SIR WILLIAM ROWLEY
Sir William Rowley was son of William Rowley of Whitehall, a court official under King William III. Sir William entered the navy as a volunteer in 1704, and was promoted to Lieutenant in 1708, serving mostly in the Mediterranean in that position. He was engaged by King George I to make a trip to Paris in 1716; his work there on behalf of the King may have pertained to the triple alliance the king sought to establish with France and the United Provinces. Rowley was duly rewarded for this engagement with his appointment to command of H.M.S. Bideford. Shortly thereafter, he was made Captain.

In the following years, Rowley's work in the navy involved the policing of piracy along the coast of Ireland. In 1743, Rowley was appointed to Rear-Admiral of the White. After a conflict off Toulon in 1744, Rowley was praised for his bravery, while other, more senior officers were called into question for cowardice. In 1745, Rowley was recalled from his post at sea and questioned for his defense of a former commander, Captain Norris, who had faced charges of cowardice. Thus implicated on shore, Rowley's time at sea ended in 1745, and he embarked on a period of notable civic involvement.

Rowley presided in the House of Commons as M.P. for Taunton from 1750 until 1754, when he sat as M.P. for and Portsmouth until 1761. He was appointed as one of the Lords of the Admiralty in 1751, and made Commander-in-Chief and Admiral of the Fleet in 1762. Also during this time, he was made Justice of the Peace on his estate in Suffolk, where he was especially involved. He was made Knight of the Order of the Bath in 1753. He had four sons and a daughter, including Sir Joshua Rowley (1730-1790), 1st Bt., also a distinguished British naval officer and who magnificent epergne was sold Christie's, London, 14 November 2018, lot 547.