Robert Lowther (13 December 1681 – September 1745) was an
English landowner, holding the estate of
Maulds Meaburn, and colonial governor. He was the eldest son of
Richard Lowther and Barbara Prickett. He owned the Christchurch Plantation, a
slave plantation
A slave plantation is an agricultural farm that uses enslaved people for labour. The practice was abolished in most places during the 19th century.
Slavery
Planters embraced the use of slaves mainly because indentured labor became expensive ...
in
Barbados
Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...
.
From 1711 to 1714 and 1715 to 1720, he served as
Governor of Barbados. The Privy Council met in Whitehall to hear several complaints against Lowther on 4, 5, 12, 18 and 25 October 1720. At their meeting on the 25th the Council ordered a warrant to be issued for Lowther's arrest for 'Crimes and Misdemeanours Committed by him in the said Island, which were fully proved before Their Excellencies in the council, and several other Complaints having been made to this Board against him, Their Excellencies Judged it incumbent on them to take care that Crimes so Heinous should not Escape the punishment due to them by Law'.
[''Barbados''. Privy Council Register, Volume 3, 1720 (Reference: PC 2/97). pp.22-24.]
On 22 June 1731, he married his cousin Katherine Pennington, daughter of
Sir Joseph Pennington, 2nd Baronet. They had five children:
*
James Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale (1736–1802)
*Margaret Lowther (1728 – 10 September 1800), married on 19 March 1757
Henry Vane, 2nd Earl of Darlington
*Katherine Lowther (d. 21 March 1809), married on 8 April 1765
Harry Powlett, 6th Duke of Bolton
*
Robert Lowther (1741–1777)
*Barbara Lowther, died unmarried
References
Lowther pedigree 2*
1681 births
1745 deaths
English landowners
English slave owners
English MPs 1705–1707
Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies
British MPs 1707–1708
Governors of Barbados
Robert
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...
{{England-GreatBritain-MP-stub