John Villiers Stuart Townshend, 5th Marquess Townshend (10 April 1831 – 6 October 1899), known as Viscount Raynham from 1855 to 1863, was a British peer and

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

Member of Parliament.

Life

Townshend was the son of

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

, and Elizabeth Jane Crichton-Stuart. The soldier

George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend Field Marshal George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend, PC (28 February 172414 September 1807), known as The Viscount Townshend from 1764 to 1787, was a British soldier and politician. After serving at the Battle of Dettingen during the War of t ...

, was one of his paternal great-grandfathers, and Prime Minister

John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, (; 25 May 1713 – 10 March 1792), styled Lord Mount Stuart between 1713 and 1723, was a British nobleman who served as the 7th Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1762 to 1763 under George III. He was arguabl ...

, was one of his maternal great-grandfathers. He was elected to the

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

for Tamworth in 1855 (succeeding his father), a seat he held until 1863, when he inherited the marquessate on his father's death and entered the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

. In 1869 Townshend introduced a bill to Parliament making it unlawful for anyone but a parent to box a child's ears, and to permit no corporeal punishment of children except for flogging, known to English youth as "horsing". At the Salisbury Petty Sessions in May 1881, Lord Edward Thynne described how he had been accosted by Lord Townshend and two accomplices on the road between Laverstock and Salisbury. A Colonel Nepean held the pony's head while Townshend struck him several times with the handle of a horse whip. Thynne acknowledged having eloped with Lady Townshend in 1872, but noted that the marquess had never sued for divorce, and alleged that Lord Macduff had attacked him over the same matter while he was abroad. Townshend was convicted of the assault, and sentenced to a fine of £500 or three months in prison. After some hours in jail, he reluctantly paid the fine, equivalent to £ in . Townshend denounced the court, while '' Vanity Fair'' reported unnamed others as saying "the only regret is that he hynnewas not thrashed earlier and worse". In 1897 Lord Townsend placed

Tamworth Castle Tamworth Castle, a Grade I listed building, is a Norman castle overlooking the mouth of the River Anker into the Tame in the town of Tamworth in Staffordshire, England. Before boundary changes in 1889, however, the castle was within the edge ...

and the neighbouring manors of Bolehall and Glascote up for auction. They were bought by the Corporation of Tamworth for £3,000 (equivalent to £ in ). The corporation made the purchase in honour of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

's Golden Jubilee. The castle had come the Townsend family through the marriage of Charlotte Compton, 16th Baroness Ferrers of Chartley to

in 1751, however the family had not lived at the castle and it had been rented to a series of tenants. Lord Townshend died in October 1899, aged 68, and was succeeded in his titles by his son John.

Family

Lord Townshend married Lady Anne Elizabeth Clementina Duff, daughter of

James Duff, 5th Earl Fife James Duff, 5th Earl Fife, (6 July 1814 – 7 August 1879) was a Scottish nobleman. Early life Duff was the son of Sir Alexander Duff, younger brother of James Duff, 4th Earl Fife, and Anne Stein, the daughter of James Stein of Kilbagie and K ...

, on 17 October 1865. Their children included: * John James Dudley Stuart Townshend, 6th Marquess Townshend (1866–1921) * Lady Agnes Elizabeth Audrey Townshend (1870–1955), married James Cunningham-Durham and had issue Lady Townshend died in 1925.

References

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

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Townshend, John Townshend, 5th Marquess 1831 births 1899 deaths 19th-century English nobility Deputy Lieutenants of Norfolk Townshend, John 05 Townshend, John Townshend, John Townshend, John UK MPs who inherited peerages John Townshend British politicians convicted of crimes