If you’ve been to Ventnor Cemetery in the last couple of weeks you might have noticed a new giant hunk of stone near the entrance.
This didn’t land there during Storm Eunice, but instead, was carefully installed as part of a local history project spearheaded by resident, Jill Wearing, with support by Ventnor Town Councillor, Mark Jefferies, and Isle of Wight Councillor, Rodney Downer.
Captain Francis William Lowther
Jill had been doing some detective work about Captain Francis William Lowther, the landowner of most of Lowtherville (Upper Ventnor) in the late 1800s.
She discovered that Capt Lowther was the illegitimate son of the second Earl of Lonsdale and in 2014 Jill contacted the Lonsdale Estate in Cumbria kindly asking whether they would donate a piece of stone from their quarry to commemorate Capt Lowther.
It was all coming together
The Estate knew the history of Capt Lowther’s connection to the area so agreed to find a piece of stone for free.
Jill was then able to convince local removal firm, Page the Packers, to get involved and they offered to bring the 1.3 ton piece of stone back with them after a job in Cumbria.
Where would it go?
The next hurdle was finding a location.
Cllr Jefferies explains,
“The first spot Jill tried was the grass verge opposite The Old Cut. However Isle of Wight Council refused this for planning reasons.
“When Cllr Rodney Downer was elected as Isle of Wight councillor for the ward and myself to Ventnor Town Council, we both met with Jill to discuss where the stone could be placed.
“We had just set up Friends of Ventnor Cemetery so this seemed the ideal location which is where it now stands.”
Well done to all involved, especially Jill for her perseverance.
History of Francis Lowther
Our thanks to Paul Frecker for granting permission for us to show readers this portrait photo of Francis Lowther taken on 11th June 1862.
Paul’s Website holds more information about Capt Lowther’s life, with details including he fact that he was born in Italy in 1841 as the son of the Italian opera singer, Emilia Cresotti.
His father, William Lowther, later the 2nd Earl of Lonsdale, was reported to have sired several illegitimate children “with a succession of French and Italian opera singers and ballerinas during his early career as a diplomat”.
Francis first visited the Isle of Wight in 1868 for several weeks following his marriage to the “renowned beauty Louise Beatrice de Fonblanque, third daughter of Albany de Fonblanque”.
Paul Frecker reports that according to the 1871 census, Capt Lowther was recorded as living on the Island at Pitts Cottage, Binstead, with his wife and first two children, one of whom became an amateur actress, the other a Conservative politician.
Ten years later they were back in London.
You can read lots more about Capt Lowther on Paul Frecker’s Website.
