Towneley (family)
Encyclopedia
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.
from 1374 to 1377.
in 1482, during Richard Duke of Gloucester's (later King Richard III) Scottish
Campaign that captured Berwick-upon-Tweed
.
. Probably at Ayton when the peace treaty was signed with Scotland after the Perkin Warbeck
skirmishes. Established the 1100 acre, Hapton
Park making it the second largest in Lancashire after Knowsley
. High Sheriff of Lancashire
in 1532.
in Lincolnshire
on his death in 1553. Knighted in 1547, possibly at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
. Only one daughter, Mary survived to adulthood.
, and Lawrence Nowell (amongst others). Often known as John Towneley of Gray's Inn
because he was a Lawyer. Acquired Towneley by his marriage in 1557 to then 16 year old Mary, his first cousin once removed, him being a grandchild and her a great-grandchild of Sir John. Fined and imprisoned several times between 1573 and 1594 for recusancy
and giving shelter to Catholic priests during the during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
. Son of John and Mary. Married Jane Ashton in 1594. Built a large extension on the north side of the hall that was finished about 1626.
in Belgium
and the English College in Rome between 1614 and 1624. Married Mary Trappes in 1628. Inherited the estate in 1635 upon the death of his brother Richard. Killed leading a small Infantry
regiment for the Royalists at the Battle of Marston Moor
during the English Civil War
.
. The first person to make regular measurements of rainfall in England. Inventor of the Deadbeat escapement.
.
in 1713. Arrested for treason in 1715, after the Battle of Preston
, he was later acquitted after an expensive trial. Two of his brothers, John and Francis joined the French army before aiding the Jacobite rebellion of 1745
. Francis Towneley
was the Colonel that raised the Manchester Regiment
, later being captured after the Siege of Carlisle (December 1745)
and executed in 1746. The children’s book How The Hangman Lost His Heart
, although a work of fiction
, is inspired by his story. John returned to France before Culloden
and was made a Chevalier (Knight) of the order of Saint Louis
. Another brother, George avoided the conflict, instead marrying Mary Hodgson, the heiress of Leighton Hall
near Carnforth
.
in 1736. After his death at the age of 27, his widow left Towneley Hall at the time of Jacobite rebellion and did not return.
, Townley Vase
and Townley Discobolus). After his death Towneley passed to his brother Edward Standish, however when he died in 1807 it passed back to their uncle John.
through his mother. Elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1797. Sold the Leighton estate in 1805.
. Son of John and Barbara. Married Charlotte Drummond in 1794. Elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1812. In 1814 he sold his father book collection to fund improvements to the Hall, for which he employed the services of the architect Jeffry Wyattville
. Around 1817, he donated land and £1000 to build the town’s first catholic chapel since the catholic emancipation
. The site was the Burnley Wood
district of Burnley
on Todmorden road, close to the present day St. Mary’s Church. Following the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829, he became High Sheriff of Lancashire
in 1831. Purchased the Lordship of Bowland
in 1835. His daughter Frances went on to marry Thomas Stonor
(later made the 3rd Baron Camoys), one their children was the Catholic archbishop Edmund Stonor
.
in 1836. Elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1842. Held the Lordship of Bowland
from 1846 to 1876. Elected as an MP for Sligo Borough
(now in the Republic of Ireland
) in 1848 and 1852, however unseated on petition both times. High Sheriff of Lancashire
in 1857. His horse Kettledrum won the 1861 Epsom Derby
, He (and possibly others) used the winnings to build St Hubert’s catholic church in Dunsop Bridge
. Promoted from Lt. Colonel to Honorary Colonel in the 5th Royal Lancashire Militia in 1863. JP
. DL
. FSA
.
, (the 8th Baronet
) and Anne, daughter of Sir Thomas Burke, Marble Hill, Galway Ireland in 1840. Was MP for Beverly
from 1841 to 1852. Held the Lordship of Bowland
from 1876 to 1878. Inherited the estate two years before he died, and his only son,Richard, died the year before. John had four daughters, Therese who married John Delacour, Evelyn, Mary,and Mabel.It was necessary to divide the estate between Charles' and John's daughters. Charles' eldest daughter Caroline was already dead and her share went to her husband the Earl of Abingdon
. His middle daughter Emily, the wife of Lord Alexander Gordon-Lennox
inherited the properties in Worsthorne
and Cliviger
. The portion that included Towneley Hall and its park went to his youngest, Alice, the wife of Baron O'Hagan
.
Alice married Thomas O'Hagan, 1st Baron O'Hagan
KP (29 May 1812 – 1 February 1885). Born in Belfast
, the son of a trader. He was called to the Irish
Bar
in 1836. Between 1838 and 1841 he was the editor of the Newry Examiner. In 1840 he removed to Dublin, becoming an Irish Queen's Counsel
in 1849.
His appointment as Solicitor-General for Ireland
in 1860 and Attorney-General in the following year, lost him the support of the Nationalist
party, but he was returned to Parliament
as Liberal
Member of Parliament
(MP) for Tralee
in 1863. In 1865 he was appointed a judge of common pleas, and in 1868 became Lord Chancellor of Ireland
, the first Roman Catholic to hold the chancellorship since the reign of James II
.
In 1870 he was created Baron O'Hagan
, of Tullahogue in the County
of Tyrone
, and held office until the resignation of the ministry in 1874. In 1880 he again became Lord Chancellor on Gladstone's return to office, but resigned in 1881, when became Vice Chancellor of the Royal University of Ireland
.
Thomas Towneley O'Hagan, 2nd Baron O'Hagan
(5 December 1878 - 13 December 1900). From 1899, he served in South Africa
during the Boer War as a Lieutenant in the 3rd Battalion of Grenadier Guards
, but died abruptly of an unknown illness (thought to have been malaria
) just over a week after his 22nd birthday.
Maurice Towneley-O'Hagan, 3rd Baron O'Hagan
(20 February 1882 – 18 December 1961). The second son of Thomas O'Hagan, 1st Baron O'Hagan
. He succeeded in the barony on the death of his elder brother in 1900, when he was still eighteen.
He served as a government whip in the House of Lords
, from 1907 to 1910 in the Liberal Government
. In 1909, he assumed by Royal license his maternal grandfather's surname of Towneley in addition to that of O'Hagan.
During World War I
he had been a Major in the Essex Royal Horse Artillery, for which he raised a regiment in 1914. He was invalided out of the army in 1918.
He switched to supporting the Conservatives in the mid-1920s. Between 1950 and 1961, O'Hagan was a Deputy Speaker and Deputy Chairman of the House of Lords
.
Lord O'Hagan married firstly the Hon. Frances Constance Maddalena, daughter of Edward Strachey, 1st Baron Strachie
, in 1911. She died in 1931. He married secondly Evelyn Violet, daughter of Harry Thornton Ross, in 1937. O'Hagan died in December 1961, his son the Hon. Thomas Anthony Edward Towneley Strachey having predeceased him in 1955, he was succeeded in the barony by his grandson Charles.
Charles Towneley Strachey, 4th Baron O'Hagan (born 6 September 1945). He served as a Page to Queen Elizabeth II between 1957 and 1961 when he inherited the family title. He first took his seat in the House of Lords
on 5 December 1967. A relative of the Strachey Baronets, he is the great-great-grandson of Edward Strachey, 1st Baron Strachie
.
He was an Independent MEP for Devon
from 1972 - 1975. In the first direct elections to the European Parliament
in 1979, he was returned for Devon as a Conservative, and remained an MEP until his retirement when his constituency was abolished in 1994. During his time as an MEP he also served as a whip and a frontbench spokesman for the Conservative government in the House of Lords.
In 2008, after years of ill health, he offered to sell some of his subsidiary titles to pay for medical bills. In 2009, it was reported that Lord O'Hagan had claimed the Lord of Bowland
. Previously thought lost or in the possession of the Crown having disappeared from the historical record in late nineteenth century, it transpired that the title had been retained by the family trust.
Lord O'Hagan has been married three times - firstly to Princess Tamara Imeretinsky (1967–84), secondly to Mary Roose-Francis (1985–95), and thirdly to Elizabeth Smith (1995–present). He has two daughters - one from each of his first two marriages (Nina, b.1968; and Antonia, b.1986) - and his heir apparent is his younger brother the Hon. Richard Towneley Strachey.
) mother (Lady Alice Josephine Bertie), and brother of Peregrine Worsthorne
. Assumed the surname and arms of Towneley by Royal Licence. High Sheriff of Lancashire
in 1971. Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire
from 1976 to 1996. Made a KCVO
in 1994. His late wife Mary was a keen horse rider and instrumental in the development of the Pennine Bridleway
, as a result the part of the route
is named after her. She was made an MBE
in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in 2000. One of their daughters is the author K M Grant
.
Hall (53.8263°N 2.5149°W) is close to Ribchester
in Lancashire
.
Possibly descended from Robert Towneley, the 2nd son of Richard de Towneley and Ellen. However the evidence also suggests a later source for this branch of the family.
Richard Townley (died around 1670) is believed to have built Dutton Hall.
Richard Townley (1689–1762) married Jane Greaves. Steward
to Alexander Butterworth of Belfield
Hall in Rochdale (formerly in Lancashire now in Greater Manchester
). Inherited the Belfield Estate in 1728. Also Inherited the Greaves family's Fulbourn
Estaste in Cambridgeshire
and Beaupré Hall
in Norfolk
. High Sheriff of Lancashire
in 1751.
Colonel Richard Townley (1726–1801), eldest son of Richard and Jane. Married Anne Western in 1750. Patron and friend of the author John Collier AKA Tim Bobbin
.
Richard Greaves Townley (1751–1823), eldest son of Richard and Anne. Married Margaret Gale in 1785. His daughter Margaret married Charles Mitford, their son was the politician William Townley Mitford
.
Richard Greaves Townley
(1786–1855), eldest son of Richard and Margaret. Married Cecil Watson in 1821. Was MP for Cambridgeshire
from 1831 to 1841 and from 1847 to 1852. He sold the Belfield Estate in 1851. One of his sons was the Jockey and Cricketer, Captain Thomas Manners Townley (1825–1895), who came second in the 1860 Grand National
.
Charles Watson Townley (1824–1893), second son of Richard and Cecil. Married Georgiana Dallison in 1874. Was Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire
1874 from 1893. One of his sons was Sir Walter Beaupré Townley K.C.M.G. (1863–1945) who married Susan Mary Keppel in 1896, the daughter of William Keppel, 7th Earl of Albemarle
. He entered a career in the diplomatic service. He held Ambassadorial positions to Romania 1911-12, Iran 1912-1916 and the Netherlands 1917–1919. Another son was the agriculturist and politician Max Townley
.
Rev. Charles Francis Townley (1856–1930), eldest son of Carles and Georgiana. Married Alice Rosalinde Murray Pratt in 1885.
Charles Evelyn Townley (1887–1983), eldest son of Charles and Alice. Married Marjorie Templer.
Richard Templer Townley (1921–present), eldest son of Charles and Marjorie.
in Lancashire
. This branch of the family also owned Carr Hall (53.8406°N 2.2312°W) (demolished in the 1950s) on the southwestern edge of Barrowford
.
Believed to be descended from Lawrence Towneley (born around 1446), the 2nd son of John Towneley and Isabel Sherburne. Brother of Sir Richard.
Henry Towneley (c1541-died?) married Anne Catterall (c1539-died?), daughter of Thomas Catherall in 1559. It has been suggested that this is the Anne Towneley whose death is mentioned in the Pendle witch trials.
Lawrence Towneley donated a font
to the Anglican
St Bartholomew's Church in Colne
in 1590.
on the River Calder, Lancashire
.
Littleton
refers to Astlam (Astleham) Manor (formerly in Middlesex
, today in Surrey
), now submerged beneath the Queen Mary Reservoir next to the site of Shepperton Studios
.
Believed to be descended from Nicholas Towneley (born after 1446), the 3rd son of John Towneley and Isabel Sherburne. Brother of Sir Richard.
Richard Towneley (1482–1541), married Margaret Clarke.
Nicholas Towneley (1505–1546), eldest son of Richard and Margaret. Entered Gray’s Inn in 1522. Married Anne Vaughan.
Edmund Townley (c. 1532–1598), eldest son of Nicholas and Margaret. Married Katherine Curzon.
Nicholas Towneley (c. 1574–1645), eldest son of Edmund and Katherine. Married Issabell Woodroffe. Was High Sheriff of Lancashire
in 1631.
Francis Townley (c. 1576–1616), son of Edmund and Katherine. Married Catherine Foster. Inherited land in Littleton through his mother around 1600.
Nicholas Townley (1612–1687), eldest son of Francis and Catherine. Entered Gray's Inn in 1623. Married Joanne White. He was known as Nicholas Townley of Littleton. Unsuccessfully attempted to regain the Royle estate in the Court of Chancery
in 1646. Sold Astlam around 1660 and moved into London. One of his sons Richard
went to America
in 1683. He married his 2nd wife, Elizabeth Carteret (née. Smith), widow of the 1st governor of New Jersey
Sir Philip Carteret
in 1685. Their descendants include Jonathan Townley Crane
, Stephen Crane
and A. C. Townley
.
Nicholas Townley (1642–1685), married Jane Gildredge. He was known as Nicholas Townley of East Bourne.
Charles Townley
and James Townley
are believed to be the great-grandsons of Nicholas and Joanne, through their father's father (both also called Charles).
This branch was started by Bernard Towneley (c1532-1602), illegitimate
son of John Towneley, the brother of Sir John. He married Agnes Ormeroyd. He built Hurstwood Hall in 1579.
John Towneley (c1560-died?) married Eleanor Haydock in 1583.
John Townley (1584-died?) married Eleanor Grymshaw.
John Towneley (1631–1664) married Katherine Rishton.
John Towneley (c1651-1704)
.
Descendents include: George Washington
and Robert E. Lee
.
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...
recusant
Recusancy
In the history of England and Wales, the recusancy was the state of those who refused to attend Anglican services. The individuals were known as "recusants"...
family whose ancestry can be traced back to Norman England. They take their name from Towneley Hall in Burnley
Burnley
Burnley is a market town in the Burnley borough of Lancashire, England, with a population of around 73,500. It lies north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Brun....
, Lancashire
Lancashire
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...
, which was the family seat
Family seat
A seat or family seat is the principal residence of a family. The residence usually denotes the social, economic, political, or historic connection of the family within a given area. Some families took their dynasty name from their family seat , or named their family seat after their own dynasty...
until its sale in 1901.
The Towneleys of Towneley Hall
Richard de Towneley (born?-1381)
Married Ellen by 1345. High Sheriff of LancashireHigh Sheriff of Lancashire
The High Sheriff of Lancashire is an ancient officer, now largely ceremonial, granted to Lancashire, a county in North West England. High Shrievalties are the oldest secular titles under the Crown, in England and Wales...
from 1374 to 1377.
John Towneley (1415-c1473)
Married three times however only had children with his second wife Isabel SherburneSir Richard Towneley (1445–1482)
Son of John and Isabel. Married Joanna Southworth in 1472. Knighted at Hutton FieldHutton, Scottish Borders
Hutton is a small village in the pre-1975 ancient county of Berwickshire, now an administrative area of the Scottish Borders region of Scotland. It is a traditional, country village surrounded by farmland.-Locality:...
in 1482, during Richard Duke of Gloucester's (later King Richard III) Scottish
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...
Campaign that captured Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
.
Sir John Towneley (1473–1540)
Son of Sir Richard and Joanna. Married Isabel Pilkington in 1480. Was knighted on 30 September 1497 by the Earl of SurreyThomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal , styled Earl of Surrey from 1483 to 1514, was the only son of John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk by his first wife, Katherine Moleyns...
. Probably at Ayton when the peace treaty was signed with Scotland after the Perkin Warbeck
Perkin Warbeck
Perkin Warbeck was a pretender to the English throne during the reign of King Henry VII of England. By claiming to be Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, the younger son of King Edward IV, one of the Princes in the Tower, Warbeck was a significant threat to the newly established Tudor Dynasty,...
skirmishes. Established the 1100 acre, Hapton
Hapton, Lancashire
Hapton is a village and civil parish in the borough of Burnley, in the English county of Lancashire. The village is west of Burnley town centre, and has a railway station on the East Lancashire Line. It has a population of 3,769...
Park making it the second largest in Lancashire after Knowsley
Knowsley Hall
Knowsley Hall is a stately home near Liverpool within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, in Merseyside, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building, and is the ancestral home of the Stanley family, the Earls of Derby. The hall is surrounded by of...
. High Sheriff of Lancashire
High Sheriff of Lancashire
The High Sheriff of Lancashire is an ancient officer, now largely ceremonial, granted to Lancashire, a county in North West England. High Shrievalties are the oldest secular titles under the Crown, in England and Wales...
in 1532.
Richard Towneley (1499-1555)
Son of Sir John and Isabel, married Grace (also known as Elizabeth) Foljambe in 1511.Sir Richard Towneley (born?-1554)
Son of Richard and Grace. Married Francis Wimbishe around 1536, sister of Thomas Wymbishe, who inherited his Nocton estateNocton Hall
Nocton Hall is a historic listed building in the village of Nocton, in Lincolnshire, England. Originally constructed for the Ellys family, it burnt down in 1834 and was rebuilt in 1841 for the first Earl of Ripon, who lived at the steward's house in Nocton while the house was being built...
in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
on his death in 1553. Knighted in 1547, possibly at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
The Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, on the banks of the River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland on 10 September 1547, was part of the War of the Rough Wooing. It was the last pitched battle between Scottish and English armies, and is seen as the first modern battle in the British Isles...
. Only one daughter, Mary survived to adulthood.
John Towneley (c1528-1607)
Son of Sir John’s second son Charles and Elizabeth Kaye. Half brother through his mother to Alexander NowellAlexander Nowell
Alexander Nowell was an English Puritan theologian and clergyman, who served as dean of St Paul's during much of Elizabeth I's reign.-Biography:...
, and Lawrence Nowell (amongst others). Often known as John Towneley of Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
because he was a Lawyer. Acquired Towneley by his marriage in 1557 to then 16 year old Mary, his first cousin once removed, him being a grandchild and her a great-grandchild of Sir John. Fined and imprisoned several times between 1573 and 1594 for recusancy
Recusancy
In the history of England and Wales, the recusancy was the state of those who refused to attend Anglican services. The individuals were known as "recusants"...
and giving shelter to Catholic priests during the during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Richard Towneley (1566-1628)
Born at Towneley Hall, BurnleyBurnley
Burnley is a market town in the Burnley borough of Lancashire, England, with a population of around 73,500. It lies north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Brun....
. Son of John and Mary. Married Jane Ashton in 1594. Built a large extension on the north side of the hall that was finished about 1626.
Charles Towneley (1600–1644)
Born at Towneley Hall. Son of Richard and Jane. Catholic. Attended St. Omer's College and LouvainOld University of Leuven
The Old University of Leuven is the name historians give to the university, or studium generale, founded in Leuven, Brabant , in 1425, and closed in 1797, a week after the cession to the French Republic of the Austrian Netherlands and the principality of Liège by the Treaty of Campo Formio.When...
in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and the English College in Rome between 1614 and 1624. Married Mary Trappes in 1628. Inherited the estate in 1635 upon the death of his brother Richard. Killed leading a small Infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
regiment for the Royalists at the Battle of Marston Moor
Battle of Marston Moor
The Battle of Marston Moor was fought on 2 July 1644, during the First English Civil War of 1642–1646. The combined forces of the Scottish Covenanters under the Earl of Leven and the English Parliamentarians under Lord Fairfax and the Earl of Manchester defeated the Royalists commanded by Prince...
during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
.
Richard Towneley (1629–1707)
Recovered the Lancashire estates from the Parliamentary Sequestration CommitteeCommittee for Compounding with Delinquents
In 1643, near the start of the English Civil War, Parliament set up two committees the Sequestration Committee which confiscated the estates of the Royalists who fought against Parliament, and the Committee for Compounding with Delinquents which allowed Royalists whose estates had been...
. The first person to make regular measurements of rainfall in England. Inventor of the Deadbeat escapement.
Charles Towneley (1658-1712)
Son of Richard and Margaret. Married Ursula Fermor in 1685. Implicated with his farther in the plot to secure the return to the English throne of King James II in 1690 that resulted in the Battle of the BoyneBattle 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...
.
Richard Towneley (1689-1735)
Son of Charles and Ursula. Married Mary Widdrington, the sister of William Widdrington, 4th Baron WiddringtonWilliam Widdrington, 4th Baron Widdrington
Baron William Widdrington succeeded to the title 4th Baron Widdrington of Blankney on the death of his father in 1695....
in 1713. Arrested for treason in 1715, after the Battle of Preston
Battle of Preston (1715)
The Battle of Preston , also referred to as the Preston Fight, was fought during the Jacobite Rising of 1715 ....
, he was later acquitted after an expensive trial. Two of his brothers, John and Francis joined the French army before aiding the Jacobite 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...
. Francis Towneley
Francis Towneley
Francis Towneley , was an English Jacobite who was executed for his role in the rebellion of 1745.-Early life:He was the fifth son of Charles Towneley of Towneley Hall, Lancashire, by his wife Ursula, daughter of Richard Fermor of Tusmore, Oxfordshire.His family were Roman catholics and Jacobite...
was the Colonel that raised 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....
, later being captured after the Siege of Carlisle (December 1745)
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...
and executed in 1746. The children’s book How The Hangman Lost His Heart
How 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,...
, is inspired by his story. John returned to France before Culloden
Battle of Culloden
The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Taking place on 16 April 1746, the battle pitted the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart against an army commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, loyal to the British government...
and was made a Chevalier (Knight) of the order of Saint Louis
Order of Saint Louis
The Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis was a military Order of Chivalry founded on 5 April 1693 by Louis XIV and named after Saint Louis . It was intended as a reward for exceptional officers, and is notable as the first decoration that could be granted to non-nobles...
. Another brother, George avoided the conflict, instead marrying Mary Hodgson, the heiress of Leighton Hall
Leighton Hall, Lancashire
Leighton Hall is an historic house to the west of Yealand Conyers, Lancashire, England . It is a Grade II* listed building.It was the seat of the 1642-1673 Middleton Baronetcy of George Middleton. The estate came into the possession of George Towneley of Towneley Hall in Burnley, through his...
near Carnforth
Carnforth
- References :...
.
William Towneley (1714–1742)
Son of Richard and Mary. Married Cecilia Standish, granddaughter of the 6th Duke of NorfolkHenry Howard, 6th Duke of Norfolk
Henry Howard, 6th Duke of Norfolk was the second son of Henry Howard, 22nd Earl of Arundel and Lady Elizabeth Stuart. He succeeded his brother Thomas Howard, 5th Duke of Norfolk after his death in 1677...
in 1736. After his death at the age of 27, his widow left Towneley Hall at the time of Jacobite rebellion and did not return.
Charles Townley (1737–1805)
Son of William and Cecilia. Collector of the Towneley Marbles (including the Townley VenusTownley Venus
The Townley Venus is a 2.14 m high 1st or 2nd century AD Roman sculpture in Proconnesian marble of the goddess Venus, from the collection of Charles Towneley. It was bought by him from the dealer Gavin Hamilton, who excavated it at Ostia in 1775...
, Townley Vase
Townley Vase
The Townley Vase is a large Roman marble vase of the 2nd century CE, discovered in 1773 by the Scottish antiquarian and dealer in antiquities Gavin Hamilton in excavating a Roman villa at Monte Cagnolo, between Genzano and Civita Lavinia, near the ancient Lanuvium, in Lazio, southeast of Rome. The...
and Townley Discobolus). After his death Towneley passed to his brother Edward Standish, however when he died in 1807 it passed back to their uncle John.
John Towneley (1731–1813)
Son of Richard and Mary. Book collector. Married Barbara Dicconson in 1756. His collection included the Towneley Cycle. In 1786, his uncle George left him the Leighton estate, which he had greatly improved. In 1792 he inherited the Widdrington’s Stella estatesStella park
Stella Park is a housing estate in Blaydon-on-Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England, located on the grounds of a mansion of the same name.-Stella Hall:...
through his mother. Elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1797. Sold the Leighton estate in 1805.
Peregrine Edward Towneley (1762–1846)
Born on 10 October 1762 at Corney House, ChiswickChiswick
Chiswick is a large suburb of west London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located on a meander of the River Thames, west of Charing Cross and is one of 35 major centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, with...
. Son of John and Barbara. Married Charlotte Drummond in 1794. Elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1812. In 1814 he sold his father book collection to fund improvements to the Hall, for which he employed the services of the architect Jeffry Wyattville
Jeffry Wyattville
Sir Jeffry Wyattville was an English architect and garden designer. His original surname was Wyatt, and his name is sometimes also written as Jeffrey and his surname as Wyatville; he changed his name in 1824.He was trained by his uncles Samuel Wyatt and James Wyatt, who were both leading architects...
. Around 1817, he donated land and £1000 to build the town’s first catholic chapel since the catholic emancipation
Catholic Emancipation
Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th century which involved reducing and removing many of the restrictions on Roman Catholics which had been introduced by the Act of Uniformity, the Test Acts and the penal laws...
. The site was the Burnley Wood
Burnley Wood
Burnley Wood is a district of Burnley, Lancashire. In broad terms it lies between Parliament Street in the north and Stoney Street in the south, and from the railway in the west to Todmorden Road in the east.-History:...
district of Burnley
Burnley
Burnley is a market town in the Burnley borough of Lancashire, England, with a population of around 73,500. It lies north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Brun....
on Todmorden road, close to the present day St. Mary’s Church. Following the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829, he became High Sheriff of Lancashire
High Sheriff of Lancashire
The High Sheriff of Lancashire is an ancient officer, now largely ceremonial, granted to Lancashire, a county in North West England. High Shrievalties are the oldest secular titles under the Crown, in England and Wales...
in 1831. Purchased the Lordship of Bowland
Lordship of Bowland
The Lordship of Bowland, an ancient English title connected with the Forest of Bowland in the northwest of England, was once thought lost and was only recently rediscovered. It disappeared from sight in 1885 when the estates of the Towneleys, one of Lancashire’s great aristocratic families, were...
in 1835. His daughter Frances went on to marry Thomas Stonor
Thomas Stonor, 3rd Baron Camoys
Thomas Stonor, 3rd Baron Camoys was a British MP and member of the peerage.Thomas Stonor sat as a Member of Parliament for Oxford from 1832–1833 and was High Sheriff of Oxfordshire for 1836....
(later made the 3rd Baron Camoys), one their children was the Catholic archbishop Edmund Stonor
Edmund Stonor
Most Rev. Edmund Stonor was a prominent British Roman Catholic archbishop.Born into the recusancy on 2 April 1831 at Stonor, England, the ancestral home of the Stonor family, he was the son of Thomas Stonor, 3rd Lord Camoys and Frances . Rev...
.
Colonel Charles Towneley (1803–1876)
Son of Peregrine and Charlotte. He married Lady Caroline Molyneux the daughter of the Earl of SeftonWilliam Molyneux, 2nd Earl of Sefton
William Philip Molyneux, 2nd Earl of Sefton , also known as Lord Dashalong, was a sportsman, gambler and a friend of the Prince Regent.-Personal life:...
in 1836. Elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1842. Held the Lordship of Bowland
Lordship of Bowland
The Lordship of Bowland, an ancient English title connected with the Forest of Bowland in the northwest of England, was once thought lost and was only recently rediscovered. It disappeared from sight in 1885 when the estates of the Towneleys, one of Lancashire’s great aristocratic families, were...
from 1846 to 1876. Elected as an MP for Sligo Borough
Sligo Borough (UK Parliament constituency)
Sligo Borough is a former borough constituency in Ireland, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.It was an original constituency represented in Parliament when the Union of Great Britain and Ireland took effect on 1 January 1801, and returned one Member of...
(now in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
) in 1848 and 1852, however unseated on petition both times. High Sheriff of Lancashire
High Sheriff of Lancashire
The High Sheriff of Lancashire is an ancient officer, now largely ceremonial, granted to Lancashire, a county in North West England. High Shrievalties are the oldest secular titles under the Crown, in England and Wales...
in 1857. His horse Kettledrum won the 1861 Epsom Derby
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
, He (and possibly others) used the winnings to build St Hubert’s catholic church in Dunsop Bridge
Dunsop Bridge
Dunsop Bridge is a village within the Ribble Valley borough of Lancashire, England, situated north-west of Clitheroe, south-east of Lancaster and east of Skipton. It is in the civil parish of Bowland Forest High....
. Promoted from Lt. Colonel to Honorary Colonel in the 5th Royal Lancashire Militia in 1863. JP
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
. DL
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
. FSA
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
.
John Towneley (1806-1878)
Son of Peregrine and Charlotte, brother of Charles, married Lucy Tichborne, the daughter of Henry Joseph TichborneTichborne Case
The affair of the Tichborne claimant was the celebrated 19th-century legal case in the United Kingdom of Arthur Orton , an imposter who claimed to be Sir Roger Tichborne , the missing heir to the Tichborne Baronetcy....
, (the 8th Baronet
Tichborne Baronets
There have been two Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Tichborne, both in the Baronetage of England. Both creations are extinct....
) and Anne, daughter of Sir Thomas Burke, Marble Hill, Galway Ireland in 1840. Was MP for Beverly
Beverley (UK Parliament constituency)
Beverley has been the name of a parliamentary constituency in the East Riding of Yorkshire for three separate periods. From medieval times until 1869, it was a parliamentary borough, consisting solely of the market town of Beverley, which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons...
from 1841 to 1852. Held the Lordship of Bowland
Lordship of Bowland
The Lordship of Bowland, an ancient English title connected with the Forest of Bowland in the northwest of England, was once thought lost and was only recently rediscovered. It disappeared from sight in 1885 when the estates of the Towneleys, one of Lancashire’s great aristocratic families, were...
from 1876 to 1878. Inherited the estate two years before he died, and his only son,Richard, died the year before. John had four daughters, Therese who married John Delacour, Evelyn, Mary,and Mabel.It was necessary to divide the estate between Charles' and John's daughters. Charles' eldest daughter Caroline was already dead and her share went to her husband the Earl of Abingdon
Montagu Bertie, 7th Earl of Abingdon
Montagu Arthur Bertie, 7th Earl of Abingdon was an English peer.-Background:He was the fifth child of Montagu Bertie, 6th Earl of Abingdon and Elizabeth Lavinia Vernon-Harcourt.-Family:...
. His middle daughter Emily, the wife of Lord Alexander Gordon-Lennox
Lord Alexander Gordon-Lennox
Lord Alexander Francis Charles Gordon-Lennox , was a British Conservative politician.-Background:Gordon-Lennox was the fourth son of Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond, and Lady Caroline, daughter of Field Marshal Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey...
inherited the properties in Worsthorne
Worsthorne
Worsthorne is a rural village on the eastern outskirts of Burnley in Lancashire, England. The parish of Worsthorne-with-Hurstwood has a population of 2,986. The village was known as Worthesthorn in 1202, which means thorn tree of a man named 'Weorth'....
and Cliviger
Cliviger
Cliviger is a civil parish within the Borough of Burnley, in Lancashire, England. It is situated to the southeast of Burnley, and northwest of Todmorden and has a population of 2,350...
. The portion that included Towneley Hall and its park went to his youngest, Alice, the wife of Baron O'Hagan
Thomas O'Hagan, 1st Baron O'Hagan
Thomas O'Hagan, 1st Baron O'Hagan KP, PC, QC , was an Irish lawyer and judge. He served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1868 to 1874 and again from 1880 to 1881.-Background and education:...
.
Lady Alice O'Hagan (1846-1921)
Alice found it difficult to maintain Towneley Hall. In 1901, she sold the Hall and 62 acres of park land to the Burnley Corporation.Alice married Thomas O'Hagan, 1st Baron O'Hagan
Thomas O'Hagan, 1st Baron O'Hagan
Thomas O'Hagan, 1st Baron O'Hagan KP, PC, QC , was an Irish lawyer and judge. He served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1868 to 1874 and again from 1880 to 1881.-Background and education:...
KP (29 May 1812 – 1 February 1885). Born in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, the son of a trader. He was called to the Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
Bar
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
in 1836. Between 1838 and 1841 he was the editor of the Newry Examiner. In 1840 he removed to Dublin, becoming an Irish Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
in 1849.
His appointment as Solicitor-General for Ireland
Solicitor-General for Ireland
The Solicitor-General for Ireland was the holder of an Irish and then United Kingdom government office. The holder was a deputy to the Attorney-General for Ireland, and advised the Crown on Irish legal matters. At least one holder of the office, Patrick Barnewall played a significant role in...
in 1860 and Attorney-General in the following year, lost him the support of the Nationalist
Nationalist Party (Ireland)
The Nationalist Party was a term commonly used to describe a number of parliamentary political parties and constituency organisations supportive of Home Rule for Ireland from 1874 to 1922...
party, but he was returned to Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
as 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...
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,...
(MP) for Tralee
Tralee (UK Parliament constituency)
Tralee was a constituency in Ireland of the Parliament of the United Kingdom Parliament, returning one Member of Parliament . It was an original constituency represented in Parliament when the Union of Great Britain and Ireland took effect on 1 January 1801...
in 1863. In 1865 he was appointed a judge of common pleas, and in 1868 became Lord Chancellor of Ireland
Lord Chancellor of Ireland
The office of Lord Chancellor of Ireland was the highest judicial office in Ireland until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. From 1721 to 1801 it was also the highest political office of the Irish Parliament.-13th century:...
, the first Roman Catholic to hold the chancellorship since the reign of James II
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
.
In 1870 he was created Baron O'Hagan
Baron O'Hagan
Baron O'Hagan, of Tullahogue in the County of Tyrone, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 14 June 1870 for Sir Thomas O'Hagan, then Lord Chancellor of Ireland. His younger son, the third Baron, served as a Lord-in-Waiting from 1907 to 1910 in the Liberal...
, of Tullahogue in the County
Counties of Ireland
The counties of Ireland are sub-national divisions used for the purposes of geographic demarcation and local government. Closely related to the county is the County corporate which covered towns or cities which were deemed to be important enough to be independent from their counties. A county...
of Tyrone
Tyrone
The name Tyrone can refer to:*County Tyrone, a county in Northern Ireland, roughly corresponding to the ancient kingdom of Tír Eogain*An Earl of Tyrone*A small steam train which runs between Bushmills and the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland-Places:...
, and held office until the resignation of the ministry in 1874. In 1880 he again became Lord Chancellor on Gladstone's return to office, but resigned in 1881, when became Vice Chancellor of the Royal University of Ireland
National University of Ireland
The National University of Ireland , , is a federal university system of constituent universities, previously called constituent colleges, and recognised colleges set up under the Irish Universities Act, 1908, and significantly amended by the Universities Act, 1997.The constituent universities are...
.
Thomas Towneley O'Hagan, 2nd Baron O'Hagan
Thomas Towneley O'Hagan, 2nd Baron O'Hagan
Thomas Towneley O'Hagan, 2nd Baron O'Hagan , was a British peer and soldier.He was the eldest son of Thomas O'Hagan, the Lord Chancellor of Ireland in Gladstone's first two governments, and of Alice Towneley from Lancashire's prominent Towneley family, from whom he inherited considerable land...
(5 December 1878 - 13 December 1900). From 1899, he served in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
during the Boer War as a Lieutenant in the 3rd Battalion of Grenadier Guards
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
, but died abruptly of an unknown illness (thought to have been malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
) just over a week after his 22nd birthday.
Maurice Towneley-O'Hagan, 3rd Baron O'Hagan
Maurice Towneley-O'Hagan, 3rd Baron O'Hagan
Maurice Herbert Towneley Towneley-O'Hagan, 3rd Baron O'Hagan , was a British Liberal and later Conservative politician....
(20 February 1882 – 18 December 1961). The second son of Thomas O'Hagan, 1st Baron O'Hagan
Thomas O'Hagan, 1st Baron O'Hagan
Thomas O'Hagan, 1st Baron O'Hagan KP, PC, QC , was an Irish lawyer and judge. He served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1868 to 1874 and again from 1880 to 1881.-Background and education:...
. He succeeded in the barony on the death of his elder brother in 1900, when he was still eighteen.
He served as a government whip in 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....
, from 1907 to 1910 in the Liberal Government
Liberal Government 1905-1915
With the fall of Arthur Balfour's Conservative government in the United Kingdom in December 1905, the Liberals under Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman were called in to form a government. In the subsequent election, the Liberals won an enormous majority...
. In 1909, he assumed by Royal license his maternal grandfather's surname of Towneley in addition to that of O'Hagan.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he had been a Major in the Essex Royal Horse Artillery, for which he raised a regiment in 1914. He was invalided out of the army in 1918.
He switched to supporting the Conservatives in the mid-1920s. Between 1950 and 1961, O'Hagan was a Deputy Speaker and Deputy Chairman of 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....
.
Lord O'Hagan married firstly the Hon. Frances Constance Maddalena, daughter of Edward Strachey, 1st Baron Strachie
Edward Strachey, 1st Baron Strachie
Edward Strachey, 1st Baron Strachie PC , known as Sir Edward Strachey, Bt, between 1901 and 1911, was a British Liberal politician. He was a member of the Liberal administrations of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman and H. H...
, in 1911. She died in 1931. He married secondly Evelyn Violet, daughter of Harry Thornton Ross, in 1937. O'Hagan died in December 1961, his son the Hon. Thomas Anthony Edward Towneley Strachey having predeceased him in 1955, he was succeeded in the barony by his grandson Charles.
Charles Towneley Strachey, 4th Baron O'Hagan (born 6 September 1945). He served as a Page to Queen Elizabeth II between 1957 and 1961 when he inherited the family title. He first took his seat in 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....
on 5 December 1967. A relative of the Strachey Baronets, he is the great-great-grandson of Edward Strachey, 1st Baron Strachie
Edward Strachey, 1st Baron Strachie
Edward Strachey, 1st Baron Strachie PC , known as Sir Edward Strachey, Bt, between 1901 and 1911, was a British Liberal politician. He was a member of the Liberal administrations of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman and H. H...
.
He was an Independent MEP for Devon
Devon (European Parliament constituency)
Devon was a European Parliament constituency covering all of Devon in England, with the exception of the city of Plymouth.Prior to its uniform adoption of proportional representation in 1999, the United Kingdom used first-past-the-post for the European elections in England, Scotland and Wales...
from 1972 - 1975. In the first direct elections to the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
in 1979, he was returned for Devon as a Conservative, and remained an MEP until his retirement when his constituency was abolished in 1994. During his time as an MEP he also served as a whip and a frontbench spokesman for the Conservative government in the House of Lords.
In 2008, after years of ill health, he offered to sell some of his subsidiary titles to pay for medical bills. In 2009, it was reported that Lord O'Hagan had claimed the Lord of Bowland
Lordship of Bowland
The Lordship of Bowland, an ancient English title connected with the Forest of Bowland in the northwest of England, was once thought lost and was only recently rediscovered. It disappeared from sight in 1885 when the estates of the Towneleys, one of Lancashire’s great aristocratic families, were...
. Previously thought lost or in the possession of the Crown having disappeared from the historical record in late nineteenth century, it transpired that the title had been retained by the family trust.
Lord O'Hagan has been married three times - firstly to Princess Tamara Imeretinsky (1967–84), secondly to Mary Roose-Francis (1985–95), and thirdly to Elizabeth Smith (1995–present). He has two daughters - one from each of his first two marriages (Nina, b.1968; and Antonia, b.1986) - and his heir apparent is his younger brother the Hon. Richard Towneley Strachey.
Sir Simon Peter Edmund Cosmo William Towneley (1921–Present)
Great-grandson of Caroline Towneley through his mother’s (Priscilla ReyntiensPriscilla Reyntiens
Priscilla Cecilia Maria Reyntiens, The Lady Norman, CBE, JP was a London councillor, board member, and supporter of mental health and nursing institutions....
) mother (Lady Alice Josephine Bertie), and brother of Peregrine Worsthorne
Peregrine Worsthorne
Sir Peregrine Gerard Worsthorne is a British journalist, writer and broadcaster. He was educated at Stowe School, Peterhouse, Cambridge and Magdalen College, Oxford. Worsthorne spent the largest part of his career at the Telegraph newspaper titles, eventually becoming editor of The Sunday Telegraph...
. Assumed the surname and arms of Towneley by Royal Licence. High Sheriff of Lancashire
High Sheriff of Lancashire
The High Sheriff of Lancashire is an ancient officer, now largely ceremonial, granted to Lancashire, a county in North West England. High Shrievalties are the oldest secular titles under the Crown, in England and Wales...
in 1971. Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire
Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire
This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire.-References:* The Lord-Lieutenant of Lancashire, Lancashire County Council...
from 1976 to 1996. Made a KCVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
in 1994. His late wife Mary was a keen horse rider and instrumental in the development of the Pennine Bridleway
Pennine Bridleway
The Pennine Bridleway is a new National Trail under designation in Northern England.It runs roughly parallel with the Pennine Way but provides access for horseback riders and cyclists as well as walkers. The trail is around long; through Derbyshire to the South Pennines, the Mary Towneley Loop...
, as a result the part of the route
Mary Towneley Loop
The Mary Towneley Loop is a circular route that forms part of the Pennine Bridleway National Trail, along the borders of Lancashire and Yorkshire....
is named after her. She was made an MBE
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in 2000. One of their daughters is the author K M Grant
K M Grant
Katie M Grant is a children's writer, based in Scotland, who is best known for her DeGranville Trilogy, published by Walker Books.-Early and Personal Life:...
.
Townley of Dutton
DuttonDutton, Lancashire
Dutton is a civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley in the English county of Lancashire, its principal settlement being the hamlet of Lower Dutton.The parish is northeast of Ribchester.- External links :*...
Hall (53.8263°N 2.5149°W) is close to Ribchester
Ribchester
Ribchester is a village and civil parish within the Ribble Valley district of Lancashire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Ribble, northwest of Blackburn and east of Preston.The village has a long history with evidence of Bronze Age beginnings...
in Lancashire
Lancashire
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...
.
Possibly descended from Robert Towneley, the 2nd son of Richard de Towneley and Ellen. However the evidence also suggests a later source for this branch of the family.
Richard Townley (died around 1670) is believed to have built Dutton Hall.
Richard Townley (1689–1762) married Jane Greaves. Steward
Steward (office)
A steward is an official who is appointed by the legal ruling monarch to represent him or her in a country, and may have a mandate to govern it in his or her name; in the latter case, it roughly corresponds with the position of governor or deputy...
to Alexander Butterworth of Belfield
Belfield, Greater Manchester
Belfield is a locality within Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies at the confluence of the River Beal and River Roch, east-northeast of Rochdale's town centre...
Hall in Rochdale (formerly in Lancashire now in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
). Inherited the Belfield Estate in 1728. Also Inherited the Greaves family's Fulbourn
Fulbourn
Fulbourn is a village in Cambridgeshire, England. The term for a resident of the village is "Fulbourner".- Geography :Fulbourn lies about five miles south-east of the centre of Cambridge, separated from the outer city boundary by farmland and the grounds of Fulbourn Hospital. The village itself is...
Estaste in Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
and Beaupré Hall
Beaupré Hall
Beaupré Hall was a large 16th century house mainly of brick, which was built by the Beaupres in Outwell, Norfolk, England and enlarged by their successors the Bells. - shown on this . like many of Britains's country houses it was demolished in the mid-twentieth century.-History of the Hall:The...
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...
. High Sheriff of Lancashire
High Sheriff of Lancashire
The High Sheriff of Lancashire is an ancient officer, now largely ceremonial, granted to Lancashire, a county in North West England. High Shrievalties are the oldest secular titles under the Crown, in England and Wales...
in 1751.
Colonel Richard Townley (1726–1801), eldest son of Richard and Jane. Married Anne Western in 1750. Patron and friend of the author John Collier AKA Tim Bobbin
John Collier (caricaturist)
John Collier was an English caricaturist and satirical poet known by the pseudonym of Tim Bobbin, or Timothy Bobbin. Collier styled himself as the Lancashire Hogarth....
.
Richard Greaves Townley (1751–1823), eldest son of Richard and Anne. Married Margaret Gale in 1785. His daughter Margaret married Charles Mitford, their son was the politician William Townley Mitford
William Townley Mitford
William Townley Mitford was a Victorian Conservative Party politician in Britain.He was born at Pitshill in West Sussex in 1817. He built Bedham school near Fittleworth, which was later used as a church and is now derelict....
.
Richard Greaves Townley
Richard Greaves Townley
Richard Greaves Townley was an English Whig politician.He was elected at a by-election in November 1831 as a Member of Parliament for Cambridgeshire, and held the seat until his defeat at the 1835 general election....
(1786–1855), eldest son of Richard and Margaret. Married Cecil Watson in 1821. Was MP for Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Cambridgeshire is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a 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 1885. It was represented by two Knights...
from 1831 to 1841 and from 1847 to 1852. He sold the Belfield Estate in 1851. One of his sons was the Jockey and Cricketer, Captain Thomas Manners Townley (1825–1895), who came second in the 1860 Grand National
Grand National
The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
.
Charles Watson Townley (1824–1893), second son of Richard and Cecil. Married Georgiana Dallison in 1874. Was Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire
Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire
This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire. The title Lord Lieutenant is given to the British monarch's personal representative in the counties of the United Kingdom. The Lord Lieutenant is supported by a Vice Lord Lieutenant and Deputy Lieutenants which he or...
1874 from 1893. One of his sons was Sir Walter Beaupré Townley K.C.M.G. (1863–1945) who married Susan Mary Keppel in 1896, the daughter of William Keppel, 7th Earl of Albemarle
William Keppel, 7th Earl of Albemarle
William Coutts Keppel, 7th Earl of Albemarle KCMG, PC , styled Viscount Bury between 1851 and 1891, was a British soldier and politician. He served in the British Army before entering parliament in 1857...
. He entered a career in the diplomatic service. He held Ambassadorial positions to Romania 1911-12, Iran 1912-1916 and the Netherlands 1917–1919. Another son was the agriculturist and politician Max Townley
Max Townley
Maximilian Gowran Townley was a British land agent, agriculturist and politician. He served one term in Parliament as a Conservative, and later campaigned for policies to support agriculture...
.
Rev. Charles Francis Townley (1856–1930), eldest son of Carles and Georgiana. Married Alice Rosalinde Murray Pratt in 1885.
Charles Evelyn Townley (1887–1983), eldest son of Charles and Alice. Married Marjorie Templer.
Richard Templer Townley (1921–present), eldest son of Charles and Marjorie.
Towneley of Barnside
Barnside (53.8701°N 2.1042°W) is east of ColneColne
Colne is the second largest town and civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England, with a population of 20,118. It lies at the eastern end of the M65, 6 miles north-east of Burnley, with Nelson immediately adjacent, in the Aire Gap with two main roads leading into the Yorkshire...
in Lancashire
Lancashire
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...
. This branch of the family also owned Carr Hall (53.8406°N 2.2312°W) (demolished in the 1950s) on the southwestern edge of Barrowford
Barrowford
Barrowford is a large village and civil parish in the Pendle district of Lancashire, England. It is situated to the north of Nelson on the other side of the M65 motorway, and forms part of the Burnley/Nelson conurbation. It also comprises the area of Lowerford and sometimes gets confused with its...
.
Believed to be descended from Lawrence Towneley (born around 1446), the 2nd son of John Towneley and Isabel Sherburne. Brother of Sir Richard.
Henry Towneley (c1541-died?) married Anne Catterall (c1539-died?), daughter of Thomas Catherall in 1559. It has been suggested that this is the Anne Towneley whose death is mentioned in the Pendle witch trials.
Lawrence Towneley donated a font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
to the Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
St Bartholomew's Church in Colne
St Bartholomew's Church, Colne
-Sources:...
in 1590.
Townley of Royle and Littleton
Royle (53.8062°N 2.2606°W) is on the northern edge of BurnleyBurnley
Burnley is a market town in the Burnley borough of Lancashire, England, with a population of around 73,500. It lies north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Brun....
on the River Calder, Lancashire
River Calder, Lancashire
The River Calder is a major tributary of the River Ribble, starting in Cliviger close to Burnley in Lancashire, England and is around 24 km / 15 miles in length. Its source is very close to that of the West Yorkshire river with the same name, and that of the River Irwell. It flows through...
.
Littleton
Littleton, Spelthorne
Littleton is a village in Surrey in the borough of Spelthorne, in the United Kingdom. It lies between Shepperton Green to the southeast and Laleham to the west. It also lies along the southern edge of the Queen Mary Reservoir.Littleton is the home of Shepperton Studios. Littleton was home to the...
refers to Astlam (Astleham) Manor (formerly in Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, today in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
), now submerged beneath the Queen Mary Reservoir next to the site of Shepperton Studios
Shepperton Studios
Shepperton Studios is a film studio in Shepperton, Surrey, England with a history dating back to 1931 since when many notable films have been made there...
.
Believed to be descended from Nicholas Towneley (born after 1446), the 3rd son of John Towneley and Isabel Sherburne. Brother of Sir Richard.
Richard Towneley (1482–1541), married Margaret Clarke.
Nicholas Towneley (1505–1546), eldest son of Richard and Margaret. Entered Gray’s Inn in 1522. Married Anne Vaughan.
Edmund Townley (c. 1532–1598), eldest son of Nicholas and Margaret. Married Katherine Curzon.
Nicholas Towneley (c. 1574–1645), eldest son of Edmund and Katherine. Married Issabell Woodroffe. Was High Sheriff of Lancashire
High Sheriff of Lancashire
The High Sheriff of Lancashire is an ancient officer, now largely ceremonial, granted to Lancashire, a county in North West England. High Shrievalties are the oldest secular titles under the Crown, in England and Wales...
in 1631.
Francis Townley (c. 1576–1616), son of Edmund and Katherine. Married Catherine Foster. Inherited land in Littleton through his mother around 1600.
Nicholas Townley (1612–1687), eldest son of Francis and Catherine. Entered Gray's Inn in 1623. Married Joanne White. He was known as Nicholas Townley of Littleton. Unsuccessfully attempted to regain the Royle estate in the Court of Chancery
Court of Chancery
The Court of Chancery was a court of equity in England and Wales that followed a set of loose rules to avoid the slow pace of change and possible harshness of the common law. The Chancery had jurisdiction over all matters of equity, including trusts, land law, the administration of the estates of...
in 1646. Sold Astlam around 1660 and moved into London. One of his sons Richard
Richard Townley
Colonel Richard Townley was born in England probably at Astlam Manor in Littleton . He was the 8th son of Nicholas Townley of Littleton and Joanne White. He emigrated to the New World in the suite of Lord Effingham Howard, Governor of Virginia in 1683...
went to America
British America
For American people of British descent, see British American.British America is the anachronistic term used to refer to the territories under the control of the Crown or Parliament in present day North America , Central America, the Caribbean, and Guyana...
in 1683. He married his 2nd wife, Elizabeth Carteret (née. Smith), widow of the 1st governor of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
Sir Philip Carteret
Philip Carteret (Governor)
Philip Carteret was the first and fourth British colonial governor of New Jersey, from 1665 to 1672 and from 1674 to 1682.The English annexed the Dutch province of New Netherland in 1664, and lands west of the Hudson River were awarded to two Lords Proprietors, John Berkeley and George Carteret...
in 1685. Their descendants include Jonathan Townley Crane
Jonathan Townley Crane
Jonathan Townley Crane was an American clergyman, author and abolitionist. He was born in Connecticut Farms, in Union Township, New Jersey, and is most widely known as the father of writer Stephen Crane.-Early years :...
, Stephen Crane
Stephen Crane
Stephen Crane was an American novelist, short story writer, poet and journalist. Prolific throughout his short life, he wrote notable works in the Realist tradition as well as early examples of American Naturalism and Impressionism...
and A. C. Townley
A. C. Townley
Arthur Charles Townley was an American political organizer best known as the founder the National Non-Partisan League , a radical farmers' organization which had considerable political success in the states of North Dakota and Minnesota during the second half of the 1910s.-Early years:Arthur...
.
Nicholas Townley (1642–1685), married Jane Gildredge. He was known as Nicholas Townley of East Bourne.
Charles Townley
Charles Townley (officer of arms)
Sir Charles Townley was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London.-Early and private life:Charles Townley was born on Tower Hill in 1713, the son of Charles Townley, of Clapham, Surrey and Sarah Wilde, daughter of William Wilde of Long-Whatton in Leicestershire. His mother...
and James Townley
James Townley
Rev. James Townley was an English dramatist and anonymous playwright, the second son of Charles Townley, a merchant.-Early and Personal life:...
are believed to be the great-grandsons of Nicholas and Joanne, through their father's father (both also called Charles).
Townley of Hurstwood
Hurstwood (53.7782°N 2.1818°W) is 2 miles from Towneley Hall.This branch was started by Bernard Towneley (c1532-1602), illegitimate
Legitimacy (law)
At common law, legitimacy is the status of a child who is born to parents who are legally married to one another; and of a child who is born shortly after the parents' divorce. In canon and in civil law, the offspring of putative marriages have been considered legitimate children...
son of John Towneley, the brother of Sir John. He married Agnes Ormeroyd. He built Hurstwood Hall in 1579.
John Towneley (c1560-died?) married Eleanor Haydock in 1583.
John Townley (1584-died?) married Eleanor Grymshaw.
John Towneley (1631–1664) married Katherine Rishton.
John Towneley (c1651-1704)
Towneley of Stonehedge
Stone Edge (53.8664°N 2.2100°W) is near BarrowfordBarrowford
Barrowford is a large village and civil parish in the Pendle district of Lancashire, England. It is situated to the north of Nelson on the other side of the M65 motorway, and forms part of the Burnley/Nelson conurbation. It also comprises the area of Lowerford and sometimes gets confused with its...
.
Descendents include: George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
and Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
.