The Marquess Townshend | |
|---|---|
.JPG) | |
| Born | 28 February 1724 (1724-02-28) London, England |
| Died | 14 September 1807 (1807-09-15) (aged 83) |
| Allegiance | Great Britain |
| Branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1743–1796 |
| Rank | Field Marshal |
| Battles / wars | |
| Relations | Lord James Townshend (son) |
Field MarshalGeorge Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend,PC (28 February 1724 – 14 September 1807), styled as theViscount Townshend from 1764 to 1787, was aBritish Army officer and politician. After serving at theBattle of Dettingen during theWar of the Austrian Succession and theBattle of Culloden during theJacobite Rising, Townshend took command of the British forces for the closing stages of theBattle of the Plains of Abraham during theSeven Years' War. He went on to beLord Lieutenant of Ireland or Viceroy where he introduced measures aimed at increasing the size of Irish regiments, reducing corruption in Ireland and improving the Irish economy. In cooperation with Prime Minister North in London, he solidified governmental control over Ireland. He also served asMaster-General of the Ordnance, first in theNorth Ministry and then in theFox–North Coalition.
Born the son ofCharles Townshend, 3rd Viscount Townshend, andAudrey Etheldreda Townshend (born Harrison),[1] Townshend was educated atEton College andSt John's College, Cambridge.[2] He joined the army as a volunteer in Summer 1743 and first saw action at theBattle of Dettingen in June 1743 during theWar of the Austrian Succession.[3] He became acaptain in the7th Regiment of Dragoons in April 1745[4] and saw action in theNetherlands.[5] He fought at theBattle of Culloden in April 1746 during theJacobite Rising, and having been appointed anaide-de-Camp to theDuke of Cumberland and having transferred to the20th Regiment of Foot in February 1747, he took part in theBattle of Lauffeld in July 1747 during the later stages of the War of the Austrian Succession.[4]
While serving in Belgium, Townshend was electedMember of Parliament forNorfolk unopposed in 1747.[1] He became a captain in the1st Regiment of Foot Guards and lieutenant colonel in the Army on 25 February 1748.[4] In 1751 he wrote a pamphlet which was deeply critical of Cumberland's military skills.[4] Meanwhile, he argued in parliament thatcourts martial rather than commanding officers should be responsible for discipline in the Army, pressed for a largermilitia and smaller standing army and was personally responsible for ensuring that theMilitia Act 1757 reached the statute book.[6] Once the legislation had passed, Townshend and his family assisted theLord Lieutenant of Norfolk,George Walpole, 3rd Earl of Orford, in putting it into effect in the county. Orford nominated Townshend asColonel of theWest Norfolk Militia.[7][8] Promoted to the rank of colonel in the army on 6 May 1758, he became colonel of the64th Regiment of Foot in June 1759.[6]
Townshend was given command of a brigade inQuebec under GeneralJames Wolfe; when the latter died on 13 September 1759, and his second-in-command (Robert Monckton) was wounded, Townshend took command of the British forces duringBattle of the Plains of Abraham.[6] He receivedQuebec City's surrender on 18 September 1759.[6] However, he held General Wolfe in much contempt (drawing Wolfe in caricature he created Canada's first cartoon[9]), and was harshly criticized upon his return to Great Britain for that reason (Wolfe was a popular hero throughout the country).[6] Nevertheless, he became colonel of the28th Regiment of Foot in October 1759, was promoted tomajor general on 6 March 1761 and fought at theBattle of Villinghausen in July 1761.[3] In May 1762 he took command of a division of the Anglo-Portuguese army, with the local rank oflieutenant-general, to protectPortugal during theSpanish invasion of Portugal.[3]
Townshend becameLieutenant-General of the Ordnance in theGrenville Ministry in March 1763 and succeeded his father asViscount Townshend in March 1764.[6]
He went on to beLord Lieutenant of Ireland in theChatham Ministry in August 1767 and introduced measures aimed at increasing the size of Irish regiments, reducing corruption in Ireland and improving the Irish economy.[6] After theParliament of Ireland rejected his money bill, Townshendprorogued parliament in November 1767, making himself very unpopular inDublin.[1] Most important, he collaborated with Prime MinisterLord North in London in solidified governmental control over Ireland.[1]
Promoted to the substantive rank of lieutenant general on 30 April 1770, he was replaced as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in September 1772.[6]
Townshend returned to office asMaster-General of the Ordnance in theNorth Ministry in October 1772.[10] In the aftermath of his unpopular tour in Ireland, he found himself fighting a duel withCharles Coote, 1st Earl of Bellomont, an Irish Peer, on 2 February 1773, badly wounding the Earl with a bullet in the groin.[11] Townshend became colonel of the2nd Dragoon Guards in July 1773.[12]
In 1779Richard Edwards,Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, began work on Fort Townshend, a fortification inNewfoundland and Labrador, naming it after Lord Townshend.[13] Townshend stood down as Master-General of the Ordnance in March 1782 when theMarquess of Rockingham came to power but, having been promoted to fullgeneral on 26 November 1782,[14] was restored to the post of Master-General of the Ordnance in theFox–North Coalition in April 1783.[6] He retired from that office whenWilliam Pitt the Younger came to power in January 1784.[6]
CreatedMarquess Townshend on 27 October 1787,[15] Townshend becameLord Lieutenant of Norfolk in February 1792.[16] He also becameGovernor of Kingston-upon-Hull in 1794 andGovernor of theRoyal Hospital Chelsea in July 1795.[17] A peculiar tragedy befell Townshend in May 1796: his son, Lord Charles, had just been elected MP forGreat Yarmouth, and he took a carriage to London with his brother, the Rev. Lord Frederick, the Rector ofStiffkey. During the journey, Lord Frederick inexplicably killed his brother with a pistol shot to the head and was ultimately adjudged insane.[18] Promoted tofield marshal on 30 July 1796,[19] Townshend died at his family home,Raynham Hall inNorfolk on 14 September 1807 and was buried in the family vault there.[20]
On 19 December 1751, Townshend marriedCharlotte Compton, 16th Baroness Ferrers of Chartley (d. 1770), daughter ofJames Compton, 5th Earl of Northampton. They had eight children:[6]
He marriedAnne Montgomery, the daughter ofSir William Montgomery, 1st Baronet, on 19 May 1773. Anne wasMistress of the Robes toCaroline, Princess of Wales, from 1795 to 1820. They had six children:[6]
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forNorfolk 1747–1764 With:Armine Wodehouse | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1767–1772 | Succeeded by |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by | Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance 1763–1767 | Succeeded by |
| Vacant Title last held by Marquess of Granby | Master-General of the Ordnance 1772–1782 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Colonel of the2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) 1773–1807 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Master-General of the Ordnance 1783–1784 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Kingston-upon-Hull 1794–1795 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor, Royal Hospital Chelsea 1795–1796 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk 1792–1807 | Succeeded by |
| Vice-Admiral of Norfolk 1792–1807 | Vacant Title next held by The Lord Suffield | |
| Preceded by | Senior Privy Counsellor 1803–1807 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of Great Britain | ||
| New creation | Marquess Townshend 1787–1807 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of England | ||
| Preceded by | Viscount Townshend 1764–1807 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
.jpg)
