Charles Rowley (cricketer)

He was born in Marylebone, the son of Sir Charles Robert Rowley, 4th Baronet, and was educated at Harrow School.^[1][2]

Rowley joined the Grenadier Guards as an ensign in 1869, rising to become captain and lieutenant-colonel in 1879.^[3] (The double-rank system, an anachronism after the abolition of the purchase of commissions, was still used in the Guards.)^[4] He took part in the Mahdist War as part of the Guards Camel Regiment, leading the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.^[5] During the Nile Expedition, Lord Wolseley encountered Rowley as he returned to Dongola, and was not impressed: "struck me as of little use—I believe he plays cricket well."^[6]

Rowley died in Kensington.^[2]

As a cricketer, Rowley was active 1870–1879: he played for Middlesex and Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). ^[2]