William Rowley (Royal Navy officer)

Sir William Rowley
Sir William Rowley
Born	1690
Died	1 January 1768 (aged 77–78)
Buried at	St Mary's Church, Stoke-by-Nayland
Allegiance	Kingdom of Great Britain
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1704–1768
Rank	Admiral of the Fleet
Commands held	HMS Bideford HMS Lively HMS Barfleur
Battles/wars	War of the Austrian Succession
Awards	Knight of the Order of the Bath

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

Rowley later became a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty on the Admiralty board. He was a Member of Parliament for Taunton and then for Portsmouth.

Born the second son of William Rowley and his wife, Elizabeth Rowley (née Dawson), Rowley joined the Royal Navy as a volunteer in 1704. He was assigned to the third-rate HMS Orford, commanded by Captain John Norris, and saw action in the Mediterranean during the War of the Spanish Succession. Having passed his exams for lieutenant 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 in early 1716, he was promoted to captain on 26 June 1716 and given command of HMS Bideford at Gibraltar and was involved in naval action against pirates. He transferred to the command of the sixth-rate HMS Lively in the Irish Sea in September 1719 and then went on half-pay in June 1728.