Sir John Townshend MP (c.1568 – 2 August 1603), of

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

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, was an English nobleman, politician, and knight. He was the son of Sir Roger Townshend (died 1590) and Jane Stanhope. He was also a soldier and

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

. He was killed in a duel with

Sir Matthew Browne Sir Matthew Browne (1563 – 1 August 1603) of Betchworth Castle, Surrey, MP, was the only son of Sir Thomas Browne and Mabel Fitzwilliam. He was involved in legal and financial transactions concerning the Globe Theatre in 1601.. He was kille ...

in August 1603.

Family

John Townshend was the eldest son of Sir Roger Townshend (died 1590) and his second wife, Jane Stanhope (c.1547–1618), the daughter of Sir Michael Stanhope (d.1552) of Shelford, Nottinghamshire, by his wife, Anne Rawson, daughter of Nicholas Rawson of

Aveley Aveley is a town and former civil parish in the unitary authority of Thurrock in Essex, England, and forms one of the traditional Church of England parishes. Aveley is 16 miles (26.2 km) east of Charing Cross. In the 2021 United Kingdom c ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

. After the death of Sir Roger Townshend (died 1590), his widow, Jane, married, as his second wife,

Henry Berkeley, 7th Baron Berkeley Henry Berkeley, 7th Baron Berkeley, KB (26 November 1534 – 26 November 1613) was an English peer and politician. He was Lord Lieutenant and Vice-Admiral of Gloucestershire. He was the grandfather of George Berkeley, 8th Baron Berkeley. Fam ...

. She died at her house in the Barbican on 3 January 1618, leaving a will dated 20 July 1617 which was proved by her grandson, Sir Roger Townshend, 1st Baronet, on 10 March 1618.

Career

Townshend inherited considerable estates in

from his father, coming to be recognised as one of the leading members of the county gentry. Educated at

Magdalen Hall, Oxford Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The colleg ...

, he was a member of the Parliaments of 1593, 1597–1598 and 1601, representing Castle Rising,

and Orford respectively. He served in the English Army in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

under Sir

Francis Vere Sir Francis Vere (1560/6128 August 1609) was a prominent English soldier serving under Queen Elizabeth I fighting mainly in the Low Countries during the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) and the Eighty Years' War. He was a sergeant major-general ...

in 1592, and in 1596 took part in the Earl of Essex's expedition against Cadiz, being knighted as a result. Tempers rose high in Norfolk at the time of Essex's Rebellion, and Townshend adhered strongly to the faction led by Sir Edward Coke and opposed to Essex. His feud with Sir

Christopher Heydon Sir Christopher Heydon (14 August 1561 – 1 January 1623) was an English soldier, Member of Parliament, and writer on astrology. He quarrelled with his family over its estates in Norfolk. Background Born in Surrey, Heydon was the eldest son ...

, one of Essex's supporters, ended in 1600 with Heydon challenging Townshend to a duel, but before they could fight both men were summoned before the Privy Council, and were only released when Coke offered to go bail for Townshend's good behaviour. Townshend was said to have been a 'very distinguished member' of King James's first Parliament. However while the Parliament was in session, Townshend fought a duel on horseback on

Hounslow Heath Hounslow Heath is a local nature reserve in the London Borough of Hounslow and at a point borders Richmond upon Thames. The public open space, which covers , is all that remains of the historic Hounslow Heath which covered more than . The prese ...

on 1 August 1603 with a kinsman,

of West Betchworth in Dorking, Surrey. Browne was killed on the spot, while Townshend was mortally wounded and died the following day. Townshend was succeeded by his eldest son,

Roger Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...

, who was then underage. His wardship was purchased by his grandmother, Jane, then the wife of

.. Roger Townshend was created a baronet in 1617, and was the ancestor of the Marquesses Townshend.

Marriage and issue

Townshend married

Anne Bacon Anne, Lady Bacon ( née Cooke; 1527 or 1528 – 27 August 1610) was an English lady and scholar. She made a lasting contribution to English religious literature with her translation from Latin of John Jewel's ''Apologie of the Anglican Church'' ...

(1573–1622), eldest of the three daughters of Sir Nathaniel Bacon (c.1546–1622) by his first wife, Anne Gresham (d.1594), the illegitimate daughter of

Sir Thomas Gresham Sir Thomas Gresham the Elder (; c. 151921 November 1579), was an English merchant and financier who acted on behalf of King Edward VI (1547–1553) and Edward's half-sisters, queens Mary I (1553–1558) and Elizabeth I (1558–1603). In 1565 ...

.. Sir Nathaniel Bacon was a half brother of

Sir Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626), also known as Lord Verulam, was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon led the advancement of both n ...

. Through this marriage the Townshends inherited the former Bacon estate of Stiffkey. There were three children of the marriage: *

Sir Roger Townshend, 1st Baronet Sir Roger Townshend, 1st Baronet (c.1596 – 1 January 1637), was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons in two parliaments between 1621 and 1629. Family Townshend was the son of Sir John Townshend (died 1603) of ...

. *Stanhope Townshend (1597?–1620?), *Anne Townshend, who married John Spelman.

Notes

Ancestry

References

* * * * * *. * * * *

External links

Stanhope, Michael (c.1508-1552), History of Parliament
Retrieved 19 March 2013
Will of Lady Jane Berkeley, National Archives
Retrieved 19 March 2013
Townshend, Sir John (1568-1603), History of Parliament
Retrieved 20 March 2013
Townshend, Robert (born by 1580), History of Parliament
Retrieved 20 March 2013
Browne, Sir Matthew (1563-1603), History of Parliament
Retrieved 20 March 2013 {{DEFAULTSORT:Townshend, John 1560s births 1603 deaths Alumni of Magdalen Hall, Oxford Duelling fatalities English duellists English knights People from Raynham, Norfolk

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

English MPs 1593 English MPs 1597–1598 English MPs 1601 Members of Parliament for Norfolk