The Reverend Thomas James Rowsell (13 April 1816 – 23 January 1894) was a popular

High Church The term ''high church'' refers to beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, liturgy, and theology that emphasize formality and resistance to modernisation. Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term originate ...

Anglican preacher of

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who was made Honorary chaplain to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

Early life

Thomas was the youngest son and one of 15 children of the lawyer Samuel Rowsell of

Tulse Hill Tulse Hill is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in South London that sits on Brockwell Park. It is approximately five miles from Charing Cross and is bordered by Brixton, Dulwich, Herne Hill, Streatham and West Norwood. History The ar ...

in London. He was baptised in St Mary’s church,

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...

on 24 September 1816 and grew up in South London. His eldest sister Sarah married the famous architect Sir

Charles Barry Sir Charles Barry (23 May 1795 – 12 May 1860) was a British architect, best known for his role in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster (also known as the Houses of Parliament) in London during the mid-19th century, but also responsi ...

in 1822 when Thomas was six years old. Thomas’ older brother Evan Edward Rowsell was also a priest, and was curate-in-charge of the parish of

Brinkley, Cambridgeshire Brinkley is a small village in Cambridgeshire, England. It is situated about 15 miles east of Cambridge and 5 miles south of Newmarket, the horse racing centre. It features a pub, The Brinkley Lion, but its post office closed down in the 1990s. ...

before he was made rector of

Hambledon, Surrey Hambledon is a rural scattered village in the Waverley borough of Surrey, situated south of Guildford. It is dominated by a buffer zone of fields and woodland, mostly south of the Greensand Ridge escarpment between Witley and Chiddingfold, havi ...

about 1859.

Career

Having graduated with a BA from

St John’s College, Cambridge St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corporation established by a charter dated 9 April 1511. The ...

in 1838, Rowsell went on to get an MA in 1843. He was appointed domestic chaplain to the

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and was also a vicar at the Church of St Peter, Cephas Street, Stepney (now converted to flats) from 1844 to 1860. After this he was rector of St Margaret’s, Lothbury from 1860 to 1872, then Vicar, St Stephen’s, Westbourne Park, 1872–83. He was a select preacher at Cambridge from 1859 to 1862. He was appointed honorary chaplain to the Queen in 1866 and chaplain in ordinary from 1869 until his death as well as deputy

clerk of the Closet The College of Chaplains of the Ecclesiastical Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom is under the Clerk of the Closet, an office dating from 1437. It is normally held by a diocesan bishop, who may, however, remain in office after leavi ...

from 1879 to death. Finally he was made Canon of Westminster (part of the

Dean and Chapter of Westminster The Dean and Chapter of Westminster are the ecclesiastical governing body of Westminster Abbey, a collegiate church of the Church of England and royal peculiar in Westminster, Greater London. They consist of the dean and several canons meeting in ...

) from 1880 to death. In 1882 Canon Rowsell was at

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's funeral at

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The Queen's Favour

The Queen wrote to Prime Minister

Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a central role in the creation o ...

, who had favoured Low Church preachers for church appointments, on 18 September 1868, telling him that “any Ultra-Protestant Appt. or at least any Extreme Evangelical one – will only alienate the other party & not please the really moderate men…” The Queen sanctioned Mr. Rowsell, among others, describing him as “a very fine preacher & an admirable parish priest.” Disraeli objected to the Queen’s suggestions on the grounds that none of them had attended the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

, Rowsell had been to Cambridge.Benjamin Disraeli Letters: 1868, Vol. X p.337 edited by Michel Pharand, Ellen L. Hawman, Mary S. Millar, Sandra den Otter, M.G. Wiebe The Queen likely favoured Rowsell because he was a High Church Anglican and had been her honorary chaplain for the past two years. Thomas James Rowsell’s funeral service was held at Westminster Abbey on 27 January 1894.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rowsell, Thomas James 1816 births 1894 deaths 19th-century English Anglican priests Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Clerks of the Closet Honorary Chaplains to the King Canons of Westminster