Come Fly With Us To
The Cowleys of Ardwhallan
The purpose of this website, is to faithfully record the History and Ancestral Heritage from 1698, of my Father; Thomas George Stanley Cowley who passed away November 22 1989. My Father Thomas; was the direct descendant of this well known Manx Family [land holders] and in honour of him, his death was recorded in the – Isle of Man Family Historical Society Journal – Volume xii no 3 Aug 1990 ‘QUOTE‘ Thomas Cowley, loved husband of Alma, brother of Barbara Bloomfield, passed away on the 22nd of November 1989 in Alstonville Australia. The Direct descendant The Cowleys of Ardwhallan. ‘Loved by all’.
It was 1999, I commanded a Four [4] engine 731 – Lockheed L-1329 Jetstar into former RAF Base Ronaldsway. After visiting Patrick Cowley, my cousin, I met the head of Ronaldsway Airport; explained who my father was and presented Dad’s RAAF service credentials and number, along with my RAAF 6 Squadron Air Cadets and International Command and Airshow qualifications. West Baldwin Reservoir was part of our Ardwhallan land, donated to the city in 1901 by my Great Great Grandfather, [Thomas Cowley] for water supply to the Capital Douglas. The head of Ronaldsway Airport, after reviewing my credentials, granted permission for a 500 feet low pass over Ardwhallan and West Baldwin Reservoir, to honour my Father. I shall never forget that day; skimming 500 feet above the Dam and Ardwhallan Farm. At the end of our run, with permission from the tower, I placed the Jetstar into a screaming right hand climbing turn for London. My Co-Pilot this day was Captain Paul Galleon; the finest Captain I have ever flown with; I pointed her nose to the sky and we climbed away. I felt Dad’s presence on the flight deck; Paul just smiled as I said audibly – “This is for you Dad”: – and I was one happy son.
The Cowleys Of Ardwhallan
I spent years discovering Ardwhallan with my Father Thomas and later on the Island with my cousin Patrick Cowley [former Director of] Black Grace Cowley, along with Government bodies in Douglas and others, pursuing the information needed to build this historical website. However my greatest thanks go to my Father’s sister Barbara Bloomfield [Cowley] and her daughter my beloved cousin Dawn Hartney. Without their time spent on the island, carrying out the hard research to add to my own, I could never have completed preparation of this website and its launch for posterity. I pray family members 300 years from now read this – My thanks to you both.
Ardwhallan History
The purpose of this website, is to record for posterity, the History and Ancestral Heritage beginning in 1698, of ‘The Cowley’s of Ardwhallan’. My Father Thomas Cowley was the direct descendant of Thomas Cowley 1698 [family name] and later his son Patrick brought Ardwhallan into our family in 1732 as founder of Ardwhallan Farm. Recorded in Thwaites Historical Journal, acquisition of Ardwhallan placed our family Number 3 in the top 10 largest landholders on the Isle of Man. Successions of Cowley descendants have farmed Ardwhallan since 1732 [including my Great Great Grandfather [also Thomas] albeit a section was donated and acquired by the Government to build Baldwin Dam and Reservoir, when the water supply for Douglas [the Capital] was becoming critical. For full history and photo gallery.
The Cowleys of Thurlby House
Our English Country Estate – Set in the Beautiful Lincolnshire Wolds
Thurlby House set on a beautiful 4 acres in Thurlby, next to the beautiful Lincolnshire Wolds, was acquired by Robert Cowley, son of Thomas Cowley as an English country home for his own family. Robert was secretary of the local hunt and during the tenure of Margaret Thatcher as England’s Prime Minister, Robert was elected the first ever Australian Chairman of the Lincolnshire Conservative Association [fund raising arm] working with the then Member of House of Commons Parliament for Lincolnshire, Sir Peter Tapsell. From our Thurlby House base; Robert with wife Jacqueline, children Natalie, Mark, Danielle, Leisha and Great Dane Ben; had some spectacular times. Thurlby House was our family launch pad to the world. To fully explore ‘Thurlby House.