 Bowes was born in York and was christened in St. Cuthbert's, York, where many of his family were also buried.In the sixteenth century there was a move to reduce the number of parish churches in York and Bowes pleaded to the council to save St. Cuthbert's.In thanks for saving St. Cuthbert's Bowes wrote to York on 20 September 1549 saying that he was sending ""a fayre sworde within a sheathe of crymesyn velvet garnysyshyd with perle and stone sett upon sylver and gylte"".