A three-quarter-length portrait, slightly to the right, showing Rowley in a flag officer’s full dress uniform, 1748–67, wearing a white dress wig and ribbon and star of the Bath. He holds a baton in his right hand; there is a ship in the right background. The portrait was probably painted following Rowley’s rather late appointment as commander-in-chief and admiral of the fleet in 1762. The ship in the background flies short pennants since Rowley never flew his flag afloat.
William Rowley entered the Navy in 1704 as a volunteer in the ‘Orford’ under Captain Sir John Norris, passing his lieutenant’s examination on 15 Spetember 1708. He was posted to the ‘Somerset’ that December and served in her in the Mediterranean until May 1713. In 1716 he was on special service for George I in Paris, which earned him a generous reward. On 26 June that year he was promoted to command the frigate ‘Bideford’ and rose to the rank of post-captain. He was based at Gibraltar for two years in operations against the Salé pirates. In September 1719, Rowley was appointed to the frigate ‘Lively’, spending the next nine years employed in anti-smuggling and anti-piracy duties, principally off the Irish coast, until the ship was paid off in June 1728. The next thirteen years were spent on half pay.
Rowley took command of the ‘Barfleur’, 90 guns, in the Mediterranean. He was promoted rear-admiral of the white on 7 December 1743, hoisting his flag in the ship and commanding the van in the action off Toulon on 11 February 1744. Despite the acrimony surrounding the engagement, Rowley faced no criticism, having shown ‘the greatest vigour and resolution’. He was advanced to vice-admiral of the blue on 19 June 1744, becoming commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean that August. His time in command was fairly brief: Rowley was order home in July 1745 to take part in the court martial of Captain Norris (the son of his earlier patron) for cowardice at Toulon. He saw no further service at sea, but rose through the admiral’s list to become admiral of the fleet in 1762.