Thomas Rowley (runholder)
| Thomas Rowley | |
|---|---|
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Ellesmere |
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In office 25 January 1861 – 25 April 1862 |
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| Preceded by | New constituency |
| Succeeded by | James FitzGerald |
| Personal details | |
| Born | England |
| Died | 1903 Southwold, Suffolk |
| Political party | None |
| Spouse(s) | Emily Rowley (née Mathias) |
| Relations | Thomas Rowley (father) |
Thomas Rowley (died 1903) was an early settler in Canterbury, New Zealand. His father was a member of the Canterbury Association and Dean-designate for ChristChurch Cathedral, but never came to the colony. Thomas Rowley and one brother emigrated, and he became a significant . He later started acting as an agent for absentee landowners. He briefly served as a Member of Parliament for one of the rural Canterbury electorates. Rowley was active in church matters and married a daughter of Octavius Mathias, the first vicar of the Church of St Michael and All Angels. After 11 years in New Zealand, he returned to live in England.
Rowley was the eldest son of Thomas Rowley (1797–1877), a headmaster of Bridgnorth Grammar School.
Rowley senior joined the Canterbury Association on 10 April 1851 as a committee member. He purchased land from the association in Canterbury, New Zealand. Rowley junior bought land at Barrys Bay at the head of Akaroa Harbour; rural section (RS) 63 (it is believed, though, that Rowley senior paid for this). Rowley senior bought RS 85 west of Christchurch in the Riccarton area, from which the suburb of Middleton developed. Rowley senior was chosen as the Dean-designate for the yet to be built ChristChurch Cathedral, but he never came out to the colony. His appointment upset Bishop Selwyn, and the proposed cathedral chapter was dropped again until the cathedral was built.
Thomas Rowley arrived in Lyttelton on 2 February 1853 on board the Minerva. His younger brother John Cotton Rowley (d. 1886 aged 46) also came to Canterbury, but at a different time. In about 1855, he had a homestead built on RS 85 in Riccarton that he called Middleton. Rowley sold the land and the homestead to Charles Bowen. The homestead is today the library of primary pupils of Middleton Grange School.
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