Hon. William Rowe

Hon. William Rowe younger son of William Rowe of Great Torrington (q.v.). Born in Jamaica and matriculated at Oriel College, Oxford aged 16, after which he became an attorney in Jamaica, where he looked after his brother's estates. Described as Hon Wm. Rowe, President of the Council by Sturge & Harvey, and as a former owner of Sheckles Pasture and another estate in Manchester; awarded the compensation in several claims in Jamaica in a variety of capacities. Married in 1811 Catherine Johnson, nee Williams, a widow formerly married to William Ricketts Johnson of Jacob’s Hope, Westmoreland parish (son of Jacob Johnson of Springfield in Westmoreland by his 2nd wife Mary Poole). It appears that Catherine Williams had a daughter from her first marriage, Elizabeth Johnson. William and Catherine had a son, William Rowe, who became an archdeacon in Britain and a daughter Cordelia Rowe. Elizabeth Johnson married William Rowe's cousin Rev James John Rowe (1795-1884). Hon. William Rowe also appears to have had two illegitimate sons of mixed race, with Susanna Gauntlett 'a free Quadroon': James Rowe (b.1802) and Charles Rowe (b.1803).

Appears in Jamaica Almanac in 1812 as proprietor of Torrington etc in St Elizabeth parish Jamaica, which property was likely named after his family’s place of origin in England. In 1816 William Rowe was proprietor of the estates of Torrington, Belle-Vue, and Fuller’s Wood Park (all St Elizabeth parish), with a total of 480 enslaved and 275 stock. By 1818 the Jamaica Almanac entries refer to him as Hon. William Rowe, in which year he was proprietor of Torrington with 228 enslaved and 50 stock, Belle-Vue with 170 enslaved and no stock, and Fuller’s Wood Park with 34 enslaved and 63 stock. The Hon. William Rowe continues to appear as proprietor of these properties in 1821, 1825, 1830, 1837 & 1840. The Almanacs also list him as having properties in the adjoining parish of Manchester, and in 1824 as proprietor of Epping Forest with 32 enslaved, and Wellington with 92 enslaved, and in 1828 as proprietor of Old England with 105 enslaved and Wellington with 68 enslaved, and finally in 1840 with the properties in Manchester parish of Belle Retiro with 306 acres, Old England with 203 acres, Little Hampton with 552 acres, Wellington with 400 acres, and Epping Forest with 303 acres. It appears that his wife also owned land, being named in the Almanac as the proprietor of Finlayson's Run, St Elizabeth (of 673 acres).

William Rowe of St Elizabeth was identified as the brother of James Rowe of Redland in the latter's will, which was proved 29/11/1821.

Much of this material comes from the extensive research carried out by Peter Murray and generously shared with the LBS project. It offers a detailed family history based upon wide ranging archival research; Joseph Sturge & Thomas Harvey, The West Indies in 1837 p. xliii; Ancestry.com, Oxford University Alumni, 1500-1886 [database online]

We are grateful to Peter Murray for his assistance in compiling this entry.