Sir Roger Townshend, 1st Baronet (c.1596 – 1 January 1637), was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

landowner and politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, 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 ...

in two parliaments between 1621 and 1629. Raynham Hall

Family

Townshend was the son of Sir John Townshend (died 1603) of

Raynham, Norfolk Raynham is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, consisting of the villages of South, East and West Raynham. It covers an area of and had a population of 257 in 113 households at the 2001 census, increasing to 330 at the Census 20 ...

and his wife

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 Gr ...

. He was the grandson of Sir Roger Townshend (died 1590) and Jane Stanhope (c.1547–1618), the daughter of Sir Michael Stanhope (d.1552) of

Shelford, Nottinghamshire Shelford is a Village#United Kingdom, village and civil parish in the Rushcliffe borough of Nottinghamshire. The population of the former civil parish of Shelford and Newton at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census was 673. Shelford has sinc ...

, by his wife, Anne Rawson, daughter of Nicholas Rawson of

Aveley Aveley is a village 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 King ...

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

. After the death of Sir Roger Townshend (died 1590) (d.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. F ...

. She died at her house in the

Barbican A barbican (from ) is a fortified outpost or fortified gateway, such as at an outer defense perimeter of a city or castle, or any tower situated over a gate or bridge which was used for defensive purposes. Europe Medieval Europeans typically b ...

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 succeeded to the estate of Raynham when his father, Sir John Townshend, died on 2 August 1603 from a wound received in a duel with a kinsman, Sir Matthew Browne.. In 1617 he was created a

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

, of Raynham in the County of Norfolk. He began the construction of the family seat 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 ...

to the design of the architect

Inigo Jones Inigo Jones (15 July 1573 – 21 June 1652) was an English architect who was the first significant Architecture of England, architect in England in the early modern era and the first to employ Vitruvius, Vitruvian rules of proportion and symmet ...

in 1619. In 1621 Townshend was elected Member of Parliament for Orford. He was elected MP for

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

in 1628 and sat until 1629 when King Charles decided to rule without parliament for eleven years. He was

Sheriff of Norfolk The high sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown and is appointed annually (in March) by the Crown. The High Sheriff of Norfolk was originally the principal Law enforcement in the United Kingdom, law enforcement officer in Norfolk an ...

in 1629. Townshend was much esteemed for his charity and munificence. He died aged 41 and was buried in the church of

East Raynham East Raynham is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Raynham, in the North Norfolk district, in the county of Norfolk, England. East Raynham is located south-west of Fakenham and north-west of Norwich along the course of ...

Marriage and issue

Townshend married in or before 1628, Mary de Vere, daughter of

Horace Vere, 1st Baron Vere of Tilbury Horace Vere, 1st Baron Vere of Tilbury (1565 – 2 May 1635) was an English army officer who served in the Eighty Years' War and the Thirty Years' War. A brother of Francis Vere, he was sent to the Electoral Palatinate by James VI and I in 1620. ...

. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his eldest son, Roger. His younger son, Horatio, succeeded to the baronetcy in 1648, and was later elevated to the peerage as Viscount Townshend. His widow married

Mildmay Fane, 2nd Earl of Westmorland Mildmay Fane, 2nd Earl of Westmorland (24 January 1602 – 12 February 1666), styled Lord le Despenser between 1624 and 1628, was an English nobleman, politician and writer. Life One of seven sons of Francis Fane by his wife Mary Mildmay, ...

on 21 June 1638, at Hackney.

Notes

Ancestry

References

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

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 {{DEFAULTSORT:Townshend, Sir Roger, 1st Baronet 1590s births 1637 deaths 17th-century English nobility Baronets in the Baronetage of England Roger Townshend Year of birth uncertain English landowners High sheriffs of Norfolk English MPs 1621–1622 English MPs 1628–1629 People from Raynham, Norfolk Members of the Parliament of England for Norfolk