Charles Thomas Rowcroft

Charles Thomas Rowcroft was the first British diplomatic representative in Peru. He arrived in Lima as Consul General in 1825, accompanied by his daughter, Ellen. His son and writer Charles Rowcroft stayed in the UK. At this time Lima was temporarily in the power of the royalists. Conditions in the city were awful.

However, shortly after Rowcroft's arrival Simón Bolívar returned to Lima from the interior and the Spanish retreated to Castle of Real Felipe. Rowcroft decided to visit a friend in Callao and arranged for a safe pass through the royalist lines. On the return from his visit he handed in his safe pass but, as his coach left the outpost, it was struck by a hail of bullets. Rowcroft was killed and his daughter disappeared.

It is not known for sure whether it was the "royalists" or the "patriots" who were responsible but it is said that the royalist officer who gave him the safe pass had, unknown to Rowcroft, written a death sentence on it. What happened to his daughter is unknown.

At Markham College, the only house not named after a military figure is Rowcroft.

References

• J. C. Horner, Cecil Hadgraft (1967), Rowcroft, Charles (1798–1856), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol. 2, Melbourne University Press, 1967, p. 402
• The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser, Thursday 1 September 1825, p. 3
• The Gentleman's Magazine, Vol. 95, Part 1, p. 645

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Name	Rowcroft, Thomas
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