Marquess Townshend
Marquessate of Townshend | |
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heirs male of the body lawfully begotten | |
Subsidiary titles | Viscount Townshend, of Raynham Baron Townshend, of Lynn Regis Baronet 'of Raynham' |
Seat(s) | Raynham Hall |
Motto | Haec Generi Incrementa Fides (Faith obtained these honours for our race) |
Marquess Townshend /ˈtaʊnzənd/ 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
He was succeeded by his son, the second Viscount. He was a prominent statesman and served as Secretary of State for the Northern Department 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 in the House of Commons. However, in 1723, during his father's lifetime, he was summoned to the House of Lords through a writ of acceleration 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.
He was succeeded by his eldest son, the fourth Viscount. He was a
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
Several other members of the Townshend family have also gained distinction.
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 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 the subsidiary titles: Viscount Townshend, of
The family seat is Raynham Hall, Fakenham, Norfolk.
Townshend baronets, of Raynham (1617)
- Sir Roger Townshend, 1st Baronet (1596–1637)
- Sir Roger Townshend, 2nd Baronet (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 (1630–1687)
- Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend (1674–1738)
- Charles Townshend, 3rd Viscount Townshend (1700–1764)
- George Townshend, 4th Viscount Townshend (1724–1807) (created Marquess Townshend in 1787)
Marquesses Townshend (1787)
- George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend (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 (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
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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.[5][6]
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 baronet, of Rainham, Norfolk (1617).[5]
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:[5]
- Thomas Charles Townshend, Viscount Raynham (born 1977)
- Lady Louise Elizabeth Townshend (born 1979)
The heir apparent is the present holder's son, whose heir apparent is his son Rafe Thomas Townshend (born 2014).[6]
Line of succession
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See also
Notes
- ^ George Edward Cokayne Complete Baronetage Volume 1 1900
- ^ "No. 1778". The London Gazette. 4 December 1682. p. 2.
- ^ "No. 12932". The London Gazette. 27 October 1787. p. 499.
- ^ "No. 12541". The London Gazette. 11 May 1784. p. 1.
- ^ a b c Burke's Peerage, volume 1 (2003), p. 362
- ^ ISBN 978-1-999767-0-5-1.
References
- Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, [page needed]
- Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages [better source needed]