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Charles Townshend | |
|---|---|
 Portrait byJoshua Reynolds | |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | |
| In office 2 August 1766 – 4 September 1767 | |
| Monarch | George III |
| Prime Minister | The Earl of Chatham |
| Preceded by | William Dowdeswell |
| Succeeded by | Lord North |
| President of the Board of Trade | |
| In office 1 March 1763 – 20 April 1763 | |
| Preceded by | The Lord Sandys |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Shelburne |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1725-08-27)27 August 1725 Raynham Hall,Norfolk, England |
| Died | 4 September 1767(1767-09-04) (aged 42) |
| Party | Whig |
| Spouse | Lady Caroline Campbell |
| Alma mater | University of Leiden University of Oxford |
Charles Townshend (27 August 1725 – 4 September 1767) was a British politician who held various titles in theParliament of Great Britain. His establishment of the controversialTownshend Acts is considered one of the key causes of theAmerican Revolution.
Townshend was born at Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England, as the second son ofCharles Townshend, 3rd Viscount Townshend, andAudrey Harrison. A sickly child, he later graduated from Leiden University and served in various political roles, including as a member of the Board of Trade, Lord of the Admiralty, Paymaster of the Forces, and Chancellor of the Exchequer. He played a significant role in the taxation and control of American colonies, proposing the Townshend Acts, which imposed taxes on various exports to America. These acts were met with resistance and eventually led to the American Revolution. Townshend died in September 1767. He was married to Caroline Campbell, who later became the Baroness Greenwich, and his brother, George Townshend, became the Lord-lieutenant of Ireland.
He was born at his family's seat ofRaynham Hall inNorfolk,England, the second son ofCharles Townshend, 3rd Viscount Townshend, andAudrey (died 1788), daughter and heiress ofEdward Harrison of Ball's Park, near Hertford. He was a sickly child, hadepilepsy, and had a strained relationship with his parents.[1] Townshend was a brash young man, whose "wonderful endowments [were] dashed with follies and indiscretions."[2] Charles graduated from the DutchLeiden University on 27 October 1745; while there he had associated with a small group of other British youth, who later became well known in various circles, includingDowdeswell,Wilkes, andAlexander Carlyle. The latter would chronicle their exploits in hisAutobiography.
Following his return in 1746, he representedGreat Yarmouth inParliament until 1756, when he found a seat for the admiralty borough ofSaltash, subsequently transferring in 1761 toHarwich, another borough where the seat was in the government's gift. Public attention was first drawn to his abilities in 1753, when he delivered a lively attack againstLord Hardwicke's marriage bill, although this measurepassed into law.[3]
From 1749 – April 1754, Townshend was a member of theBoard of Trade. It was during this time that he first showed an interest in increasing British powers of taxation and control over the American colonies.[4] In 1754 and 1755, he served asLord of the Admiralty, but at the close of 1755, his passionate attack against the policy of the ministry caused his resignation. In the administration which was formed in November 1756, and which was ruled byWilliam Pitt the Elder, the lucrative office of treasurer of the chamber was given to Townshend, but he retired the following Spring andGeorge Grenville took over. The higher post ofFirst Lord of the Admiralty then fell to Townshend's lot and his refusal to accept the nomination led to his exclusion from the new administration.
In the dying days of Grenville's cabinet, to retain the administration ofLord Rockingham, Townshend accepted the position ofPaymaster of The Forces, though he questioned the stability of the administration, calling it a "mere Lute-string administration" and stating that it was "pretty 'summer wear', but it will never stand the winter."[5]
Under the ministry ofWilliam Pitt the Elder, Townshend accepted the role ofChancellor of the Exchequer[3] in August 1766. A few weeks later his urgent appeals to the Prime Minister for increased power were favorably answered, and he was admitted to the inner circle of the cabinet. The new chancellor proposed the continuance of the land tax at four shillings in the pound, while he held out hopes that it might be reduced next year to three shillings, whereupon his predecessor,William Dowdeswell, by the aid of the landed gentlemen, carried a motion that the reduction should take effect at once. Townshend pledged to find revenue inAmerica with which to meet the deficiency caused by the reduction.[3]
Early in 1767, shortly afterThe Stamp Act was repealed owing to colonial protests and boycotts of British goods, Townshend proposed that the Parliament could procure revenue from the Americans without causing them offense via "external" import taxes instead of internal taxes.[6] These were known as theTownshend Acts.[3] The Acts passed resolutions for taxing several exports to America, such asglass,paint,paper andtea.[7] The Townshend Acts established a Board of Commissioners in Boston to enforce them, which was seen as a threat to the American colonial tradition of self-government. He estimated these export taxes would produce a sum of £40,000 for the British treasury. He had the support of his cousinThomas Townshend who was also a minister in the government. The Townshend Acts would be Townshend's last official act before his death.
Soon after that he died somewhat suddenly of a fever on September 4, 1767.
In August 1755 he had marriedCaroline Campbell (d. 1794), the eldest daughter ofJohn Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll and the widow ofFrancis Scott, Earl of Dalkeith, the eldest son ofFrancis Scott, 2nd Duke of Buccleuch. According toBurke's Peerage, he had two sons (who died young) and a daughter; one of the sons was called Charles, who was born circa 1755, was a talented (amateur) actor under 14 years of age but died unmarried.[8][9]
Townshend's wife was created (August 1767)baroness Greenwich, and his elder brotherGeorge Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend, was madeLord-lieutenant of Ireland.
Townshend conceived a problematic and incestuous feeling for his step-daughterFrances Douglas, Lady Douglas, who was twenty-five years younger and still a child when his mother married him, and her memorialist,Lady Louisa Stuart, wrote after his death of his character:
This was careless, gay, inconsiderate, volatile, seemingly foreign to every serious reflection or feeling. He had one of those happy tempers which nothing can ruffle, without a grain of pride, sternness or resentment in his nature. Ready to laugh with every body and at every thing, he poured out wit in torrents; and it was so much the worse for truth if ever truth stood in wit's way.[10]
The American towns ofTownsend, Massachusetts andTownshend, Vermont were founded and named after Charles Townshend in 1732 and 1753, respectively.[citation needed]Raynham, Massachusetts was also named after him.
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Townshend, Charles".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 27 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forGreat Yarmouth 1747–1756 With:Edward Walpole | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forSaltash 1756–1761 With:George Clinton | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forHarwich 1761–1767 With:John Roberts | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Treasurer of the Chamber 1756–1761 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Paymaster of the Forces 1765–1766 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chancellor of the Exchequer 1766–1767 | Succeeded by |
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