[Index]
William TOWNSEND (1734 - 1817)
Children Self + Spouses Parents Grandparents Greatgrandparents
Ellenor TOWNSEND (1767 - )
William TOWNSEND (1768 - 1836)
Thomas TOWNSEND (1770 - 1845)
Elizabeth TOWNSEND (1772 - 1858)
Grace TOWNSEND (1774 - 1849)
Alice TOWNSEND (1776 - )
Mary TOWNSEND (1777 - 1838)
John TOWNSEND (1780 - 1812)
William TOWNSEND (1734 - 1817)

+

Alice ROWE
William TOWNSEND (1711 - ) Theobold TOWNSEND



Rebecca BRIGHT



Ellenor PHILLIPS












b. bef 21 Sep 1734 at Alphington, Exeter, Devon, England
m. 29 Jan 1766 Alice ROWE at Sowton, Devon, England
d. 23 Oct 1817 at Alphington, Exeter, Devon, England aged 83
Near Relatives of William TOWNSEND (1734 - 1817)
Relationship Person Born Birth Place Died Death Place Age
Grandfather Theobold TOWNSEND
Grandmother Rebecca BRIGHT

Father in Law William ROWE
Mother in Law Elizabeth CANN

Father William TOWNSEND bef 19 Aug 1711 Topsham, Exeter, Devon, England
Mother Ellenor PHILLIPS

Self William TOWNSEND bef 21 Sep 1734 Alphington, Exeter, Devon, England 23 Oct 1817 Alphington, Exeter, Devon, England 83

Wife Alice ROWE

Daughter Ellenor TOWNSEND bef 09 Jul 1767 Shillingford St George, Exeter, Devon, England
Son William TOWNSEND 14 Sep 1768 Shillingford St George, Exeter, Devon, England 08 Jan 1836 St Mary Major, Exeter, Devon, England 67
Son Thomas TOWNSEND 14 Jun 1770 Shillingford St George, Exeter, Devon, England 05 Jan 1845 Upton Pyne, Devon, England 74
Daughter Elizabeth TOWNSEND bef 01 Jul 1772 St Petrock, Exeter, Devon, England 16 Apr 1858 Exeter, Devon, England 85
Daughter Grace TOWNSEND 24 Feb 1774 Kenton, Devon, England abt Dec 1849 St Thomas, Exeter, Devon, England 75
Daughter Alice TOWNSEND 1776
Daughter Mary TOWNSEND 04 Nov 1777 Kenton, Devon, England abt Mar 1838 St Thomas, Exeter, Devon, England 60
Son John TOWNSEND 1780 25 Jun 1812 32

Son in Law Richard BOWCHER bef 12 Jul 1760 Devon, England
Daughter in Law Mary MOXEY
Daughter in Law Hannah STOKES
Daughter in Law Anna Maria MAY 06 Mar 1777 Dunsford, Devon, England
Son in Law John BOWCHER Mar 1762 Kenton, Devon, England 28 Feb 1828 Exeter, Devon, England 65
Son in Law Henry SYMONS 23 Oct 1769 Alphington, Exeter, Devon, England
Son in Law Samuel SNELL 13 Dec 1771 Exminster, Devon, England abt Mar 1847 Exeter, Devon, England 75
Daughter in Law Jane OLIVER
Daughter in Law Susanna MOGRIDGE

Grandson William BOWCHER 16 Feb 1787 Kenton, Devon, England
Granddaughter Deborah BOWCHER bef 23 Apr 1788 Kenton, Devon, England abt Sep 1862 Totnes, Devon, England 74
Grandson John BOWCHER 26 Aug 1789 Kenton, Devon, England
Granddaughter Eleanor BOWCHER 1792 Kenton, Devon, England abt Jun 1863 Totnes, Devon, England 71
Granddaughter Bathsheba Ann BOWCHER 1795 Kenton, Devon, England abt Mar 1863 St Thomas, Exeter, Devon, England 68
Grandson Henry Chown(e) BOUCHER BOWCHER 1797 Kenton, Devon, England 23 Oct 1843 Buckland, Spring Bay, Tasmania, Australia 46
Grandson Richard BOWCHER 1800 Kenton, Devon, England
Granddaughter Jehoshabeth Alice Townsend BOWCHER 1804 Kenton, Devon, England
Granddaughter Caroline Elizabeth Cann BOWCHER 1806 Kenton, Devon, England
Granddaughter Eleanor TOWNSEND 1796 1854 Exeter, Devon, England 58
Granddaughter Alice TOWNSEND 1810 Devon, England
Granddaughter Anna Maria TOWNSEND 23 Dec 1812 Upton Pyne, Devon, England
Granddaughter Alice TOWNSEND 29 Mar 1815 Upton Pyne, Devon, England
Granddaughter Jane May TOWNSEND 12 Dec 1816 Upton Pyne, Devon, England
Grandson Henry Cann TOWNSEND 23 Sep 1818 Upton Pyne, Devon, England 03 May 1889 St Thomas, Exeter, Devon, England 70
Grandson William TOWNSEND 07 Oct 1820 Upton Pyne, Devon, England
Grandson Frederick James BOWCHER 12 Feb 1806 Exeter, Devon, England 1877 Marylebone, London, England 71
Grandson Edward BOWCHER 17 Jun 1807 Exeter, Devon, England abt Jun 1877 Exeter, Devon, England 70
Grandson Charles Henry BOWCHER bef 04 Dec 1808 Exeter, Devon, England 19 Jul 1826 17
Granddaughter Eliza Ann Jane BOWCHER bef 04 Dec 1808 Exeter, Devon, England abt Dec 1892 Exeter, Devon, England 84
Granddaughter Emma BOWCHER 18 Aug 1810 St Petrock, Exeter, Devon, England 08 Jul 1854 St Thomas, Exeter, Devon, England 43
Grandson William Townsend BOWCHER 01 Apr 1813 Exeter, Devon, England abt Dec 1877 Exeter, Devon, England 64
Grandson Henry James Cann BOWCHER 29 Jun 1815 St Petrock, Exeter, Devon, England abt Dec 1864 Chelsea, London, England 49
Grandson Francis TOWNSEND bef 1801
Granddaughter Jane SNELL 17 Mar 1802 Exminster, Devon, England abt Jun 1872 Exeter, Devon, England 70
Granddaughter Mary Anne SNELL 30 Oct 1803 Exminster, Devon, England abt Jun 1865 St Thomas, Exeter, Devon, England 61
Granddaughter Matilda SNELL abt Jun 1806 Exminster, Devon, England abt Dec 1886 Exeter, Devon, England 80
Grandson Samuel John SNELL 18 Oct 1809 Exminster, Devon, England 1887 Kenton, Devon, England 78

Events in William TOWNSEND (1734 - 1817)'s life
Date Age Event Place Notes Src
bef 21 Sep 1734 William TOWNSEND was born Alphington, Exeter, Devon, England 2
29 Jan 1766 31 Married Alice ROWE Sowton, Devon, England
bef 09 Jul 1767 32 Birth of daughter Ellenor TOWNSEND Shillingford St George, Exeter, Devon, England
14 Sep 1768 33 Birth of son William TOWNSEND Shillingford St George, Exeter, Devon, England 68
14 Jun 1770 35 Birth of son Thomas TOWNSEND Shillingford St George, Exeter, Devon, England 68
bef 01 Jul 1772 37 Birth of daughter Elizabeth TOWNSEND St Petrock, Exeter, Devon, England Note 1
24 Feb 1774 39 Birth of daughter Grace TOWNSEND Kenton, Devon, England 68
1776 42 Birth of daughter Alice TOWNSEND 2
04 Nov 1777 43 Birth of daughter Mary TOWNSEND Kenton, Devon, England 68
1780 46 Birth of son John TOWNSEND Townshend 2
25 Jun 1812 77 Death of son John TOWNSEND (aged 32) 2
16 Sep 1814 79 Will Alphington, Exeter, Devon, England 2
23 Oct 1817 83 William TOWNSEND died Alphington, Exeter, Devon, England
Note 1: Kenton (Shillingford), Exeter, Devon, England
Source References:
2. Type: Book, Abbr: Devon to Down Under, Title: Devon to Down Under, Auth: Bettie Elworthy, Publ: Bookbound, Date: 1997
- Reference = 5 (Birth)
- Notes: One of Ellenor and William's sons, also a William, was baptised on 21 Sep 1734 at
Alphington. On 29 Jan 1766 he wed a widow Alice COOK nee ROWE at her home
village of Sowton near Exeter. Alice was a daughter of Elizabeth nee CANN of
Newton St Cyres and William Rowe of Pinhoe. She had a son Robert COOK 1758
from her first marriage in Feb 1757 to Robert Cook. Over a 13 year period, Alice
bore William eight children.
- Reference = 8 (Will)
- Notes: From his will dated 16 Sep 1814, father William Townsend seems to have been a
man of substance. His estate was valued at two thousand pounds sterling; a large
sum in those days and assessed at more than half a million dollars by 1990
standards.
To son William who survived his father by eight years, he left all his "freehold
lands hereditaments and premises where-so-ever situated" as well as a leasehold
house in Alphington.
Thomas already owed his father five hundred pounds which was given into
trust to be held for him. In other words Dad wiped the debt - then relented and
left him five pounds cash!!

Because his daughter Ellenor was already a widow, William left her the interest
on four hundred pounds for her lifetime, to be divided amongst her daughters after
her death.
Two hundred pounds each was to go to Elizabeth Bowcher, Mary Snell and
Grace Symonds 'for her own sole use benefit and disposal separate from her said
husband and so as that he may not intermeddle therewith nor the same be liable to
his debts control or engatements'. After the death of each daughter, the money was
to be divided equally among their surviving children.
Five hundred pounds was given to Francis Townsend "son of my daughter
Mary Snell before marriage" and five pounds each to his nurse Mary Connot, to
Elizabeth Satterly and to Ann Tree. Mary, Elizabeth and Ann's maiden names were
PHILLIPS, William's cousins on his mother's side. Robert Cook, son of his late wife
by her first marriage, was left one hundred pounds.
The will is fairly complicated but William didn't intend anyone to mess around
with his wishes. One clause specifically states that if any legatee 'shall dispute or
endeavour to frustrate any of the bequests ... the legatee making such dispute shall
forfeit it and lose every benefit they could or would have gained'. That was really
telling them!

This was a most interesting testament which verified the children of William and
Alice shown in the IGI; told that one daughter had an illegitimate son; that his wife
had a child by her previous marriage; the married names of his cousins and the fact
he had a nurse, presuming ill-health or advanced age. He was in fact 83 when he
died less than three years later.

It also showed he either didn't have a lot of faith in his sons-in-law or generally
didn't trust men too much!

Henry's younger brother William 1820 apparently caused father Thomas some
heartache. Originally Thomas bequeathed 1500 pounds to William when he
reached 25 years but a codicil stated William should not have the money until he
was 28. However, if needed, the trustees could withdraw 700 pounds to set him up
in business. The reason for the codicil is not clear as it was made less than a year
before William's 25th birthday.

Created on a Macâ„¢ using iFamily for Macâ„¢ on 2 May 2025