Francis Towneley
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Francis Towneley (9 June 1709 – 30 July 1746) was an English Catholic and supporter of the exiled
House of Stuart The House of Stuart, originally spelled Stewart, also known as the Stuart dynasty, was a dynasty, royal house of Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland and later Kingdom of Great Britain, Great ...
or Jacobite. After service with the French army from 1728 to 1734, he returned to England and took part in the
Jacobite Rising of 1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745 was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took place during the War of the Austrian Succession, when the bulk of t ...
. He was appointed colonel of the
Manchester Regiment The Manchester Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1958. The regiment was created during the 1881 Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot and the 96th R ...
, the only significant English formation to take part in the rebellion. Captured at
Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...
in December 1745, he was convicted of treason and executed at
Kennington Common Kennington Common was a swathe of common land mainly within the London Borough of Lambeth. It was one of the earliest venues for cricket around London, with matches played between 1724 and 1785. G B Buckley, ''Fresh Light on 18th Century Cric ...
,
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
in July 1746.


Early life

Francis Towneley was born on 9 June 1709, fifth and youngest surviving child of Ursula, daughter of Phillip Fermor of
Tusmore, Oxfordshire Tusmore is a settlement in the civil parish of Hardwick with Tusmore, in the Cherwell (district), Cherwell district, in Oxfordshire, England, about north of Bicester. It is the location of the Tusmore English country house, country house and es ...
, and
Charles Towneley Charles Townley Royal Society, FRS (1 October 1737 – 3 January 1805) was a wealthy English country gentleman, antiquary and collector, a member of the Towneley family. He travelled on three Grand Tours to Italy, buying antique sculpture, vase ...
of
Towneley Hall Towneley Park is owned and managed by Burnley Borough Council and is the largest and most popular park in Burnley, Lancashire, England. The main entrance to the park is within a mile of the town centre and the park extends to the south east, co ...
,
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
,
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
. He had three brothers, Richard (1689-1735),
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...
(1696-1782) and George, as well as a sister, Mary (1686-1712). The Towneleys were prominent members of the
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
minority in Lancashire and their private chapel served as the focus of Catholic worship in the area until the building of a public church in 1846. Towneley Hall was occupied by
Parliamentary In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
forces during the
First English Civil War The First English Civil War took place in England and Wales from 1642 to 1646, and forms part of the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. An estimated 15% to 20% of adult males in England and Wales served in the military at some point b ...
; Charles Towneley (1604-1644) raised a
Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...
infantry regiment and was killed at
Marston Moor The Battle of Marston Moor was fought on 2 July 1644, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms of 1639–1653. The combined forces of the English Parliamentarians under Lord Fairfax and the Earl of Manchester and the Scottish Covenanters unde ...
in 1644. His grandfather
Richard Towneley Richard Towneley (10 October 1629 – 22 January 1707) was an English mathematician, natural philosopher and astronomer, resident at Towneley Hall, near Burnley in Lancashire. His uncle was the antiquarian and mathematician Christopher Towne ...
(1629-1707), was a scientist and
astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...
, part of a close-knit group of Catholic scientific collaborators. Periods of anti-Catholic agitation before and after the 1688
Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...
, saw him fined and imprisoned, culminating in accusations of involvement in the 1694 Lancashire Plot, an alleged attempt to restore the exiled James II. Francis' father died in 1711,; his eldest brother, also called Richard, was captured at Preston during the
1715 Rising The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( ; or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuarts. At Braemar, Aberdeenshire, local landowner the Ear ...
but a jury acquitted him of treason in May 1716, although the trial involved the family in heavy expenses. While most Jacobite prisoners were eventually pardoned, one consequence was harsher treatment in 1745 for individuals or families viewed as repeat offenders, including Francis. Like many English Catholics, Francis was educated at
Douai Douai ( , , ; ; ; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord département in northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe (rive ...
and served in the French army from 1728 to 1734, acting as aide to the Duke of Berwick during the 1734 siege of Philippsburg. The northern Catholic gentry formed a small, tight-knit group, among them the Stricklands, who owned lands in Westmoreland and
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
. His brother John spent time at the Jacobite court in
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
, and served as
head of household In the United States, head of household is a filing status for individual United States taxpayers. It provides preferential tax rates and a larger standard deduction for single people caring for qualifying dependents. To use the head of hous ...
for Henry Stuart in 1743. There he would have met Francis Strickland (1691-1746), one of the Seven Men of Moidart who accompanied
Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
to Scotland in 1745.


Rebellion

Towneley returned to Britain sometime before 1743 and lived quietly in
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
. His French officer's commission was renewed in late 1744, which suggests he had been identified for a senior role in any invasion. Hearing of Charles' landing in north-west Scotland in August 1745, he traveled to
Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
, with two prominent Welsh Jacobites, David Morgan and William Vaughan. They met other Jacobite sympathisers at
Didsbury Didsbury is a suburb of Manchester, England, on the north bank of the River Mersey, south of Manchester city centre. The population at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 26,788. Within the boundaries of the Historic counties of ...
, among them the poet
John Byrom John Byrom, John Byrom of Kersal, or John Byrom of Manchester (29 February 1692 – 26 September 1763) was an English poet, the inventor of a revolutionary system of shorthand and later a significant landowner. He is most remembered as the wr ...
, who described Towneley as a "gallant soldier", devoted to the Stuart cause, but was shocked by his "profane swearing". When the Jacobite army arrived on 28 November, Towneley and others formed the
Manchester Regiment The Manchester Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1958. The regiment was created during the 1881 Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot and the 96th R ...
, the only significant English unit raised in 1745. Vaughan and many recruits were Catholic, including a group of 39 from
Kirkham, Lancashire Kirkham aka Kirkam-in-Amounderness Hundred, Amounderness is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Borough of Fylde in Lancashire, England, midway between Blackpool and Preston, Lancashire, Preston and adjacent to the ...
, but the gentry generally avoided involvement. Since 1721, Walpole's government pursued a policy of reconciling Catholics to the regime, while closely monitoring any of doubtful loyalty, and the Jacobites made little effort to raise them. Since most felt a Stuart monarch would do little to improve their status, joining the rebellion offered little gain for an enormous risk. Towneley was appointed colonel on the recommendation of unofficial French envoy, the Marquis d’Éguilles, who knew his brother John. Although viewed favourably by Irish Jacobite Sir John MacDonald, this opinion was not universally shared; Towneley had a reputation for being hot-tempered and one of his officers, James Bradshaw, transferred to Lord Elcho's regiment as a result. The unit was issued with weapons and ammunition at
Macclesfield Macclesfield () is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East, Cheshire, England. It is sited on the River Bollin and the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east; the town lies south of Ma ...
on 1 December but attempts to attract additional recruits were unsuccessful. The Scots had agreed to the invasion only when Charles promised they would receive widespread English support; there was no sign of this and at
Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...
on 5 December, they insisted on retreat. Morale among the English collapsed and while a few enlisted on the return from Derby, there were an increasing number of desertions. By 19 December, the Jacobites had retreated as far as
Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...
, captured in
November November is the eleventh and penultimate month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 30 days. November was the ninth month of the calendar of Romulus . November retained its name (from the Latin ''novem'' meaning " ...
, which Charles wanted to retain, as a statement of his intention to return. With his remaining 115 men, Towneley volunteered to join the garrison of 200 under John Hamilton of Sandistoun, an officer from the Duke of Perth's Regiment. According to Adjutant-general
O'Sullivan O'Sullivan may refer to: People * O'Sullivan family, a gaelic Irish clan * O'Sullivan (surname), a family name * Sullivan (surname), a variation of the O'Sullivan family name Places * O'Sullivan Dam, Washington, United States * O'Sullivan Army He ...
, his officers believed it was easily defensible and they could hold out for good terms. Given
Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...
wanted to execute those responsible for surrendering the castle in November, this was probably an accurate assessment. However, when government forces reached Carlisle on 22 December, morale and supplies were low and most of the Jacobite officers considered defence futile. At Towneley's trial, a witness claimed he told Hamilton it was "better to die by the sword than fall into the hands of those damned Hanoverians". He was overruled by the others present and the castle surrendered on 30 December. Two officers from Lallys escaped over the wall and made their way to Scotland; the other French-Irish regulars were treated as
prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
and later exchanged. The Manchesters were only granted their lives, subject to the "King's pleasure"; this meant they would receive a trial, rather than being summarily executed.


Trial and execution

Along with Hamilton and other prisoners, Towneley was taken to London and held in
Newgate Prison Newgate Prison was a prison at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey, just inside the City of London, England, originally at the site of Newgate, a gate in the Roman London Wall. Built in the 12th century and demolished in 1904, the pr ...
. He reportedly kept to himself and continued his quarrel with Hamilton, whom he referred to as a "Traitor on both Sides ..to be despised by both Parties". Claims to be treated as prisoners of war were carefully assessed by the authorities.
Charles Radclyffe Charles Radclyffe (3 September 1693 – 8 December 1746), titular 5th Earl of Derwentwater, was one of the few English participants in the Risings of 1715 and 1745. The Radclyffes were Catholics from Northumberland, with long-standing links to ...
, de jure 5th
Earl of Derwentwater Earl of Derwentwater (pronounced "Durwentwater") was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1688 for Francis Radclyffe, 1st Earl of Derwentwater, Sir Francis Radclyffe, 3rd Baronet. He was made Baron Tyndale, of Tyndale in the Cou ...
and a captain in Dillon's Regiment, was captured with his eldest son en route to Scotland in 1745. Sentenced to death in 1715 before escaping, he was executed in December 1746 under the 1716 warrant, while James Radclyffe was released. Towneley's reliance on his French commission was disallowed; he was tried on 13 July 1746, found guilty of
treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...
and sentenced to be
hanged, drawn and quartered To be hanged, drawn and quartered was a method of torture, torturous capital punishment used principally to execute men convicted of High treason in the United Kingdom, high treason in medieval and early modern Britain and Ireland. The convi ...
, although by then it was customary to ensure the condemned were dead before being eviscerated. He was executed at
Kennington Common Kennington Common was a swathe of common land mainly within the London Borough of Lambeth. It was one of the earliest venues for cricket around London, with matches played between 1724 and 1785. G B Buckley, ''Fresh Light on 18th Century Cric ...
on 30 July, along with eight officers from the Manchester Regiment; George Fletcher, David Morgan, Thomas Chadwick, Andrew Blood, John Berwick, Thomas Deacon, Thomas Syddall and James Dawson. He was said to have been calm and dignified, wearing a suit of black velvet made for the occasion. His body was interred in the graveyard at
St Pancras Old Church St Pancras Old Church is a Church of England parish church on Pancras Road, Somers Town, London, Somers Town, in the London Borough of Camden. Somers Town is an area of the ancient parish and later Metropolitan Borough of St Pancras, London, St ...
, one of the few places in London reserved for Catholic burials. Along with that of George Fletcher, his head was placed on a pike on Temple Bar; the journalist
John Taylor John Taylor, Johnny Taylor or similar is the name of: Academics *John Taylor (Oxford), Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, 1486–1487 * John Taylor (classical scholar) (1704–1766), English classical scholar *John Taylor (English publisher) ...
reported that it was later removed by friends of his nephew
Charles Townley Charles Townley FRS (1 October 1737 – 3 January 1805) was a wealthy English country gentleman, antiquary and collector, a member of the Towneley family. He travelled on three Grand Tours to Italy, buying antique sculpture, vases, coins, man ...
. Author Katherine Grant, who is a direct descendant, states the relic was returned to his wife Mary and kept in the family chapel. In the 1930s, it was moved to
Drummonds Bank Messrs. Drummond, Bankers is a formerly independent private bank in the United Kingdom that is now part of NatWest Group. The Royal Bank of Scotland incorporating Messrs Drummond, Bankers is based at 49 Charing Cross in central London. Drummo ...
in London, before being interred at
St Peter's Church, Burnley St Peter's Church is an Anglicanism, Anglican church in the town of Burnley, Lancashire, England. It is an active Church of England parish church, parish church in the Diocese of Blackburn and the archdeaconry of Blackburn. The oldest part of the ...
in the late 1940s.


Legacy in popular culture

Jacobites of the time used Towneley's name in a number of ballads, most notably 'Towneley's Ghost'. The 2007 children’s book '' How The Hangman Lost His Heart'', although a work of
fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...
, uses the execution as a backdrop to the story.


Notes


References


Sources

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External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Towneley, Francis 1709 births 1746 deaths English Jacobites Jacobite military personnel of the Jacobite rising of 1745 People from Burnley People executed for treason against the United Kingdom French Army officers Military personnel from Lancashire Burials at St Pancras Old Church
Francis Francis may refer to: People and characters *Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church (2013–2025) *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Francis (surname) * Francis, a character played by YouTuber Boogie2 ...