Lawrence Towneley (aft. 1446 - bef. 1530)

Born after 1446 in Lancashire, England [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Joan (Unknown) Towneley — married about 1475 in England

Descendants

Died before 11 Oct 1530 before age 84 in Lancashire, England [uncertain]

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Biography

Lawrence Towneley of Barnside, Lancashire, was the second son of John Towneley, Esq., of Towneley, Lancashire, and his second wife, Isabel Sherburne.^[1][2] The contract for his parents' marriage was signed in March 1445^[3][4][5] and he had at least one older sibling, Richard, so he was almost certainly born after 1446.

In 1456, Lawrence's father John made a settlement of his manors and lands on his sons: Richard, Lawrence, Nicholas, Henry and Bernard.^[5] Lawrence was the executor of his father's will in 1474^[1] along with his brother Nicholas.^[5]

Lawrence was the first of the Towneleys to lease Barnside from the priory of St John of Pontefract. His son, Henry, and grandson, Lawrence, leased it until 1544, when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries.^[5] The rental [Manor of Colne] of 1527 "gives a list of tenants with their rents; the corn mill and the walk mill, paying £2 13s. 4d. and 13s. 4d. respectively, were held by Henry Townley in succession to Lawrence Towneley."^[6]

Marriage and Children

Lawrence married Joan _______, widow of ______ Banaster. ^[1] The date and place of their marriage are unknown. They had at least two sons and two daughters:

• Henry, married ____ and had issue;^[2][4] Henry died before 24 October 1531^[1]
• Bernard^[2][4]
• Isabel, who married Robert Banastre/Banister of Park Hill,^[2][4] was entered into a marriage contract in 1485^[5]
• Jane, who married Symon Blakey of Blakey,^[2][4] was also entered into a marriage contract in 1485^[5]

A court was held at Colne on 28 January 1507/8 concerning the reversion of lands to the King due to the death of Lawrence's wife, Joan. It was held that John Banastre was her next heir, but this was disputed by Lawrence. The case was brought to trial years later and on 9 October 1515, Lawrence was still maintaining his right of possession during his lifetime.^[5]

Death

Lawrence died before 11 October 1530,^[1] when court records at Colne named his son Henry as his next heir.^[5]

Research Notes

Disputed Daughter

Unsourced profile of Grace (Townley) Rushworth was detached as a daughter of Lawrence and Joan as there is no evidence of this connection.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4} Douglas Richardson. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols., ed. Kimball G. Everingham. (Salt Lake City, UT: the author, 2013), vol. V, page 180, TOWNELEY 15.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4} William Dugdale. The Visitation of the County Palatine of Lancaster, made in the Year 1664-5, volume 3, Chetham Society, 1873, pp. 304-305: Towneley of Towneley; pp. 308-309: Towneley of Barnside.
3. ↑ Charles Davies Sherborn. A History of the Family Sherborn, Mitchell & Hughes, London, 1901, pages 16-17.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4} Thomas Dunham Whitaker. An History of the Original Parish of Whalley and Honor of Clitheroe, 4th ed, vol. 2, pub. George Routledge and Sons. 1876. Online at Archive.org, pages 255-256.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7} Mary Burton Derrickson McCurdy. "The Townleys and Warners of Virginia and Their English Connections." in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, 81, no. 3 (1973): 319-67. Accessed March 26, 2021 at JSTOR.
6. ↑ 'Townships: Colne', in A History of the County of Lancaster, Volume 6, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1911), pp. 522-536. British History Online, accessed 28 March 2021.

See also:

• Richardson, Douglas. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 4 vols., ed. Kimball G. Everingham. 2nd edition. (Salt Lake City, UT: the author, 2011), vol. IV, page 205, TOWNELEY 11.
• Roberts, Gary Boyd. The Royal Descents of 600 Immigrants. (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004). Online at Ancestry.com [$], pages 416-421.
• Tracing the Towneleys 2004, published online by the Towneley Hall Society, Burnley, Lancashire.
• Lewis, Marlyn. Lawrence Towneley entry in Our Royal Titled Noble and Commoner Ancestors website.
• 'Townships: Barrowford Booth', in A History of the County of Lancaster. Volume 6, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1911), pp. 541-544. British History Online: Rishton Thornes, accessed 28 March 2021.

Acknowledgements

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Magna Carta Project

This profile was developed for the Magna Carta Project by Thiessen-117 on 27 March 2021 and reviewed/approved for the Project by Michael Cayley on 31 March 2021.

Lawrence Towneley is listed in Magna Carta Ancestry (vol. IV, pages 204-207 TOWNELEY) in a Richardson-documented trail from Gateway Ancestors Mary Towneley and her nephews, Lawrence Townley and Edward Hoyle, to Magna Carta Surety Baron Robert de Ros. These trails were badged in Marc 2021 and are outlined in the Magna Carta Trails sections of the profiles of Mary Towneley and Edward Hoyle.

See Base Camp for more information about identified Magna Carta trails and their status. See the project's glossary for project-specific terms, such as a "badged trail".