Francis Towneley
Encyclopedia
Francis Towneley was an English
Jacobite
who was executed for his role in the rebellion of 1745
.
, by his wife Ursula, daughter of Richard Fermor of Tusmore, Oxfordshire
.
His family were Roman catholics and Jacobite supporters. His father and grandfather
had been implicated in the plot to secure the return to the English throne of King James II in 1690 that resulted in the Battle of the Boyne
. His eldest brother, Richard, joined the rebel army under Thomas Forster
at Preston in 1715
, and was taken prisoner at the surrender of that town. Richard was tried, but after an expensive defence, the jury found him not guilty.
Towneley went to France in 1728, where Jacobite sympathisers found him a commission in the royal service. He stayed with the French for more than a decade, distinguishing himself at the siege of Philippsburg
in 1734 during the War of the Polish Succession
, under James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick
."
, imagining Towneley might be of service in promoting the invasion of England, sent him a colonel
's commission to enable him to raise forces, and to assist his ally Charles Edward Stuart
in his expedition to Scotland
. Towneley went to Manchester
, and for several months was a guest among the Jacobites of the area.
Towneley joined Prince Charles and his highland army a few days before they reached Manchester, and entered the town with the prince. A colonel's commission was given him, and all who joined the rebellion in England were to serve under him as the Manchester regiment
. A few gentlemen of the town volunteered, and were made officers, but most of the rest, about three hundred in total, received payment. Towneley and the Manchester regiment accompanied the prince to Derby
, and in the retreat from that place as far as Carlisle
. Here he was made commandant under Hamilton, the governor of the town, and was ordered to remain there to defend it with his regiment, now only 114 in all, and with about twice the number of Scottish troops, while the prince and his army continued their retreat into Scotland.
Much against the wish of Towneley, who preferred to fight his way out, Hamilton surrendered to Prince William, Duke of Cumberland on 30 December, on the only terms the duke would grant them, ‘that they should not be put to the sword, but be reserved for the king's pleasure.’ At his trial in London on 13 July 1746, Towneley's plea that as a French officer he should be treated as a prisoner of war
was disallowed. He was found guilty of high treason
, condemned to death, and executed on Kennington Common on 30 July, his head being placed on a pike on Temple Bar
. This was afterwards secretly removed, and has since been in possession of the Towneley family
, and is now preserved in the chapel at Towneley Hall. Towneley's body was buried in a unmarked grave on 31 July either in the church or churchyard of St. Pancras, London
.
, although a work of fiction
, uses the execution as a backdrop to the story.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
who was executed for his role in the rebellion of 1745
Jacobite Rising of 1745
The Jacobite rising of 1745, often referred to as "The 'Forty-Five," was the attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the British throne for the exiled House of Stuart. The rising occurred during the War of the Austrian Succession when most of the British Army was on the European continent...
.
Early life
He was the fifth son of Charles Towneley of Towneley Hall, LancashireLancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, by his wife Ursula, daughter of Richard Fermor of Tusmore, Oxfordshire
Tusmore, Oxfordshire
Tusmore is a settlement about north of Bicester in Oxfordshire. It is the location of the Tusmore Park country house and estate.-Manor:Tusmore was settled in Saxon times...
.
His family were Roman catholics and Jacobite supporters. His father and grandfather
Richard Towneley
Richard Towneley was an English mathematician and astronomer from Towneley near Burnley, Lancashire. He was one of a group of seventeenth century astronomers in the north of England, which included Jeremiah Horrocks, William Crabtree and William Gascoigne, the pioneer astronomers who laid the...
had been implicated in the plot to secure the return to the English throne of King James II in 1690 that resulted in the Battle of the Boyne
Battle of the Boyne
The Battle of the Boyne was fought in 1690 between two rival claimants of the English, Scottish and Irish thronesthe Catholic King James and the Protestant King William across the River Boyne near Drogheda on the east coast of Ireland...
. His eldest brother, Richard, joined the rebel army under Thomas Forster
Thomas Forster
Thomas Forster was a Northumbrian politician and landowner, who served as general of the Jacobite army in the 1715 Uprising.-Life:...
at Preston in 1715
Battle of Preston (1715)
The Battle of Preston , also referred to as the Preston Fight, was fought during the Jacobite Rising of 1715 ....
, and was taken prisoner at the surrender of that town. Richard was tried, but after an expensive defence, the jury found him not guilty.
Towneley went to France in 1728, where Jacobite sympathisers found him a commission in the royal service. He stayed with the French for more than a decade, distinguishing himself at the siege of Philippsburg
Siege of Philippsburg
The Siege of Philippsburg was conducted by French forces against forces in the fortress of Philippsburg in the Rhine River valley during the War of the Polish Succession. The Duke of Berwick led 100,000 men up the Rhine Valley in opposition to Austrian forces, of which 60,000 were detached to...
in 1734 during the War of the Polish Succession
War of the Polish Succession
The War of the Polish Succession was a major European war for princes' possessions sparked by a Polish civil war over the succession to Augustus II, King of Poland that other European powers widened in pursuit of their own national interests...
, under James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick
James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick
James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, 1st Duke of Fitz-James, 1st Duke of Liria and Jérica was an Anglo-French military leader, illegitimate son of King James II of England by Arabella Churchill, sister of the 1st Duke of Marlborough...
."
Rebellion
A few years before 1745 he returned to England. Shortly before the rebellion broke out king Louis XV of FranceLouis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
, imagining Towneley might be of service in promoting the invasion of England, sent him a colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
's commission to enable him to raise forces, and to assist his ally Charles Edward Stuart
Charles Edward Stuart
Prince Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Sylvester Severino Maria Stuart commonly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie or The Young Pretender was the second Jacobite pretender to the thrones of Great Britain , and Ireland...
in his expedition to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Towneley went to Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, and for several months was a guest among the Jacobites of the area.
Towneley joined Prince Charles and his highland army a few days before they reached Manchester, and entered the town with the prince. A colonel's commission was given him, and all who joined the rebellion in England were to serve under him as the Manchester regiment
Manchester Regiment (Jacobite)
The Manchester Regiment was a unit of English soldiers recruited by the Jacobites during the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion. They owed their allegiance to Charles Edward Stuart and the House of Stuart and were in rebellion against George II....
. A few gentlemen of the town volunteered, and were made officers, but most of the rest, about three hundred in total, received payment. Towneley and the Manchester regiment accompanied the prince to Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
, and in the retreat from that place as far as Carlisle
Siege of Carlisle (December 1745)
The Siege of Carlisle took place during the Jacobite rebellion of 1745–46 after Charles Edward Stuart was forced to retreat north back into Scotland...
. Here he was made commandant under Hamilton, the governor of the town, and was ordered to remain there to defend it with his regiment, now only 114 in all, and with about twice the number of Scottish troops, while the prince and his army continued their retreat into Scotland.
Much against the wish of Towneley, who preferred to fight his way out, Hamilton surrendered to Prince William, Duke of Cumberland on 30 December, on the only terms the duke would grant them, ‘that they should not be put to the sword, but be reserved for the king's pleasure.’ At his trial in London on 13 July 1746, Towneley's plea that as a French officer he should be treated as a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
was disallowed. He was found guilty of high treason
High treason in the United Kingdom
Under the law of the United Kingdom, high treason is the crime of disloyalty to the Crown. Offences constituting high treason include plotting the murder of the sovereign; having sexual intercourse with the sovereign's consort, with his eldest unmarried daughter, or with the wife of the heir to the...
, condemned to death, and executed on Kennington Common on 30 July, his head being placed on a pike on Temple Bar
Temple Bar, London
Temple Bar is the barrier marking the westernmost extent of the City of London on the road to Westminster, where Fleet Street becomes the Strand...
. This was afterwards secretly removed, and has since been in possession of the Towneley family
Towneley (family)
The Towneley or Townley family are an English recusant family whose ancestry can be traced back to Norman England. They take their name from Towneley Hall in Burnley, Lancashire, which was the family seat until its sale in 1901.-The Towneleys of Towneley Hall:...
, and is now preserved in the chapel at Towneley Hall. Towneley's body was buried in a unmarked grave on 31 July either in the church or churchyard of St. Pancras, London
St Pancras Old Church
St Pancras Old Church is a Church of England parish church in central London. It is believed to be one of the oldest sites of Christian worship in England, and is dedicated to the Roman martyr Saint Pancras, although the building itself is largely Victorian...
.
Legacy in popular culture
Jacobites of the time used Towneley's name in a number of ballads, most notably 'Townley's Ghost'. The 2007 children’s book How The Hangman Lost His HeartHow The Hangman Lost His Heart
How The Hangman Lost His Heart is a fictitious tale which is set in mid-18th century after the Second Jacobite Rebellion and is written by K M Grant, published in 2007.- Plot :...
, although a work of fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
, uses the execution as a backdrop to the story.