Christopher Lowndes
Christopher Lowndes was a leading merchant in colonial Bladensburg, Prince George's County, Maryland. He was named Commissioner of the town of Bladensburg in 1745, and in 1753 he was appointed one of the justices of Prince George's County, holding both offices until his death in 1785. He was the senior partner in Christopher Lowndes and Company which also included his brother Edward Lowndes, John Hardman and William Whalley.
Biography
Christopher Lowndes was the fifth son of Richard Lowndes of Bostock House in Hassall, Cheshire, England and Margaret. He was baptized at Sandbach on June 19, 1713.As early as 1738, he was living in Prince George's County, Maryland. In 1748, he was the senior partner in the firm of Christopher Lowndes and Company operating both in Maryland and Liverpool, England. Christopher Lowndes was one of the Justices of Prince George's County from 1753 to 1775, and was of the Quorum from 1769. On June 4, 1777, he was commissioned under the new State government as one of the Justices of the county and Judge of the Orphans Court.
He died at Bladensburg on January 8, 1785. He was buried at St. Matthew's Church, Seat Pleasant, Maryland.
Business endeavors
Christopher Lowndes was a leading businessman in Bladensburg, Maryland. Lowndes had arrived in Maryland in the 1730s as a representative for Liverpool merchants Henry and Edward Trafford. He later established Christopher Lowndes and Co. through which he sold dry goods and supplies. In addition, Lowndes owned a shipyard and manufactured rope and cordage for ocean-going vessels. This wealthy local merchant also owned several farms, and numerous tracts of land, and on two occasions, he was an investor in a ship that imported and sold slaves.A leading ship-builder and provider of shipping to and from Maryland and England, Lowndes ships carried a wide assortment of cargo. In May 1752 Lowndes and his brother-in-law, Benjamin Tasker, Jr. were listed in the advertisement in The Maryland Gazette announcing the arrival of the Elijah with its cargo of "healthy slaves" for sale at Severn River.