William Rowan
William Rowan,
of
Arabella House,
Arabela townland, Ballymacelligott par, Co.Kerry.
Listed as "counsellor at law" at mar.
He mar 23rd Oct 1799 [Tralee]
to
Letitia Denny
[descendant of
Edward III].
Later lived Tralee.
Provost of Tralee 1807-1811.
They
had issue:
- Arthur Blennerhassett Rowan, born 1800,
of Belmont, Co.Kerry.
Local historian and antiquarian writer.
He
mar 1820 to Alicia Thompson.
Curate of
Blennerville
1824-1854.
Ven. Arthur Blennerhassett Rowan, DD.
Chairman of Tralee Harbour Commission.
He was responsible
for building of Tralee Ship Canal.
Project started 1828,
construction started 1832,
opened 1846.
Listed in [Slater's Directory, 1846]
as of the Rectory, Blennerville.
Author of
"Genealogies of Kerry" 1846.
Author of Lake Lore, or, An Antiquarian Guide to some of the Ruins and Recollections of Killarney, 1853.
Wrote about Tralee in 1854.
Rector of Kilgobbin, Clonfert 1854-1856.
Made a
transcript of "Black Jack's Book" 1855.
Archdeacon of Ardfert, Co.Kerry, 1856 until death 1861.
Author of [Rowan, 1860].
He died 14 Aug 1861, age 61 yrs, bur Ballyseedy churchyard.
See plaque
in Tralee church.
See portrait in
[Co.Kerry Soc. annual report 1938-9].
Alicia died 1876.
They had issue:
- Anne Margaret Rowan, born 1832.
She was a
novelist, historian, and political activist.
See
historical notes in Kerry Evening Post 1897 and 1908.
She died 1913.
- Arabella Rowan, born 1806,
mar Charles George Fairfield and had issue:
- Charles Fairfield, born c.1841,
had issue:
- Rebecca West, born 1892, the writer,
real name Cicely Isabel Fairfield.
References
Sources yet to be consulted
