Contents [hide]

Townley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Townley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Townley name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in the settlement of Towneley in the county of Lancashire, or by any clearing in which a farm was situated. The surname Townley thus belongs to both the category of habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads, and class of topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees.

Early Origins of the Townley family

The surname Townley was first found in Lancashire where they were descended from Spartlingus, the first Dean of Whalley about 896 A.D. Descended was Liwlphus, Cudwlphus, Henricus the great Baron of Whalley. He was followed by Robertus, Geoffrey who married the daughter of Roger de Lacy, Constable of Cheshire in 1193.

"An estate in Lancashire, which belonged to this ancient and distinguished family, whose pedigree is said to be traced to the time of King Alfred, and to Spartlingus, first Dean of Whalley, who flourished about the year 896. The line of this personage terminated with an heiress, Cecilia of Towneley, in the XIV. century, who married John del Legh, and conveyed the estate to his family. He died in or about 1330, and his great-grandson resumed the ancient surname of Towneley. John del Legh was a cadet of the great Cheshire family of that name. Towneley Hall is still the seat of this race, who may well challenge comparison in point of venerable antiquity with any family in England." 1

Early History of the Townley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Townley research. Another 120 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1375, 1376, 1377, 1531, 1600, 1604, 1629, 1644, 1674, 1683, 1686, 1692, 1697, 1707, 1711, 1737, 1760 and 1782 are included under the topic Early Townley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Townley Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Townley has undergone many spelling variations, including Townley, Towneley and others.

Early Notables of the Townley family

Notables of the family at this time include

Colonel Richard Townley (died 1711), was an English-born, immigrant to Virginia in 1683, Member of the East New Jersey Provincial Council (1686-1692.)

Townley Ranking

In the United States, the name Townley is the 7,507^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Townley family to Ireland

Some of the Townley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Townley migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Townley were among those contributors:

Townley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Townley, aged 35, who landed in New York in 1691 3

Townley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Robert Townley, who arrived in Virginia in 1704 3
Henry and Margaret Townley, who settled in Maryland in 1721
Mary Townley, who settled in New England in 1756

Townley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Townley, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1831 3
Patrick and William Townley, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1834
Alfred Townley, who landed in Mississippi in 1876 3

Townley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Townley Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. Michael Townley, aged 16 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Odessa" departing from the port of Dublin, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 4

Townley migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Townley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Townley, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for life, transported aboard the "Caledonia" in 19th June 1822, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Mr. Richard Townley who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for life, transported aboard the "England"on 31st March 1832, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Mr. Robert Townley, Welsh convict who was convicted in Carnarvon, Gwynedd, Wales for 15 years, transported aboard the "David Clarke" on 3rd June 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Mr. George Townley, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emerald Isle" on 28th June 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8

Townley migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Townley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Townley, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Telegraph" in 1863
Elizabeth Townley, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Telegraph" in 1863

Contemporary Notables of the name Townley (post 1700) +

John Wes Townley (1989-2021), American professional stock car racing driver, son of Tony Townley, co-founder of the Zaxby's chain of chicken restaurants
Sidney Dean Townley (1867-1946), American astronomer and geodeticist, eponym of the Townley lunar crater
Arthur Charles Townley (1880-1959), American Socialist Party organizer
James Townley (1774-1833), English Wesleyan divine, son of Thomas Townley, a Manchester tradesman
James Townley (1714-1778), English author of ‘High Life below Stairs,’ born in the parish of All Hallows, Barking, the second son of Charles Townley, merchant, of Tower Hill, and of Clapham, Surrey
Charles Townley (1737-1805), English country gentleman, collector of the Townley Marbles
Simon Townley (b. 1963), English piano player and composer
Sir Charles Townley (1713-1774), British Garter King-of-Arms, eldest son of Charles Townley of Clapham, Surrey; he descended from a younger branch of the ancient family of Towneley Hall, near Burnley, Lancashire
Reginald Colin "Rex" Townley (1904-1982), Australian politician, Leader of the Opposition in Tasmania (1950-1956)
Michael Townley (b. 1934), Australian politician, former Tasmanian senator
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Townley family +

HMS Hood

Mr. William J Townley (b. 1911), English Stoker 2nd Class serving for the Royal Navy from Lancashire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 9

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Ernest Ethelbert Townley, Canadian 1st Class Passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 10

The Townley Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Tenez le vraye
Motto Translation: Keep or speak the truth.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 58)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/caledonia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-clarke
Convict Records Voyages to Australia. Retrieved 25th March 2022 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emerald-isle
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/