Thomas ROWLANDSON senior is the most likely father for Thomas ROWLANDSON junior, father to Mary ROWLANDSON born 1782 who went on the marry Thomas MACHELL of Grayrigg.
There are several baptismal records for a Thomas ROWLANDSON junior in Kendal: 28 Mar 1736, Kendal by James and Margaret, 5 Apr 1741, Kendal by Thomas and 16 Mar 1745 in Kendal Parish by Thomas and Jane.
The latter of these parents, Thomas and Jane ROWLANDSON appear to be the best fit. They owned various pieces of leasehold property in Grayrigg including: Greyrigg Head otherwise known as Neverhouse Close, Dobshole (later called Dobs Hall), Coatawaiste (later called Coat o'West), New Close, Inn Moore, Middle Dale and the Little Butt. His son Thomas was born in Whinfell, just 2.5 miles from Greyrigg Head.
Thomas senior was buried on 1 Jul 1774. In his will he arranged for his property to be sold to fund various bequests. His eldest son William ROWLANDSON got the farms properties around Coatawaiste out of which he was to pay his brother Thomas and his three sisters, Agnes, Mary and Ann, £100 each. In the will it was explained that William was Thomas' 'natural' son with his now wife Jane. Thomas was adamant that William should not be disadvantaged by the circumstances of his birth.
Aside from William, Thomas, Agnes, Mary and Ann, there was another daughter, Jane, who died aged just 6 years old, and possibly another daughter, Dinah, baptised in 1754 by a Thomas and Jane ROWLANDSON, but for whom no burial record has been found.
Possible christening records for Thomas senior include:
- 1703 in Kendal Parish by Thomas ROWLANDSON, is probably too early unless there was an earlier childless marriage; furthermore, he would have been 35 when the 17 year old Jane became pregnant
- 1715 in Kendal Parish by Richard ROWLANDSON, Richard was used as a name by Thomas junior
- 1715 in Kendal Parish by Michael ROWLANDSON, but Michael is not a family name
The use of Richard in later generations - and its relative rarity - suggest that Richard was the most likely of Thomas' possible fathers. If so then Thomas' mother may be Agnes TARNE who married Richard on 1 May 1703 in Kendal, which would explain the use of Agnes as a name of Thomas and Jane's eldest daughter.