Admiral Sir Josias Rowley, 1st Baronet, (1765 – 10 January 1842), known as "The Sweeper of the Seas", was an Anglo-Irish naval officer who commanded the campaign that captured the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by ...

islands of

Réunion Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island ...

and

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...

in 1810.

Birth and family

Rowley was born in 1765 the second son of Clotworthy Rowley and Letitia (née Campbell), of Mountcampbell,

Drumsna Drumsna ( which translates as ''the ridge of the swimming place'') is a village in County Leitrim, Ireland. It is situated 6 km east of Carrick-on-Shannon on the River Shannon and is located off the N4 National primary route which lin ...

, County Leitrim, in the West of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. His father was a Barrister and MP for

Downpatrick Downpatrick () is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the Lecale peninsula, about south of Belfast. In the Middle Ages, it was the capital of the Dál Fiatach, the main ruling dynasty of Ulaid. Its cathedral is said to be th ...

in the Irish Parliament. His paternal grandfather was Admiral of the Fleet

Sir William Rowley Admiral of the Fleet Sir William Rowley KB (c. 1690 – 1 January 1768) was a Royal Navy officer. He distinguished himself by his determination as commander of the vanguard at the Battle of Toulon in February 1744 during the War of the Austrian ...

, KCB. He had at least one brother William, MP for Kinsale and Recorder of Kinsale.

Naval career

He joined the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

in 1778, age 13, on HMS ''Suffolk'' in the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Great ...

, under the command of his uncle, Sir Joshua Rowley. Promoted to post captain in 1795, age 30, he commanded HMS ''Braave'' (40 guns) at the Cape of Good Hope and then (38 guns) in the

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies), is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The Indies refers to various lands in the East or the Eastern hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainlands found in and aroun ...

. He also commanded (64 guns) and took part in the Battle of Cape Finisterre in 1805. In 1798 he became the Member of the

Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, but on a highly restrictive fr ...

for

. In 1808 he became commander-in-chief, Cape of Good Hope Station. In 1809, as commodore of a small squadron off

, working with the commander of the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Sout ...

troops at

Rodrigues Rodrigues (french: Île Rodrigues, link=yes ; Creole: ) is a autonomous outer island of the Republic of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, about east of Mauritius. It is part of the Mascarene Islands, which include Mauritius and Réunion. Rod ...

, he successfully raided the island of

. In March 1810 he moved into (38 guns) and transported a larger landing party to Réunion and captured the island. Meanwhile, a force led by Captain

Samuel Pym Admiral Sir Samuel Pym KCB (1778–1855) was a British admiral, brother of Sir William Pym. In June 1788, Pym joined the Royal Navy as captain's servant of the frigate '' Eurydice''. He was promoted to lieutenant of the sloop ''Martin'', unde ...

RN was being out-flanked by French frigates attacking Grand Port, Mauritius. HMS ''Africaine'' was captured by the French frigates ''Iphigénie'' and ''Astrée'' in the engagement. Rowley then re-captured ''Africaine'' the same day. Vice-Admiral Albemarle Bertie arrived on 29 November and took the surrender of Mauritius on 3 December 1810. Rowley was then given command of (74 guns) in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on th ...

. He was created a baronet in December 1813, promoted rear-admiral in 1814 and appointed KCB in 1815. In the summer of 1815, age 50, with his flagship ''Impregnable'' (98 guns), under Lord Exmouth he sailed once more to the Mediterranean. In 1818 he was appointed commander-in-chief on the Cork Station. In 1821 he became MP for Kinsale, County Cork. Promoted to vice-admiral in 1825, he was made commander-in-chief, Mediterranean Fleet in 1833.

Death at home

He died on 10 January 1842, about age 76, in the Mount Campbell family estate at

in County Leitrim. He was buried and commemorated at the nearby Annaduff Parish Church. He was unmarried, without heir to his titles. He was survived by his younger brothers Vice Admiral Samuel Rowley (also commemorated within Annaduff Parish Church) and The Reverend John Rowley, incumbent rector at

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...

in County Cavan. The eldest brother William,

Recorder of Kinsale The recorder of Kinsale was a judicial office-holder in pre-independence Ireland. He was the chief magistrate of the town of Kinsale. Given the population of the town, which has fluctuated between 5000 and 7000 over the years, the need for a full- ...

, had died in 1812.

In literature

The 1809-1810 campaign was used by author Patrick O'Brian as the setting for the fourth in the series of Aubrey–Maturin series books, '' The Mauritius Command''. The fictional Captain Jack Aubrey takes the place of Rowley in the novel.

References

Bibliography

*Josias Rowley's service record and Last Will and Testament are held in the British National Archives * *

External links

* , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Rowley, Josias 1765 births 1842 deaths People from County Armagh People from County Leitrim Irish sailors in the Royal Navy 19th-century Irish people Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars British naval commanders of the Napoleonic Wars High Sheriffs of Suffolk History of Mauritius Irish MPs 1798–1800 Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knights Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa Royal Navy admirals UK MPs 1820–1826 British Mauritius Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Down constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Cork constituencies (1801–1922)