John James Dudley Stuart Townshend, 6th Marquess Townshend (17 October 1866 – 17 November 1921), known as Viscount Raynham from 1866 to 1899, was a British peer.

Early life

Townshend was the son of John Villiers Stuart Townshend, 5th Marquess Townshend, and Lady Anne Elizabeth Clementina Duff. His paternal grandfather was

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 his maternal grandfather was

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 ...

. His father was a

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 ...

for Tamworth before his elevation to 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 1863.

Career and peerage

Upon the death of his father in 1899, he succeeded as the 11th Baronet Townshend of Rainham, the 9th Baron Townshend of Lynn Regis, the 6th Marquess Townshend of Raynham, and the 9th Viscount Townshend of Raynham. Lord Townshend served as the Deputy Lieutenant of Norfolk.

Personal life

Heavily in debt, Townshend was forced to sell many of the family's valuables, including nearly 200 masterpieces, including works by

Thomas Gainsborough Thomas Gainsborough (14 May 1727 (baptised) – 2 August 1788) was an English portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Along with his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds, he is considered one of the most important British artists of ...

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradi ...

, and Anthony van Dyck. He leased the family estate

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 ...

, before traveling to America to find a rich wife. Lord Townshend became engaged to a Mrs.

Evelyn Sheffield Eliza Dinah Sheffield (née Fairchild; 6 September 1856 – 28 November 1942) was an English entrepreneur, socialite and forger. Born into a working class family in Southampton, England, she rose through the ranks of society through marriage to ...

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, but broke off the engagement "when he discovered she was not as rich as she had implied." After he returned to England, he was introduced to Thomas Sutherst, a barrister who agreed to pay off his debts if he married his daughter. Lord Townshend isagreed and on 9 August 1905, he married Gwladys Ethel Gwendolen Eugénie Sutherst. Shortly after the wedding, his new father-in-law attempted to have Lord Townshend declared insane, however, "a court found him incapable of managing his own financial affairs, but sane enough to remain at liberty, under the care of his wife." Despite her father's manipulations, reportedly the Marchioness was genuinely devoted to Townshend and worked diligently to restore the family fortunes so her children could be raised at Raynham Hall, although some of the family's land holdings elsewhere were sold. Before his death in 1921, they were the parents of: * George John Patrick Dominic Townshend, 7th Marquess Townshend (1916–2010), who married three times and served as chairman of

Anglia Television ITV Anglia, previously known as Anglia Television, is the ITV franchise holder for the East of England. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional news bureaux in Cambridge and Northampton. ITV Anglia is owned and operated b ...

from 1958 to 1986. * Lady Elizabeth Mary Gladys Townshend (1917–1950), who married Sir Eric White, 2nd Baronet. She later married John Clifford Roberts. Lord Townshend died in November 1921, aged 55, and was succeeded in his titles by his five-year-old son George. Lady Townshend later married Bernard le Strange and died in 1959.Marchioness of Townshend" ''The New York Times'' (13 October 1959): 39.

Descendants

The current Marquess Towshend,

Charles Townshend, 8th Marquess Townshend Marquess Townshend 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 Rog ...

(born 1945), is his grandson and music producer and sound engineer,

Cenzo Townshend Vincenzo Capellini Townshend (born 28 October 1963) is an English record producer, mixer, and audio engineer, and has worked with artists and bands including the Rolling Stones, a-ha, Kaiser Chiefs, U2, Snow Patrol, Florence and the Machin ...

(b. 1963), is his great-grandson.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Townshend, John Townshend, 6th Marquess 1866 births 1921 deaths 19th-century English nobility 20th-century English nobility Deputy Lieutenants of Norfolk 06 John Townshend