Charles Townshend, 8th Marquess Townshend

Charles George Townshend, 8th Marquess Townshend (born 26 September 1945) is a British peer. He is the elder son of George Townshend, 7th Marquess Townshend, and his first wife Elizabeth Pamela Audrey (d. 1989),[1] daughter of Thomas Luby. He was styled Viscount Raynham until he succeeded his father on 23 April 2010.

The Most Honourable The Marquess Townshend
Arms of Townshend: Azure, a chevron ermine between three escallops argent Arms of the Marquesses Townshend
Born	26 September 1945
Nationality	British
Education	Eton College
Title	8th Marquess Townshend
Predecessor	7th Marquess Townshend
Spouse(s)	Hermione Ponsonby (deceased) Alison Marshall, née Combs
Children	2

Family

In 1975 Townshend married Hermione Ponsonby (1945–1985), daughter of Lt. Cmdr. Robert Martin Dominic Ponsonby, RN, of the family of the Earls of Bessborough, who died in a motor accident in 1985. In 1990 he married Alison Marshall, née Combs, daughter of Sir Willis Ide Combs, KCVO, CMG.[2]

By his first wife, Townshend has two children:

• Thomas Charles, Viscount Raynham (b. 1977), on 15 April 2011 at St Mary's Church, Kingsclere, Hampshire, married Miss Octavia Christina Legge (b. 3 February 1980), daughter of Mr and Mrs Christopher Legge, of Kingsclere, Hampshire.
• Lady Louise Elizabeth Townshend, now Lady Louise Da Paixao (b. 1979), married (2006) Edson Da Paixao.

The current Marquess holds the subsidiary titles Viscount Townshend, of Raynham in the County of Norfolk (created 1682), and Baron Townshend, of Lynn Regis in the County of Norfolk (created 1661), both of which are in the Peerage of England. He is also a Baronet, of Raynham in the County of Norfolk (created 1617). As the subsidiary titles are of the same name as the primary title, the Viscountcy has been referred to as "Viscount Raynham" and the Barony "Baron Lynn".

The family seat is Raynham Hall, Fakenham, Norfolk.

References

1. Allan Freer. "Conqueror 89" from The Conqueror database.
2. "The Raynham Family History. Chapter 15 "The Raynhams of Norfolk" Archived 2008-07-23 at the Wayback Machine

Sources

• Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990,
• Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages
• Lundy, Darryl (2007). "FAQ". The Peerage.
• Allan Freer. "Conqueror 89" from The Conqueror database, in an older version.

External links

• Charles Townshend, 8th Marquess Townshend