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All present Rowings/Rowing Parkers at present living in the UK whose ancestry has been investigated as well as the few Rowings from abroad who have contacted me belong to one or the other of these lines. There has been some difficulty in ascertaining the exact relationship between the two and indeed still is. The similarities between choices of names by the old families seemed to indicate that such a relationship existed. It was the downloading of the old will of Ann Maria Rowing (d. 1817) that threw real light on the matter. The document itself is not well composed. It is badly written (by hand of course), was totally devoid of punctuation, paragraphs and capital letters had been scattered throughout it just like confetti. It took in fact several hours to near complete its transcription which is reproduced below. The original lack of punctuation, use of capitals and spacing has been retained so as to preserve its ambiance to some extent. This is the Last Will and testament of me Ann Maria Rowing of Kings Lynn in the County of Norfolk Spinster made this first day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventeen. First I nominate and appoint Thomas Miller Bookseller and Robert Cirat Simon Draper both of Kings Lynn aforesaid to be Executors of this my Will and Trustors for the purposes hereinafter mentioned and I give and bequeath to the said Thomas Miller and Robert Cirat the sum of thirty pounds a piece [that has] been discharged of signiory Duty which [first and foremost is] to be paid out of my Personal Estate for the trouble which they may have in the execution of this my Will and the trusts [administration] Also I give and bequeath all my wearing apparel and [? ?] of every description to my niece Elizabeth the Wife of Daniel Watson of Deptford in the County of Kent Ship Carpenter for her own use and benefit And I give deed from all my household furniture Monies and Securities [? ?] Money and all my Personal Estate and Effects whatsoever and wheresover not in being before disposal of and whereof I may be possessed or entitled to at the time of my decease unto the said Thomas Miller and Robert Cirat the Executors and Administrators upon Trust and rent and interest and that they the said Thomas Miller and Robert Cirat or the Survivor of them so said shall as soon as conveniently may be after my decease sell and absolutely dispose of such part and parts of my said personal estate and effects as shall not consist of Money and so and shall stand possessed of the monies arising Sale and all other all other Monies that shall come into their hands under the Trusts hereinafter mentioned (that is to say) upon Trust after paying there out my just debts and funeral expenses dues the charges attributing the proving of or to otherwise jurisdiction of this my will and the Trusts [? ?] of so [? ?] possessed of one Third part of the residue of such Monies and Effects for my Nephew Stephen Rowing of Wendling in the said County of Norfolk farmer his executors or administrators and as to one other thirds part of the said Residues upon Trust to lay out and invest upon Real or Government Security with power to alter vary and transpose the Security or Securities upon whether the same shall be invested when and as offends my said Trustsees or the Trustors or Trustor of this my will for the time being shall think proper And it is my will and I declare that such [? ?] and Securities and Dividends and the proceeds thereof shall be held by my said Trustors or Trustor Upon the Trusts following that is to say upon Trust to pay the very same Dividends Interst and annual proceeds to my Nephew Archibald Rowing of Gressenhall in the said County of Norfolk farmer and his [is!] assigned for the Term of his life and after his decease upon Trust to pay the same Interest Dividends and proceeds to his wife the said Sarah Rowing not subject to the Tontional Debts or Engagements of any future husband with whom she may into marry but I declare that her [? ?] shall [? ?] notwithstanding Covertures be at all times good discharges of the same And from deed after the decease of the Survivor of them the said Archibald Rowing and Sarah his Wife I declare that the same Trust Monies Securities Interest Dividends and Proceeds shall be laid out by my said Trustors or Trustor upon Trust for all and every and such one or wives of the Children of Archibald Rowing and his present Wife as shall be living at the decease of such Survivor as aforesaid and who should howsoever attained or shall afterwards live to attain the Age of twenty one Years but in case there shall be no Child or Children of the said Archibald Rowing living at the decease of the survivor of them the Aforesaid Archibald Rowing and Sarah his Wife or if living no such Child or Children shall live to attain the said age of twenty one Years then I declare that the same Monies Securities interest and Proceeds shall be held upon Trust for the Person or Persons who shall at the decease of such Survivor without leaving a Child or Children as aforesaid or at the decease of such last surviving child as aforesaid and of my next of kin in Blood in a due process of Administration as if I had then died Intestate and unmarried And as to the remaining or other third of the said Residuary Estate and Effects it is my Will and I declare that the same shall be held by the said Thomas Miller and Robert Curiat and that the Trustors or Trustor for the time being upon Trust as to one equal part [? ?] or half part thereof for my said niece Elizabeth Watson her Executors or Administrators and as to the remaining [? ?] part thereof upon Trust for all and every and such of the Children of the said Elizabeth Watson as shall be living at the time of my decease to be equally divided between them Share and Share alike as Tenants in Common and not as joint Tenants with full power for my said Testors to lay out and invest the Shares of the said Children on Real or Government Security or otherwise dispose of the same Shares Principal as well as Interest at their or his discretion for the benefit education maintenance and support of the same Children respectively during their respective Minorities provided always and I hereby authorise and empower my said Trustors or Trustor to apply any of the Dividends Interest and Proceeds arising from the respective shares of all or any of the said minor Children of the said Archibald Rowing at the discretion of my said Trustors or Trustor for their benefit and advantage during their respective Minorities notwithstanding the routinary of becoming entitled to no part of the Principal of such shares in case of their dying under Age as aforesaid Provided also and I hereby further declare that upon the death incapacity resignation or refusal of any of the Trustors hereby appointed or of any future Trustors or Trustor it shall be lawful for the acting or routinary Trustors or Trustor by any Writing attested by two or over Witnesses to appoint any other person or persons ot act in the execution of the Trusts aforesaid and upon every such new appointment to make and effect all proper and necessary Assignments and [? ?] in the Law for [testing?] the said Trust Estate and Promises in such newly appointed Trustors or Trustor respectively with the acting or routinary Trustors or Trustor or otherwise as the case may be And I also declare that no one or more of the same Trustors or Trustor shall be answerable or accountable for the Acts Deeds and Defaults of the others or other of them but rather for his own Acts Deeds and Defaults only And that the Trustors or Trustor for the time being shall retain all Monies to which the may pay or expend in execution of the Trusts aforesaid And I also declare that the Receipts of any acting or routinary Trustors or Trustor for the time being shall be good discharge for all persons accepting the benefits. And lastly I revoke all former Wills by me made and declare this only to be my last In Witness thereof I the said Ann Maria Rowing the Testrix have to this last Will and Testament written and contained on three sheets of paper to the two first Sheets thereof set my hand and to this third and last Sheet thereof set my hand and affixed my seal thereto day and year first within written /-/ the Mark of X Ann Marie Rowing /-/ Signed sealed published and delivered by the said Ann Maria Rowing the Testrix in our presence who at her request in her presence and in the presence of each other have subscribed our Names as Witnesses thereto /-/ W E Holloway /-/ Harvey Goodwin /-/ Proved at London 10th July 1817 before the Lord Godby the Oaths of Thomas Miller and Robert Cirat the Executors to whom Administration was granted having been first sworn by Canon to administer Summary The administration fees amounted to £30 each for each the two executors. £60 in 1817 would be the equivalent of nearly £3000 today. Personal effects were left to Elizabeth Watson of Deptford. The executors were to liquidate all of the residual estate into cash. The residue (that remaining after the deduction of debts, funeral expenses and administrator's expenses) was divided into three parts. One part was to be paid to Stephen Rowing of Wendling. A second part was to held in trust and invested and the proceeds there from were to be paid as an annuity for the rest of his life to Archibald Rowing of Gressenhall. If she survived Archibald, the same was then to be paid to his wife Sarah for the rest of her life. However, no future husband of Sarah had any claim on the money (in those days a wife's assets became her husband's upon marriage). Upon the death of the survivor of Archibald and Sarah, the trust was to be divided equally between their children each child receiving his/her share when they reached their majority (21 in those days). In the meantime proceeds from the trust could be used to maintain and educate the children. The third part was to be subdivided into two. One such division (1/6th of the total) was bequeathed to Elizabeth Watson. The other half was to be held in trust for equal distribution to Elizabeth's children as they attained their majority on similar terms to the provision for Archibald's children. The value of the document to us is that they go a long way towards establishment of the relationship between Archibald, Elizabeth and Stephen. Ann as clearly the aunt of all of them. In other words, she was the sister of their father(s). We know definitely that the father of Archibald and Elizabeth was Stephen (b. 1742) We have not yet established who Stephen's (1772-1821) father was. It's quite possible of course that the elder Stephen was also the father of the younger Stephen but there is another possibility in some ways more probable. That is that young Stephen was the son of John Rowing and wife Mary who lived in Morley St. Botolph during the 1760's. If this were the case then this John would have been the son (1744-1813) of Jonathan/Jon Rowing and Mary Andrews. We know that this couple had a son baptised Stephen in 1764. The Stephen in question however, would appear to have been buried in Shipdham in 1821 when aged 48 (according to parish records) and this would indicate that he was about 8 years younger than John's child. Whatever the case one thing is certain. We are all descended from Jonathan/Jon Rowing and Mary Andrews. |
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