Edward Townshend (1760 - 1822)

Born 1760 in Pulham St Mary the Virgin, Norfolk, England

Ancestors

Husband of Louisa Sarah (Milner) Townshend — married 23 Mar 1789 in St Marylebone, Middlesex, England

Died 24 Oct 1822 at about age 62 in Bray, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom

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Biography

Edward was born about 1760. He was the son of Edward Townshend and Mary Price and was baptised at Pulham St Mary, Norfolk on 19 Apr 1760. ^[1]

In 1776 Edward was a legatee in the will of his paternal aunt Mary Cornwallis. She left him all her books and four portraits, including likenesses of Lord and Lady Townshend. ^[2]

Edward attended Christ's College, Cambridge matriculating there from Charterhouse. He was awarded his BA in 1782 and an MA in 1784. Edward was ordained a deacon at Gloucester Cathedral in Mar 1784 and a priest on 25 April 1784. He was vicar of Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire between 1787 and 1820. He simultaneously held posts as Chaplain to Lord Talbot, Vicar of Stewkley, Buckinghamshire and Vicar of Bray, Berkshire. ^[3]

It was during this time that he married Louisa Sarah Milner. Their marriage took place at St Marylebone, Westminster on 24 May 1789. ^[4]

He was the Residuary Legatee in the will of his eldest sister, Mary Georgiana Townshend, who died at Kelvedon in November 1803 and then was mentioned in the Will of his mother, the Honourable Mary Townshend, whose will was made 6 Nov 1805, proved 1816. ^[5]

He died at Bray, Berkshire on 24 Jul 1822 and was buried there on 2 Aug 1822. ^[6] The parish register noted that he had been vicar of the parish for 36 years.

It was reported in the Times of 27 July 1822: On Wednesday, the 24th inst., at the Vicarage at Bray, Berks., in his 63rd year, the Rev. Edward Townshend, vicar of that place, and rector of Henley-upon-Thames, Oxon."

From an obituary published in The Christian Observer, November 1822:On July 24th of the present year died the Reverend Edward Townshend, thirty three years Vicar of Bray , Berks., and Rector of Henley-on-Thames thirty eight years. He was the only son of the Honourable and Reverend Edward Townshend, Dean of Norwich, who married Mary, daughter of General Price. Being deprived of his father while young, he was received into the family of his uncle, the Honourable and Most Reverend Dr. Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury, with whom he resided until he went to college....

His own will was made at Bray on 22 April 1813, leaving all his possessions to his wife, and naming her as Executrix together with Executor the Revd. Wollaston Pym of Radwell in Hertfordshire. It was proved in London 1 August 1822.^[7]

Sources

1. ↑ Ancestry.com. Norfolk, England, Church of England Baptism, Marriages, and Burials, 1535-1812 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. Norfolk Record Office; Norwich, Norfolk, England; Reference: PD 510/3 Ancestry Record 61045 #1265505
2. ↑ Will of Mary Cornwallis: "England & Wales, Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, 1384-1858"
   The National Archives; Kew, Surrey, England; Records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Series PROB 11; Class: PROB 11; Piece: 1027
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry au Record 5111 #419338 (accessed 9 January 2023)
   Will of The Honorable Mary Cornwallis, granted probate on 4 Jan 1777. Died about 1777 in Essenden, Hertfordshire, England.
3. ↑ University of Cambridge; Venn, John, 1834-1923; Venn, J. A. (John Archibald), b. 1883 Alumni cantabrigienses; a biographical list of all known students, graduates and holders of office at the University of Cambridge, from the earliest times to 1900; pg 218 Internet Archive
4. ↑ London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1936 Ancestry Record 1623 #1901763
5. ↑ England & Wales, Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, 1384-1858 Ancestry Record 5111 #570934
6. ↑ "England Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J8Y3-TZZ : 14 March 2020), Edward Townshend, 1822.
7. ↑ England & Wales, Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, 1384-1858 Ancestry Record 5111 #83030