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Francis Towneley | |
|---|---|
 Towneley Hall inTowneley Park,Burnley | |
| Born | 9 June 1709[1] |
| Died | 30 July 1746(1746-07-30) (aged 37) |
| Buried | St Pancras Old Church and Burnley, Lancashire |
| Allegiance |  France Jacobites |
| Years of service | 1728–1734, 1745–1746 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | Manchester Regiment |
| Battles / wars | War of the Polish Succession Philippsburg Jacobite Rising of 1745 Carlisle, December 1745 |
| Relations | John Towneley (1696–1782) |
Francis Towneley (9 June 1709 – 30 July 1746) was an English Catholic and supporter of the exiledHouse of Stuart orJacobite.
After service with theFrench army from 1728 to 1734, he returned to England and took part in theJacobite Rising of 1745. He was appointed colonel of theManchester Regiment, the only significant English formation to take part in the rebellion. Captured atCarlisle in December 1745, he was convicted of treason and executed atKennington Common,London in July 1746.
Francis Towneley was born on 9 June 1709, fifth and youngest surviving child of Ursula, daughter of Phillip Fermor ofTusmore, Oxfordshire, andCharles Towneley ofTowneley Hall,Burnley,Lancashire.[2] He had three brothers, Richard (1689-1735),John (1696-1782) and George, as well as a sister, Mary (1686-1712).[citation needed]
The Towneleys were prominent members of theRoman Catholic minority in Lancashire and their private chapel served as the focus of Catholic worship in the area until the building of a public church in 1846.[3] Towneley Hall was occupied byParliamentary forces during theFirst English Civil War; Charles Towneley (1604-1644) raised aRoyalist infantry regiment and was killed atMarston Moor in 1644.[4][5]
His grandfatherRichard Towneley (1629-1707), was a scientist andastronomer, part of a close-knit group of Catholic scientific collaborators. Periods of anti-Catholic agitation before and after the 1688Glorious Revolution, saw him fined and imprisoned, culminating in accusations of involvement in the 1694 Lancashire Plot, an alleged attempt to restore the exiledJames II.[6][5]
Francis' father died in 1711,;[5] his eldest brother, also called Richard, was captured atPreston during the1715 Rising but a jury acquitted him of treason in May 1716,[7] although the trial involved the family in heavy expenses.[8] While most Jacobite prisoners were eventually pardoned, one consequence was harsher treatment in 1745 for individuals or families viewed as repeat offenders, including Francis.[citation needed]
Like many English Catholics, Francis was educated atDouai and served in the French army from 1728 to 1734, acting as aide to theDuke of Berwick during the1734 siege of Philippsburg.[2] The northern Catholic gentry formed a small, tight-knit group, among them the Stricklands, who owned lands inWestmoreland andYorkshire. His brother John spent time at the Jacobite court inRome, and served ashead of household forHenry Stuart in 1743. There he would have met Francis Strickland (1691-1746), one of theSeven Men of Moidart who accompaniedPrince Charles to Scotland in 1745.[9]
Towneley returned to Britain sometime before 1743 and lived quietly inWales.[10] His French officer's commission was renewed in late 1744, which suggests he had been identified for a senior role in any invasion. Hearing of Charles' landing in north-west Scotland in August 1745, he traveled toManchester, with two prominent Welsh Jacobites,David Morgan and William Vaughan. They met other Jacobite sympathisers atDidsbury, among them the poetJohn Byrom, who described Towneley as a "gallant soldier", devoted to the Stuart cause, but was shocked by his "profane swearing".[10]
When the Jacobite army arrived on 28 November, Towneley and others formed theManchester Regiment, the only significant English unit raised in 1745. Vaughan and many recruits were Catholic, including a group of 39 fromKirkham, Lancashire, but the gentry generally avoided involvement.[11] Since 1721,Walpole's government pursued a policy of reconciling Catholics to the regime, while closely monitoring any of doubtful loyalty, and the Jacobites made little effort to raise them.[12] Since most felt a Stuart monarch would do little to improve their status, joining the rebellion offered little gain for an enormous risk.[13]
Towneley was appointed colonel on the recommendation of unofficial French envoy, theMarquis d’Éguilles, who knew his brother John. Although viewed favourably by Irish Jacobite Sir John MacDonald, this opinion was not universally shared; Towneley had a reputation for being hot-tempered and one of his officers,James Bradshaw, transferred toLord Elcho's regiment as a result.[14]
The unit was issued with weapons and ammunition atMacclesfield on 1 December but attempts to attract additional recruits were unsuccessful. The Scots had agreed to the invasion only when Charles promised they would receive widespread English support; there was no sign of this and atDerby on 5 December, they insisted on retreat.[15] Morale among the English collapsed and while a few enlisted on the return from Derby, there were an increasing number of desertions.[16]
By 19 December, the Jacobites had retreated as far asCarlisle, captured inNovember, which Charles wanted to retain, as a statement of his intention to return. With his remaining 115 men, Towneley volunteered to join the garrison of 200 under John Hamilton of Sandistoun, an officer from the Duke of Perth's Regiment.[16] According to Adjutant-generalO'Sullivan, his officers believed it was easily defensible and they could hold out for good terms.[17][a] GivenCumberland wanted to execute those responsible for surrendering the castle in November, this was probably an accurate assessment.[18]
However, when government forces reached Carlisle on 22 December, morale and supplies were low and most of the Jacobite officers considered defence futile. At Towneley's trial, a witness claimed he told Hamilton it was "better to die by the sword than fall into the hands of those damned Hanoverians". He was overruled by the others present andthe castle surrendered on 30 December.[16]
Two officers from Lallys escaped over the wall and made their way to Scotland; the other French-Irish regulars were treated asprisoners of war and later exchanged. The Manchesters were only granted their lives, subject to the "King's pleasure"; this meant they would receive a trial, rather than being summarily executed.[19]
Along with Hamilton and other prisoners, Towneley was taken to London and held inNewgate Prison. He reportedly kept to himself and continued his quarrel with Hamilton, whom he referred to as a "Traitor on both Sides [...] to be despised by both Parties".[20]
Claims to be treated as prisoners of war were carefully assessed by the authorities.Charles Radclyffe, de jure 5thEarl of Derwentwater and a captain inDillon's Regiment, was captured with his eldest son en route to Scotland in 1745. Sentenced to death in 1715 before escaping, he was executed in December 1746 under the 1716 warrant, whileJames Radclyffe was released.[21]
Towneley's reliance on his French commission was disallowed; he was tried on 13 July 1746, found guilty oftreason and sentenced to behanged, drawn and quartered, although by then it was customary to ensure the condemned were dead before being eviscerated. He was executed atKennington Common on 30 July, along with eight officers from the Manchester Regiment; George Fletcher, David Morgan, Thomas Chadwick, Andrew Blood, John Berwick, Thomas Deacon, Thomas Syddall and James Dawson. He was said to have been calm and dignified, wearing a suit of black velvet made for the occasion.[22]
His body was interred in the graveyard atSt Pancras Old Church, one of the few places in London reserved for Catholic burials.[23] Along with that of George Fletcher, his head was placed on a pike onTemple Bar; the journalistJohn Taylor reported that it was later removed by friends of his nephewCharles Townley.[24] AuthorKatherine Grant, who is a direct descendant, states the relic was returned to his wife Mary and kept in the family chapel. In the 1930s, it was moved toDrummonds Bank in London, before being interred atSt Peter's Church, Burnley in the late 1940s.[25]
Jacobites of the time used Towneley's name in a number of ballads, most notably 'Towneley's Ghost'. The 2007 children’s bookHow The Hangman Lost His Heart, although a work offiction, uses the execution as a backdrop to the story.
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