Born in 1912, Rowland was the son of a Lincolnshire farmer. He attended Louth Grammar School before gaining a scholarship which enabled him to go to Nottingham University where he read French and modern languages. He then trained as a teacher. He was a keen cross-country runner, walker and cyclist, as well as being a talented artist. In 1935, he got a job teaching French at the Central School – which later became the Boys Grammar School – in Cambridge, where he stayed for 37 years until he retired in 1972.
In 1940 he joined the Royal Artillery and spent his war years as he used to say ‘following round in the wake of the action’. He went to North Africa, Italy, Egypt, Syria and Palestine. During this time not only did he make some life-long friends, develop an interest in history and archaeology, learn how to strip a lorry engine, but he also started writing a journal.
After the war, in 1946 his search for a house brought him to Foxton, where he bought Cottage on the Green. History and archaeology gradually became passions that changed his life. He was an expert gardener and grower, and was instrumental insetting up the Foxton Gardens Association. He was also a keen Youth Hosteller and Rambler and was involved in securing Houghton Mill as a Youth Hostel.
When he started to research the history of The Cottage, he unearthed the history of Foxton at the same time. It took 13 years of research to achieve this. After writing his book ‘Cottage on the Green’ and publishing it himself, he wrote ‘The Common Stream’, followed by ‘Men of Dunwich’, ‘On the Road – the Papworth Story’ and ‘Town and Gown’. He also wrote several pamphlets including one on the ‘Cartruts and Temples of Malta and Gozo.’
Although he could appear quite stern and serious, he was actually good fun and loved talking to people. He was a keen chess player, and loved to do crosswords. Once he retired he began to go into local schools with some of the artefacts he had found to give talks ‘on real history’ to the children, and he also gave guided tours to groups walking round Foxton. He enjoyed holidays in France, home produced food, good wine, smoking his pipe, and a glass of whiskey in the evening before going to bed. He died in 1989