Marquess Townshend
Encyclopedia
Marquess Townshend (ˈtaʊnzənd) is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain
Peerage of Great Britain
The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain after the Act of Union 1707 but before the Act of Union 1800...

 held by the Townshend family of Raynham Hall
Raynham Hall
Raynham Hall is a country house in Norfolk, England. For 300 years it has been the seat of the Townshend family. The hall gave its name to the area, known as The Raynhams, and is reported to be haunted, providing the scene for possibly the most famous ghost photo of all time, the famous Brown Lady...

 in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...

. This family descends from Roger Townshend
Sir Roger Townshend, 1st Baronet
Sir Roger Townshend, 1st Baronet , was an English Member of Parliament.Townshend was the son of Sir John Townshend. In 1617 he was created a Baronet, of Rainham in the County of Norfolk. He later sat as Member of Parliament for Orford from 1621 to 1622 and for Norfolk from 1628 to 1629...

, who in 1617 was created a Baronet, of Raynham in the County of Norfolk, in the Baronetage of England. He later represented Orford
Orford (UK Parliament constituency)
Orford was a constituency of the House of Commons. Consisting of the town of Orford in Suffolk, it elected two Members of Parliament by the bloc vote version of the first past the post system of election until it was disenfranchised in 1832.-History:...

 and Norfolk
Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)
Norfolk was a County constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Members of Parliament...

 in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...

. His younger son, the third Baronet (who succeeded his elder brother), played an important role in the restoration of the monarchy after the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...

 and was also Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 for Norfolk. In 1661 he was created Baron Townshend, of Lynn Regis in the County of Norfolk, and in 1682 he was further honoured when he was made Viscount Townshend, of Raynham in the County of Norfolk. Both titles were in the Peerage of England
Peerage of England
The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. In that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were replaced by one Peerage of Great Britain....

.

He was succeeded by his son, the second Viscount. He was a prominent statesman and served as Secretary of State for the Northern Department
Secretary of State for the Northern Department
The Secretary of State for the Northern Department was a position in the Cabinet of the government of Great Britain up to 1782. Before the Act of Union, 1707, the Secretary of State's responsibilities were in relation to the English government, not the British. Even after the Union, there was...

 from 1714 to 1716 and from 1721 to 1730. Lord Townshend is also remembered for the agricultural reforms he undertook at his Norfolk estate and gained the nickname "Turnip Townshend". His eldest son, the third Viscount, briefly represented Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth (UK Parliament constituency)
Great Yarmouth is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....

 in the House of Commons. However, in 1723, during his father's lifetime, he was summoned to the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....

 through a writ of acceleration
Writ of acceleration
A writ in acceleration, commonly called a writ of acceleration, was a type of writ of summons to the British House of Lords that enabled the eldest son and heir apparent of a peer with multiple peerage titles to attend the British House of Lords or Irish House of Lords, using one of his father's...

 in his father's junior title of Baron Townshend (although he was styled "Lord Lynn", taken from the territorial designation of the barony, to distinguish him from his father). Lord Townshend later served as Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk
Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk
This is an incomplete list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk. Since 1689, all Lord Lieutenants have also been Custos Rotulorum of Norfolk.*Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex 1557–1559*Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk 1559–1572...

.

He was succeeded by his eldest son, the fourth Viscount. He was a Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...

 in the Army and served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was the British King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...

 and as Master-General of the Ordnance
Master-General of the Ordnance
The Master-General of the Ordnance was a very senior British military position before 1855, when the Board of Ordnance was abolished.-Responsibilities:...

. In 1787 he was created Marquess Townshend in the Peerage of Great Britain
Peerage of Great Britain
The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain after the Act of Union 1707 but before the Act of Union 1800...

. Lord Townshend married as his first wife Charlotte Compton, 15th Baroness Ferrers of Chartley and 7th Baroness Compton. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Marquess. He had already on his mother's death in 1770 succeeded in the baronies Ferrers of Chartley
Baron Ferrers of Chartley
The title Baron Ferrers of Chartley was created on February 6, 1299 for John de Ferrers, son of Robert de Ferrers, 6th Earl of Derby. The daughter of the 6th Baron Ferrers of Chartley, Anne, married Walter Devereux who was summoned to parliament as Lord Ferrers in her right. Their descendants...

 and Compton
Baron Compton
The title Baron Compton was created in the Peerage of England for the Tudor politician, Sir Henry Compton. In 1618, his son was created Earl of Northampton. The titles remained united until the fifth earl died without any male heirs in 1754 and the title passed to his only daughter, Charlotte, who...

. In 1784, 23 years before he succeeded his father, he was created Earl of Leicester in the Peerage of Great Britain. His choice of title derived from his descent from Lady Lucy Sydney, daughter of Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester
Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester
Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester was an English aristocrat and diplomat.-Life:He was the son of Robert Sidney, 1st Earl of Leicester, and his first wife, Barbara Gamage...

 (a title which had become extinct in 1743). Lord Townshend later held office as Master of the Mint
Master of the Mint
Master of the Mint was an important office in the governments of Scotland and England, and later Great Britain, between the 16th and 19th centuries. The Master was the highest officer in the Royal Mint. Until 1699, appointment was usually for life. Its holder occasionally sat in the cabinet...

, as Joint Postmaster General
United Kingdom Postmaster General
The Postmaster General of the United Kingdom is a defunct Cabinet-level ministerial position in HM Government. Aside from maintaining the postal system, the Telegraph Act of 1868 established the Postmaster General's right to exclusively maintain electric telegraphs...

 and as Lord Steward of the Household.

His son, the third Marquess, was childless. On his death in 1855 the earldom of Leicester became extinct while the baronies of Ferrers of Chartley and Compton fell into abeyance
Abeyance
Abeyance is a state of expectancy in respect of property, titles or office, when the right to them is not vested in any one person, but awaits the appearance or determination of the true owner. In law, the term abeyance can only be applied to such future estates as have not yet vested or possibly...

. He was succeeded in the other titles by his first cousin, the fourth Marquess. He was the son of Lord John Townshend
Lord John Townshend
Lord John Townshend PC , styled The Honourable John Townshend until 1787, was a British Whig politician.-Background:...

, second son of the first Marquess. Lord Townshend was a Rear-Admiral in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 and also sat as Member of Parliament for Tamworth
Tamworth (UK Parliament constituency)
Tamworth is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- History :...

. His son, the fifth Marquess, also represented Tamworth in Parliament (as a Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...

). the titles are held by the latter's great-grandson, the eighth Marquess, who succeeded his father in April 2010.

Several other members of the Townshend family have also gained distinction. Charles Townshend
Charles Townshend
Charles Townshend was a British politician. He was born at his family's seat of Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England, the second son of Charles Townshend, 3rd Viscount Townshend, and Audrey , daughter and heiress of Edward Harrison of Ball's Park, near Hertford, a lady who rivalled her son in...

, second son of the third Viscount, was a prominent statesman and orator and served as Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...

 from 1766 to 1767. The politician Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney
Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney
Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney PC , was a British politician who held several important Cabinet posts in the second half of the 18th century...

, after whom the town of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, was named, was the son of the Hon. Thomas Townshend
Thomas Townshend (MP)
The Honourable Thomas Townshend was a long-standing British Member of Parliament.Townshend was the second son of Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend, from his first marriage to the Hon. Elizabeth Pelham...

, second son of the second Viscount. Sydney's grandson was the Liberal politician John Townshend, 1st Earl Sydney
John Townshend, 1st Earl Sydney
John Robert Townshend, 1st Earl Sydney GCB, PC , known as The Viscount Sydney between 1831 and 1874, was a British Liberal politician...

. Charles Townshend, 1st Baron Bayning
Charles Townshend, 1st Baron Bayning
Charles Townshend, 1st Baron Bayning PC was a British politician.-Background and education:Bayning was the only son of the Hon. William Townshend, third son of Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend. George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend, Charles Townshend and Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount...

, was the son of the Hon. William Townshend
William Townshend (MP)
The Honourable William Townshend was a British Member of Parliament.Townshend was the third son of Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend, and his first wife the Hon. Elizabeth Pelham...

, third son of the second Viscount. See also Roger Townshend
Roger Townshend (MP)
The Honourable Roger Townshend was a British soldier and Member of Parliament.Townshend was the youngest son of Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend, from his first marriage to the Hon. Elizabeth Pelham...

, Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...

 George Townshend
George Townshend (admiral)
George Townshend was a British naval commander.Townshend was the eldest son of Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend, and his second wife Dorothy, sister of Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole...

, Lord Charles Townshend
Lord Charles Townshend (1785-1853)
Lord Charles Vere Ferrers Townshend , was a British politician.Townshend was the second son of George Townshend, 2nd Marquess Townshend, and his wife Charlotte...

, Lord John Townshend
Lord John Townshend
Lord John Townshend PC , styled The Honourable John Townshend until 1787, was a British Whig politician.-Background:...

, Lord Charles Townshend
Lord Charles Townshend (1769-1796)
Lord Charles Patrick Thomas Townshend was a British Member of Parliament.Townshend was the fourth son of Field Marshal George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend, and his first wife Charlotte Compton, 15th Baroness Ferrers of Chartley. George Townshend, 2nd Marquess Townshend, and Lord John...

, Lord James Townshend
Lord James Townshend
Captain Lord James Nugent Boyle Bernardo Townshend KCH , was a British naval commander and Tory politician.Townshend was the younger son of George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend, by his second wife Anne, daughter of Sir William Montgomery, 1st Baronet...

, Charles Fox Townshend
Charles Fox Townshend
Charles Fox Townshend was the founder of the Eton Society.Townshend was the eldest son of Lord John Townshend, second son of George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend. His mother was Georgiana Anne, daughter of William Poyntz, while George Townshend, 2nd Marquess Townshend, was his uncle...

 and Major-General Sir Charles Vere Ferrers Townshend
Charles Vere Ferrers Townshend
Major General Sir Charles Vere Ferrers Townshend KCB, DSO was a British Indian Army officer who led the ultimately disastrous first British Expedition against Baghdad during World War I, and was later elected to Parliament....

.

As Lord Townshend holds no titles with names different from his main title, the territorial designation from his viscountcy is used for his heir, who is styled Viscount Raynham. Between 1807 and 1855 the courtesy title was Earl of Leicester (although the title was not used from 1811 to 1855 as there was no heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....

 to the marquessate during this period) while from 1782 to 1855 the courtesy title used by the heir apparent to the earldom of Leicester was Lord Ferrers of Chartley (and consequently was not used from 1811 to 1855 as there was no heir apparent either to the earldom or marquessate).

The current Marquess holds the subsidiary titles: Viscount Townshend, of Raynham in the County of Norfolk (created 1682); Baron Townshend, of Lynn Regis in the County of Norfolk (created 1661); Townshend Baronet, of Raynham in the County of Norfolk (created 1617), all of which in the Peerage of England. As noted above, due to being of the same name as the primary title, the Viscountcy has been called "Viscount Raynham" and the Barony "Baron Lynn".
The family seat is Raynham Hall
Raynham Hall
Raynham Hall is a country house in Norfolk, England. For 300 years it has been the seat of the Townshend family. The hall gave its name to the area, known as The Raynhams, and is reported to be haunted, providing the scene for possibly the most famous ghost photo of all time, the famous Brown Lady...

, Fakenham
Fakenham
Fakenham is a town and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It is situated on the River Wensum, some north east of King's Lynn, south west of Cromer, and north west of Norwich....

, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...

.

Townshend Baronets, of Raynham (1617)

  • Sir Roger Townshend, 1st Baronet
    Sir Roger Townshend, 1st Baronet
    Sir Roger Townshend, 1st Baronet , was an English Member of Parliament.Townshend was the son of Sir John Townshend. In 1617 he was created a Baronet, of Rainham in the County of Norfolk. He later sat as Member of Parliament for Orford from 1621 to 1622 and for Norfolk from 1628 to 1629...

     (1596–1637)
  • Sir Roger Townshend, 2nd Baronet (1628–1648)
  • Sir Horatio Townshend, 3rd Baronet
    Horatio Townshend, 1st Viscount Townshend
    Horatio Townshend, 1st Baron Townsend and 1st Viscount Townshend , known as Sir Horatio Townshend, 3rd Baronet, of Raynham, from 1648 to 1661, was an English politician....

     (1630–1687) (created Baron Townshend in 1661 and Viscount Townshend in 1682)

Viscounts Townshend (1682)

  • Horatio Townshend, 1st Viscount Townshend
    Horatio Townshend, 1st Viscount Townshend
    Horatio Townshend, 1st Baron Townsend and 1st Viscount Townshend , known as Sir Horatio Townshend, 3rd Baronet, of Raynham, from 1648 to 1661, was an English politician....

     (1630–1687)
  • Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend
    Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend
    Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend Bt, KG, PC was a British Whig statesman. He served for a decade as Secretary of State, directing British foreign policy...

     (1674–1738)
  • Charles Townshend, 3rd Viscount Townshend
    Charles Townshend, 3rd Viscount Townshend
    Charles Townshend, 3rd Viscount Townshend , known as Lord Lynn from 1723 to 1738, was a British politician....

     (1700–1764)
  • George Townshend, 4th Viscount Townshend
    George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend
    Field Marshal George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend, PC , known as The Viscount Townshend from 1764 to 1787, was a British soldier who reached the rank of field marshal.-Early life:...

     (1724–1807) (created Marquess Townshend in 1787)

Marquesses Townshend (1787)

  • George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend
    George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend
    Field Marshal George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend, PC , known as The Viscount Townshend from 1764 to 1787, was a British soldier who reached the rank of field marshal.-Early life:...

     (1724–1807)
  • George Townshend, 2nd Marquess Townshend, 1st Earl of Leicester
    George Townshend, 2nd Marquess Townshend
    George Townshend, 2nd Marquess Townshend, PC, FRS , known as The Lord Ferrers of Chartley from 1770 to 1784 and as The Earl of Leicester from 1784 to 1807, was a British peer and politician....

     (1753–1811)
  • George Ferrars Townshend, 3rd Marquess Townshend, 2nd Earl of Leicester
    George Townshend, 3rd Marquess Townshend
    George Ferrars Townshend, 3rd Marquess Townshend , known as The Lord Ferrers of Chartley from 1782 to 1807 and as The Earl of Leicester from 1807 to 1811, was a British peer....

     (1778–1855)
  • John Townshend, 4th Marquess Townshend
    John Townshend, 4th Marquess Townshend
    Rear Admiral John Townshend, 4th Marquess Townshend , known as John Townshend until 1855, was a British naval commander....

     (1798–1863)
  • John Villiers Stuart Townshend, 5th Marquess Townshend
    John Townshend, 5th Marquess Townshend
    John Villiers Stuart Townshend, 5th Marquess Townshend , known as Viscount Raynham from 1855 to 1863, was a British peer and Liberal Member of Parliament....

     (1831–1899)
  • John James Dudley Stuart Townshend, 6th Marquess Townshend
    John Townshend, 6th Marquess Townshend
    John James Dudley Stuart Townshend, 6th Marquess Townshend , known as Viscount Raynham from 1866 to 1899, was a British peer....

     (1866–1921)
  • George John Patrick Dominic Townshend, 7th Marquess Townshend
    George Townshend, 7th Marquess Townshend
    George John Patrick Dominic Townshend, 7th Marquess Townshend, DL known as Viscount Raynham until 1921, was a British peer and businessman....

     (1916–2010)
  • Charles George Townshend, 8th Marquess Townshend
    Charles Townshend, 8th Marquess Townshend
    Charles George Townshend, 8th Marquess Townshend is the elder son of George Townshend, 7th Marquess Townshend, and his first wife Elizabeth Pamela Audrey , daughter of Thomas Luby. He was styled Viscount Raynham until he succeeded his father on 23 April 2010.He has two full sisters and a half...

     (b. 1945)


The heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....

 is the present's holder son Thomas Charles Townshend, Viscount Raynham (b. 1977)

See also

  • Earl Sydney
    Earl Sydney
    Earl Sydney, of Scadbury in the County of Kent, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1874 for the Liberal politician John Townshend, 3rd Viscount Sydney. He notably served as Lord Chamberlain of the Household and as Lord Steward of the Household. On his death in 1890...

  • Baron Bayning
    Baron Bayning
    Baron Bayning, of Foxley in the County of Berkshire, was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1797 for the politician Charles Townshend. He was the son of William Townshend, third son of Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend and the cousin of Thomas Townshend, 1st...

  • Baron Ferrers of Chartley
    Baron Ferrers of Chartley
    The title Baron Ferrers of Chartley was created on February 6, 1299 for John de Ferrers, son of Robert de Ferrers, 6th Earl of Derby. The daughter of the 6th Baron Ferrers of Chartley, Anne, married Walter Devereux who was summoned to parliament as Lord Ferrers in her right. Their descendants...

  • Baron Compton
    Baron Compton
    The title Baron Compton was created in the Peerage of England for the Tudor politician, Sir Henry Compton. In 1618, his son was created Earl of Northampton. The titles remained united until the fifth earl died without any male heirs in 1754 and the title passed to his only daughter, Charlotte, who...

  • Earl of Leicester (1618 creation)
    Earl of Leicester
    The title Earl of Leicester was created in the 12th century in the Peerage of England , and is currently a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, created in 1837.-Early creations:...


External links

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