Admiral of the Fleet An admiral of the fleet or shortened to fleet admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to field marshal and marshal of the air force. An admiral of the fleet is typically senior to an admiral. It is also a generic ter ...

Sir William Rowley KB (c. 1690 – 1 January 1768) was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

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 Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...

. He went on to be Commander-in-Chief of the

Mediterranean Fleet The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between ...

in August 1744 and successfully kept the Spanish and French fleets out of the Mediterranean area but was relieved of his command following criticism of his decision as presiding officer at a

court-martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the arme ...

. Rowley later became a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty on the

Board of Admiralty The Board of Admiralty (1628–1964) was established in 1628 when Charles I put the office of Lord High Admiral into commission. As that position was not always occupied, the purpose was to enable management of the day-to-day operational requi ...

. He was a Member of Parliament for

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England. It is a market town and has a Minster (church), minster church. Its population in 2011 was 64,621. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century priory, monastic foundation, owned by the ...

and then for

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

Early career

Born the second son of William Rowley and his wife, Elizabeth Rowley (née Baldwin), Rowley joined the

as a volunteer in 1704. He was assigned to the

third-rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks (thus the related term two-decker). Rating When the rating system was f ...

HMS ''Orford'', commanded by Captain John Norris, and saw action 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 east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

during the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...

.Heathcote, p. 222 Having passed his exams for

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

on 15 September 1708, he transferred to the third-rate HMS ''Somerset'' in December 1708. After carrying out diplomatic duties for King George I in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in early 1716, he was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

on 26 June 1716 and given command of HMS ''Bideford'' at

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

and was involved in naval action against

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

s. He transferred to the command of the

sixth-rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a sixth-rate was the designation for small warships mounting between 20 and 28 carriage-mounted guns on a single deck, sometimes with smaller guns on the upper works an ...

HMS ''Lively'' in the

Irish Sea The Irish Sea is a body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel and to the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the north by the North Ch ...

in September 1719 and then went on

half-pay Half-pay (h.p.) was a term used in the British Army and Royal Navy of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries to refer to the pay or allowance an officer received when in retirement or not in actual service. Past usage United Kingdom In the E ...

in June 1728.

Senior command

Rowley was recalled and appointed to command

second-rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a second-rate was a ship of the line which by the start of the 18th century mounted 90 to 98 guns on three gun decks; earlier 17th-century second rates had fewer guns ...

HMS ''Barfleur'' in 1741. Promoted to

rear-admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

on 7 December 1743, he hoisted his flag in HMS ''Barfleur'' and distinguished himself by his determination as commander of the vanguard at the Battle of Toulon in February 1744 during the

. Promoted to

vice-admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of vic ...

on 23 June 1744, he became Commander-in-Chief of the

in August 1744 and successfully kept the Spanish and French fleets out of the Mediterranean area. Rowley was asked to preside over a

of Captain Richard Norris (son of Admiral Sir John Norris) on the second-rate HMS ''Torbay'' in relation to Norris's conduct at the Battle of Toulon. Rowley found the court incompetent to try the case and Norris escaped censure. Rowley was suspected of showing favour to the son of an old colleague and relieved of his command in May 1745. Front Door of Tendring Hall

Promoted to full

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

on 15 July 1747, Rowley became Rear-Admiral of Great Britain on 4 July 1749. He entered Parliament as Whig member for

in 1750.Heathcote, p. 223 He also bought Tendring Hall in

Stoke-by-Nayland Stoke-by-Nayland is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Babergh District, Babergh district, in the county of Suffolk, England, close to the border with Essex. The parish includes the village of Withermarsh Green and th ...

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

in 1750: the house was subsequently rebuilt to a design by

Sir John Soane Sir John Soane (; né Soan; 10 September 1753 – 20 January 1837) was an English architect who specialised in the Neo-Classical style. The son of a bricklayer, he rose to the top of his profession, becoming professor of architecture at the Ro ...

and remained in the Rowley family until it was demolished in 1955. Rowley joined the

led by

Lord Anson Admiral of the Fleet George Anson, 1st Baron Anson, PC, FRS (23 April 1697 – 6 June 1762) was a Royal Navy officer and politician from the Anson family. He served as a junior officer during the War of the Spanish Succession and then saw ac ...

as Senior Naval LordRodger, pp. 51–52 in June 1751. He was appointed a

Knight Companion of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

on 12 December 1753 and was elected as Member of Parliament for

in May 1754. When the First Newcastle Ministry fell in November 1756 he left office but then returned, briefly, as Senior Naval Lord again, during the caretaker ministry which lasted from April to July 1757. Promoted to

on 17 December 1762, Rowley died on 1 January 1768 and is presumed to have been buried at St Mary's Church in Stoke-by-Nayland in Suffolk. Rowley memorial

Family

William Rowley married Arabella Dawson and had five children: four sons and one daughter. Several of his descendants reached high positions in the Navy including his son Vice Admiral Sir Joshua Rowley, his grandson Admiral Sir Josias Rowley, his grandson Admiral Sir Charles Rowley and his grandson Admiral of the Fleet

Sir George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the Beatle ...

References

Sources

* * , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Rowley William 1768 deaths 1690s births Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1747–1754 British MPs 1754–1761 Royal Navy admirals of the fleet Royal Navy personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession People from Stoke-by-Nayland Lords of the Admiralty Burials in Suffolk