Rowland, Robert

Singer

Collection date: Apr 1908

Area: Sussex

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Robert Rowland at Shipley: age 64, 6 songs (FT1673ff) on 22 April 1908: Sharp wrote ‘Rowlands’ but all records showed ‘Rowland’:

Robert Rowland was baptised on 23/9/1844 at Horsham, son of Benjamin Rowland, bricklayer, and his wife Mary (née Stenning). Benjamin died in January 1846, aged 50, and Mary was remarried to Noah Tourle, agricultural labourer, on 27/9/1847. They had 3 children, so Robert grew up with 2 half-brothers and one half-sister.

Robert married Mary Thorns in October qr 1867 (Horsham 2b 540) and they had 12 children. Mary was from West Grinstead and the couple lived there initially (1871 and 1881) but moved to Hampshires Farm at Shipley by 1891. Robert was an agricultural labourer at first on the farm but seems to have taken it over himself (1901 and 1911 censuses list him as ‘farmer’). Robert died 20/9/1927 aged 83.