Saint Croix Courier, St. Stephen, NB
June 7, 1894
GLIMPSES OF THE PAST
Contributions to the History of Charlotte County and the Border Towns.
CXIX – THE CAPE ANN ASSOCIATION-Continued.
John Mowat (or Mowatt, as the name is spelled in the grant) was Lieutenant John Mowat, R. N., a cousin of David Mowat, of the Penobscot Association, and of Captain Henry Mowat, of Penobscot fame, a sketch of whose life was given in a former article.1
The Mowats belonged to an old Scottish family. The name is said to be derived from Monte-Alto, the name of a nobleman who escaped from the wreck of the Spanish Armada and made his home in the north of Scotland.
Lieutenant Mowat entered the service in 1778, on board the Robust, Capt. Hood, in the Channel fleet commanded by Admiral Keppel. He served as a midshipman on the Robust after she was transferred to the North American fleet, in 1781, and later in the Serapis and Diadem, of the Channel fleet. In 1797 he was appointed lieutenant of the Asia, on the North American station; and in 1799 became master and commander of the armed brig Princess Amelia. The latter appointment was made by H. R. H. Edward, Duke of Kent, then stationed at Halifax as commander-in-chief of His Majesty’s forces in British North America. Being recalled to England, Lieut. Mowat served for a year on H. M. S. Bonetta, at the Nore; and was invalided in 1804. On leaving the service, he was presented by the Duke of Kent with several pieces of cabin furniture, which are now in the possession of his grandson, Mr. John Mowat, of Bay Side, St. Croix.
In Admiral Arbuthnot’s action with the French fleet in 1780, Mowat received two wounds, one in the knee and the other near his temple. He was a man of high character and steadfast principle, and as an officer was remarked for skill, courage and decision. While on duty at Halifax, where he remained for two years, he possessed the confidence and approbation of the Duke of Kent and other officers, and the respect of all to whom he was otherwise known. He died at St. Andrews in 1821, at the age of 65.
1Article xcix.