from the place of debarkation towards the city of Buenos Ayres. During his servitude in the Boadicea, Capt. Rowley had charge of the squadron employed in the conquest of the Ile de Bourbon; he also re-captured the Africaine 38, and after a spirited action of ten minutes, productive to the British of a loss of 2 men wounded, and to the enemy of 9 killed and 15 wounded, took La Vénus of 44 guns and 380 men, bearing the broad pendant of Commodore Hamelin, and her prize the Ceylon 32. In the same ship he distinguished himself greatly by his indefatigable exertions at the reduction of the Isle of France. In 1812-13 Capl. Rowley, in the America, commanded the squadrons stationed on the coasts of Sicily and Naples. In Dec. of the latter year he made an attack, defeated by untoward circumstances, upon the city of Leghorn, and in the early part of 1814 be co-operated with the forces under Lord Wm. Bentinck at the reduction of Genoa. For his signal services he was created a Baronet 2 Nov. 1813. He attained Flag-rank 4 June, 1814; was nominated a K.C.B. 2 Jan. 1815; held a command, during part of the same year, in the Mediterranean fleet under Lord Exmouth; was Commander-in-Chief on the coast of Ireland from 1818 until 1821; was presented in 1819 with the freedom of the City of Cork in a silver box; obtained a seat in Parliament for Kinsale in 1821; became a Vice-Admiral 27 May, 1825; commanded in chief in the Mediterranean from Dec. 1833 until Feb. 1837; and was made a G.C.M.G. 22 Feb. 1834, a full Admiral 10 Jan. 1837, and a G.C.B. 4 July, 1840. He was for some time equerry to the Duchess of Kent. He died 10 Jan. 1842 at Mount Campbell, co. Leitrim.
- ↑ Capt. Rowley was tried by court martial, but acquitted of all blame on account of the loss of his ship, 19 Feb. 1812.