Marquess Townshend is a title in the

Peerage of Great Britain The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain between the Acts of Union 1707 and the Acts of Union 1800. It replaced the Peerage of England and the Peerage of Scotland, but was itself repla ...

held by the Townshend family of

Raynham Hall Raynham Hall is a country house in Norfolk, England. For nearly 400 years it has been the seat of the Townshend family. The hall gave its name to the five estate villages, known as The Raynhams, and is reported to be haunted, providing the ...

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

. The title was created in 1787 for George Townshend, 4th Viscount Townshend.

History

The Townshend family descends from Roger Townshend, who in 1617 was created a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

, of Raynham in the County of Norfolk, in the

Baronetage of England Baronets are hereditary titles awarded by the Crown. The current baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier, existing baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland and Great Britain. To be recognised as a baronet, it is necessary ...

. He later represented Orford and

in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

. 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 A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

and was also Member of Parliament 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 The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. From that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were closed to new creations, and new peers were created in a single Peerag ...

. He was succeeded by his son, the second Viscount. He was a prominent statesman and served as

Secretary of State for the Northern Department The secretary of state for the Northern Department was a position in the Cabinet (government), Cabinet of the government of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain up to 1782. Following this, the Northern Department became the Foreign Office, a ...

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 ( ), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside resort, seaside town which gives its name to the wider Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. Its fishing industry, m ...

in the House of Commons. However, in 1723, during his father's lifetime, he was summoned to the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

through a

writ of acceleration A writ in acceleration, commonly called a writ of acceleration, is a type of writ of summons that enabled the eldest son and heir apparent of a peer with more than one peerage to attend the British or Irish House of Lords, using one of his fathe ...

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 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. * William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton, 1549 – *Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of S ...

. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the fourth Viscount. He was a

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

in the Army and served as

Lord Lieutenant of Ireland Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the K ...

and as

Master-General of the Ordnance The Master-General of the Ordnance (MGO) was a very senior British military position from 1415 to 2013 (except 1855–1895 and 1939–1958) with some changes to the name, usually held by a serving general. The Master-General of the Ordnance was ...

. In 1787 he was created Marquess Townshend in the

. Lord Townshend married as his first wife Charlotte Compton, 16th 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 and Compton. 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 (1 December 1595 – 2 November 1677) was an English diplomat and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1614 and 1625 and then succeeded to the peerage as Earl of Leicester. Life Sidney was born ...

(a title which had become extinct in 1743). Lord Townshend later held office as

Master of the Mint Master of the Mint is a title within the Royal Mint given to the most senior person responsible for its operation. It was an office in the governments of Scotland and England, and later Great Britain and then the United Kingdom, between the 16th ...

, as Joint

Postmaster General A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. History The practice of having a government official ...

and as

Lord Steward of the Household The Lord Steward or Lord Steward of the Household is one of the three Great Officers of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Household of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British monarch. He is, by tradition, the first great officer of ...

. 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 (from the Old French ' meaning "gaping") describes a state of temporary dormancy or suspension. In law, it can refer to a situation where the ownership of property, titles, or office is not currently Vesting, vested in any specific perso ...

. 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 Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, PC (19 January 1757 – 23 February 1833), styled The Honourable John Townshend until 1787, was a British Whig (British political faction), Whig politician. Background Townshend ...

, second son of the first Marquess. Lord Townshend was a

Rear-Admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

and also sat as Member of Parliament for Tamworth. His son, the fifth Marquess, also represented Tamworth in Parliament (as a Liberal). 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 (27 August 1725 – 4 September 1767) was a British politician who held various titles in the Parliament of Great Britain. His establishment of the controversial Townshend Acts is considered one of the key causes of the Amer ...

, second son of the third Viscount, was a prominent statesman and orator and served as

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and the head of HM Treasury, His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, t ...

from 1766 to 1767. The politician

Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney (24 February 1733 – 30 June 1800) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1754 to 1783 when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Sydney. He held several important Cabinet posts in ...

, after whom the town of

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, was named, was the son of the Hon. Thomas Townshend, second son of the second Viscount. Sydney's grandson was the Liberal politician

John Townshend, 1st Earl Sydney John Robert Townshend, 1st Earl Sydney (9 August 1805 – 14 February 1890), known as The Viscount Sydney between 1831 and 1874, was a British Liberal politician. In a ministerial career spanning over 30 years, he was twice Lord Chamberlain o ...

Charles Townshend, 1st Baron Bayning Charles Townshend, 1st Baron Bayning Privy Council of Great Britain, PC (27 August 1728 – 19 May 1810) was a British politician. Background and education Bayning was the only son of William Townshend (MP), William Townshend, third son of Charl ...

, was the son of the Hon. William Townshend, third son of the second Viscount. See also Roger Townshend,

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

George Townshend,

Lord Charles Townshend Charles Townshend (1725–1767) was a British Chancellor of the Exchequer. Charles Townshend may also refer to: *Charles Fox Townshend (1795–1817), founder of the Eton Society *Charles Townshend, 3rd Viscount Townshend (1700–1764), father of th ...

, Lord James Townshend,

Charles Fox Townshend Charles Fox Townshend (28 June 1795 – 1817) 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 Poy ...

and Major-General Sir Charles Vere Ferrers Townshend. 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 a real

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

to the marquessate during this period, but earldom "usurped" by John Dunn-Gardner in 1823–1843), 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 a real heir apparent either to the earldom or marquessate). The current Marquess holds several subsidiary titles: Viscount Townshend, of Raynham in the

County of Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and east, Cambridgeshire to the west, a ...

(created 1682); Baron Townshend, of

Lynn Regis King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is north-east of Peterborough, north-north-east of Cambridg ...

in the County of Norfolk (created 1661); Townshend

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

, 'of Raynham in the County of Norfolk' (created 1617), all of which are 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

Fakenham Fakenham is a market town and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It is situated on the River Wensum, about north-west of Norwich. The town is at the junction of several local roads, including the A148 from King's Lynn to Cromer, the A1067 to N ...

Townshend baronets, of Raynham (1617)

Sir Roger Townshend, 1st Baronet Sir Roger Townshend, 1st Baronet (c.1596 – 1 January 1637), was an England, English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons of England, House of Commons in two parliaments between 1621 and 1629. Family Townshend was the son ...

(1596–1637) *

Sir Roger Townshend, 2nd Baronet ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part o ...

(1628–1648) * Sir Horatio Townshend, 3rd Baronet (1630–1687) (created Baron Townshend in 1661 and Viscount Townshend in 1682)

Viscounts Townshend (1682)

Horatio Townshend, 1st Viscount Townshend Horatio Townshend, 1st Baron Townsend and 1st Viscount Townshend (; 14 December 1630 – 10 December 1687), known as Sir Horatio Townshend, 3rd baronet, of Raynham, from 1648 to 1661, was an England, English politician who sat in the House of ...

(1630–1687) *

Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend, (; 18 April 167421 June 1738) was a British Whig statesman. From 1714 to 1717, and again from 1721 to 1730, he served as Secretary of State for the Northern Department . He directed British foreign po ...

(1674–1738) *

Charles Townshend, 3rd Viscount Townshend Charles Townshend, 3rd Viscount Townshend (11 July 1700 – 12 March 1764), known as The Lord Lynn from 1723 to 1738, was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1722 to 1723 when he was elevated to the House of Lords by w ...

(1700–1764) * George Townshend, 4th Viscount Townshend (1724–1807) (created Marquess Townshend in 1787)

Marquesses Townshend (1787)

George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, PC (28 February 172414 September 1807), known as The Viscount Townshend from 1764 to 1787, was a Great Britain, ...

(1724–1807) * George Townshend, 2nd Marquess Townshend, 1st Earl of Leicester (1753–1811) * George Ferrars Townshend, 3rd Marquess Townshend, 2nd Earl of Leicester (1778–1855) *

John Townshend, 4th Marquess Townshend Rear Admiral John Townshend, 4th Marquess Townshend (28 March 1798 – 10 September 1863), known as John Townshend until 1855, was a British nobleman, peer, politician, and naval commander. Townshend was the son of Lord John Townshend, younger ...

(1798–1863) * John Villiers Stuart Townshend, 5th Marquess Townshend (1831–1899) * John James Dudley Stuart Townshend, 6th Marquess Townshend (1866–1921) * George John Patrick Dominic Townshend, 7th Marquess Townshend (1916–2010) *Charles George Townshend, 8th Marquess Townshend (b. 1945)

Family tree

Present peer

Charles George Townshend, 8th Marquess Townshend (born 26 September 1945) is the son of the 7th Marquess and his wife Elizabeth Pamela Audrey Luby. He was styled as Viscount Raynham from birth and was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

. On 23 April 2010 he succeeded as Marquess Townshend (G.B., 1787), Viscount Townshend of Raynham (E., 1682), and Baron Townshend of Lynn Regis (E., 1682), and also became the 13th Townshend

, of Rainham, Norfolk (1617).''

Burke's Peerage Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher, considered an authority on the order of precedence of noble families and information on the lesser nobility of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1826, when the Anglo-Irish genea ...

'', volume 1 (2003), p. 362 On 9 October 1975, he married firstly Hermione Ponsonby, daughter of Lt.-Commander Robert Martin Dominic Ponsonby RN and Dorothy Edith Jane Lane. In 1990 he married, secondly Alison Combs, daughter of Sir Willis Ide Combs. With his first wife he has two children: *Thomas Charles Townshend, Viscount Raynham (born 1977) *Lady Louise Elizabeth Townshend (born 1979) The

is the present holder's son, whose

is his son Rafe Thomas Townshend (born 2014). * ''George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend (1724–1807)'' ** ''George Townshend, 2nd Marquess Townshend (1755-1811)'' *** ''George Ferrers Townshend, 3rd Marquess Townshend (1778-1855)'' **''

(1757–1833)'' *** ''John Townshend, 4th Marquess Townshend (1798–1863)'' **** ''John Townshend, 5th Marquess Townshend (1831–1899)'' ***** ''John Townshend, 6th Marquess Townshend (1866–1921)'' ****** ''George Townshend, 7th Marquess Townshend (1916–2010)'' ******* Charles Townshend, 8th Marquess Townshend (b. 1945) ********(1). Thomas Townshend, Viscount Raynham (b. 1977) *********(2). Hon. Rafe Thomas Townshend (b. 2014) *******(3). Lord John Patrick Townshend (b. 1962) ********(4). George Townshend (b. 2003) ***''Rev. Lord George Osborne Townshend (1801–1876)'' ****''George Ferrars Townshend (1854–1942)'' *****''Ferrars Ernest Osborne Townshend (1882–1953)'' ******''Henry George Townshend (1911–1979)'' *******''Ferrars Edwin Townshend (1944–2017)'' ********male issue in remainder ****''Ernest Edwin Townshend (1858–1945)'' *****''Clifford Edwin Townshend (1884–1958)'' ******''John Edwin Townshend (1918–1990)'' *******male issue in remainder ******''George Maling Townshend (1921–2009)'' *******male issue in remainder ******''Charles Roberts Townshend (1926–1987)'' *******male issue in remainder

Notes

References

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, *

External links

Townshend family website
*http://home.worldonline.co.za/~townshend/lordsarms.htm#top {{DEFAULTSORT:Townshend Marquessates in the Peerage of Great Britain

Marquess Townshend Marquess Townshend is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain held by the Townshend family of Raynham Hall in Norfolk. The title was created in 1787 for George Townshend, 4th Viscount Townshend. History The Townshend family descends from Rog ...

1617 establishments in England Noble titles created in 1787 People from Raynham, Norfolk