33-701: Charles Townshend (27 August 1725 – 4 September 1767) was a British politician who held various titles in the Parliament of Great Britain . His establishment of the controversial Townshend Acts is considered one of the key causes of the American Revolution . Townshend was born at Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England, as the second son of Charles Townshend, 3rd Viscount Townshend, and Audrey Harrison . A sickly child, he later graduated from Leiden University and served in various political roles, including as
66-670: A Board of Commissioners in Boston to enforce them, which was seen as a threat to the American colonial tradition of self-government. He estimated these export taxes would produce a sum of £40,000 for the English treasury. He had the support of his cousin Thomas Townshend who was also a minister in the government. The Townshend Acts would be Townshend's last official act before his death. Soon after that he died somewhat suddenly of
99-405: A fever on September 4, 1767. In August 1755 he had married Caroline Campbell (d. 1794), the eldest daughter of John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll and the widow of Francis Scott, Earl of Dalkeith , the eldest son of Francis Scott, 2nd Duke of Buccleuch . According to Burke's Peerage , he had two sons (who died young) and a daughter; one of the sons was called Charles, who was born circa 1755,
132-432: A group of his ministers, the foremost of whom was Sir Robert Walpole , and by the end of his reign in 1727 the position of the ministers – who had to rely on Parliament for support – was cemented. George I's successor, his son George II , continued to follow through with his father's domestic policies and made little effort to re-establish monarchical control over the government which was now in firm control by Parliament. By
165-854: A member of the Board of Trade, Lord of the Admiralty, Paymaster of the Forces, and Chancellor of the Exchequer. He played a significant role in the taxation and control of American colonies, proposing the Townshend Acts, which imposed taxes on various exports to America. These acts were met with resistance and eventually led to the American Revolution. Townshend died in September 1767. He was married to Caroline Campbell, who later became
198-459: A seat for the admiralty borough of Saltash , subsequently transferring in 1761 to Harwich , another borough where the seat was in the government's gift. Public attention was first drawn to his abilities in 1753, when he delivered a lively attack against Lord Hardwicke 's marriage bill, although this measure passed into law . From 1749 – April 1754, Townshend was a member of the Board of Trade . It
231-574: Is included in Wales in these tables. Sources for this period may include the county in England. Table 1: Constituencies and Members, by type and country Table 2: Number of seats per constituency, by type and country 51°29′57″N 00°07′29″W / 51.49917°N 0.12472°W / 51.49917; -0.12472 William Dowdeswell (politician, born 1721) William Dowdeswell PC (12 March 1721 – 6 February 1775)
264-802: The Middle Ages , so that in many "rotten" and "pocket" boroughs seats could be bought, while major cities remained unrepresented, except by the Knights of the Shire representing whole counties. Reformers and Radicals sought parliamentary reform, but as the French Revolutionary Wars developed the British government became repressive against dissent and progress towards reform was stalled. George II's successor, George III , sought to restore royal supremacy and absolute monarchy, but by
297-653: The "evident utility" of the people. England's de facto prominence in the new parliament was, and remains, a contentious issue. After the Hanoverian King George I ascended the British throne in 1714 through the Act of Settlement of 1701 , real power continued to shift away from the monarchy. George was a German ruler, spoke poor English, and remained interested in governing his dominions in continental Europe rather than in Britain. He thus entrusted power to
330-607: The "rotten boroughs" to London and the counties were defeated in the House of Commons by 248 votes to 174. In the wake of the French Revolution of 1789, Radical organisations such as the London Corresponding Society sprang up to press for parliamentary reform, but as the French Revolutionary Wars developed the government took extensive repressive measures against feared domestic unrest aping
363-623: The Baroness Greenwich, and his brother, George Townshend, became the Lord-lieutenant of Ireland. He was born at his family's seat of Raynham Hall in Norfolk , England , the second son of Charles Townshend, 3rd Viscount Townshend , and Audrey (died 1788), daughter and heiress of Edward Harrison of Ball's Park, near Hertford. He was a sickly child, had epilepsy , and had a strained relationship with his parents. Townshend
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#1732772717423396-435: The English nobility. Most candidates for the House of Commons were identified as Whigs or Tories , but once elected they formed shifting coalitions of interests rather than dividing along clear party lines. At general elections the vote was restricted in most places to property owners, in constituencies which were out of date and did not reflect the growing importance of manufacturing towns or shifts of population, so that in
429-475: The Parliament of Scotland, which created a new Kingdom of Great Britain. The Acts paved the way for the enactment of the treaty of Union which created a new parliament, referred to as the 'Parliament of Great Britain', based in the home of the former English parliament. All of the traditions, procedures, and standing orders of the English parliament were retained, although there is no provision for this within
462-791: The Rockingham party in the House of Commons , taking an active part in debate until his death. In 1774 during the Parliamentary debate of the Boston Port Act he warned the act will "soon inflame all America, and stir up a contention you will not be able to pacify and quiet". Dowdeswell married Bridget, daughter of Sir William Codrington, 1st Baronet , in 1747. The couple are believed to have had as many as 15 children, including Charles William Dowdeswell (b. 8 June 1756). Dowdeswell went abroad to recover his health in 1774 but died
495-628: The deficiency caused by the reduction. Early in 1767, shortly after The Stamp Act was repealed owing to colonial protests and boycotts of British goods, Townshend proposed that the Parliament could procure revenue from the Americans without causing them offense via "external" import taxes instead of internal taxes. These were known as the Townshend Acts . The Acts passed resolutions for taxing several exports to America, such as glass , paint , paper and tea . The Townshend Acts established
528-750: The democratic and egalitarian ideals of the French Revolution and progress toward reform was stalled for decades. In 1801, the Parliament of the United Kingdom was created when the Kingdom of Great Britain was united with the Kingdom of Ireland to become the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland under the Acts of Union 1800 . Monmouthshire (One County constituency with two members and one single member Borough constituency)
561-612: The electors of Westminster. This included calls for the six points later adopted by the Chartists . The American War of Independence ended in defeat for a foreign policy that sought to prevent the thirteen American colonies from breaking away and forming their own independent nation , something which George III had fervently advocated, and in March 1782 the king was forced to appoint an administration led by his opponents which sought to curb royal patronage. In November of 1783, he took
594-403: The end of his reign the position of the king's ministers – who discovered that they needed the support of Parliament to enact any major changes – had become central to the role of British governance, and would remain so ever after. During the first half of George III's reign, the monarch still had considerable influence over Parliament, which itself was dominated by the patronage and influence of
627-486: The end of the 18th century the monarch still had considerable influence over Parliament, which was dominated by the English aristocracy, by means of patronage , but had ceased to exert direct power: for instance, the last occasion on which royal assent was withheld was in 1708 by Queen Anne , even this being done only at the request of her ministers. At general elections the vote was restricted to freeholders and landowners, in constituencies that had changed little since
660-802: The family borough of Tewkesbury in 1747, retaining this seat until 1754, and from 1761 until his death he was one of the representatives of Worcestershire . Becoming prominent among the Whigs , Dowdeswell was made Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1765 under the Marquess of Rockingham , and his short tenure of this position appears to have been a successful one, he being in Lecky 's words a good financier, but nothing more. To general astonishment, he refused to abandon his friends and to take office under Chatham , who succeeded Rockingham in August 1766. Dowdeswell then led
693-630: The former home of the English parliament in the Palace of Westminster , near the City of London . This lasted nearly a century, until the Acts of Union 1800 merged the separate British and Irish Parliaments into a single Parliament of the United Kingdom with effect from 1 January 1801. Following the Treaty of Union in 1706, Acts of Union ratifying the Treaty were passed in both the Parliament of England and
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#1732772717423726-425: The lucrative office of treasurer of the chamber was given to Townshend, but he retired the following Spring and George Grenville took over. The higher post of First Lord of the Admiralty then fell to Townshend's lot and his refusal to accept the nomination led to his exclusion from the new administration. In the dying days of Grenville's cabinet, to retain the administration of Lord Rockingham , Townshend accepted
759-613: The opportunity to use his influence in the House of Lords to defeat a bill to reform the Honourable East India Company , dismissed the government of the day, and appointed William Pitt the Younger to form a new government. Pitt had previously called for Parliament to begin to reform itself, but he did not press for long for reforms the king did not like. Proposals Pitt made in April 1785 to redistribute seats from
792-585: The position of Paymaster of The Forces , though he questioned the stability of the administration, calling it a "mere Lute-string administration" and stating that it was "pretty 'summer wear', but it will never stand the winter." Under the ministry of William Pitt the Elder, Townshend accepted the role of Chancellor of the Exchequer in August 1766. A few weeks later his urgent appeals to the Prime Minister for increased power were favorably answered, and he
825-403: The rotten and pocket boroughs seats in parliament could be bought from the rich landowners who controlled them, while major cities remained unrepresented. Reformers like William Beckford and Radicals beginning with John Wilkes called for reform of the system. In 1780, a draft programme of reform was drawn up by Charles James Fox and Thomas Brand Hollis and put forward by a sub-committee of
858-422: The treaty; furthermore, the incumbent officers and members representing England comprised the overwhelming majority of the new body. It was not even considered necessary to hold a new general election. While Scots law and Scottish legislation remained separate, new legislation was thereafter to be enacted by the new parliament, with the exception of that pertaining to private right which could only legislated on for
891-722: Was a British politician who was a leader of the Rockingham Whig faction. A son of William Dowdeswell of Pull Court , Bushley , Worcestershire , he was educated at Westminster School , at Christ Church, Oxford , then at the University of Leiden . One of his fellow students was Baron d'Holbach . He spent the summer of 1746 with him at the Heeze-Leende estate of his uncle, Messire François-Adam, Baron d'Holbach, Seigneur de Heeze, Leende et autres Lieux (ca. 1675–1753). Dowdeswell became member of Parliament for
924-599: Was a brash young man, whose "wonderful endowments [were] dashed with follies and indiscretions." Charles graduated from the Dutch Leiden University on 27 October 1745; while there he had associated with a small group of other English youth, who later became well known in various circles, including Dowdeswell , Wilkes , and Alexander Carlyle . The latter would chronicle their exploits in his Autobiography . Following his return in 1746, he represented Great Yarmouth in Parliament until 1756, when he found
957-442: Was a talented (amateur) actor under 14 years of age but died unamarried. Townshend's wife was created (August 1767) baroness Greenwich , and his elder brother George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend , was made Lord-lieutenant of Ireland . Townshend conceived a great and dangerous passion for his step-daughter Frances Douglas, Lady Douglas , and her memorialist, Lady Louisa Stuart , wrote after his death of his character: This
990-488: Was admitted to the inner circle of the cabinet. The new chancellor proposed the continuance of the land tax at four shillings in the pound, while he held out hopes that it might be reduced next year to three shillings, whereupon his predecessor, William Dowdeswell , by the aid of the landed gentlemen, carried a motion that the reduction should take effect at once. Townshend pledged to find revenue in America with which to meet
1023-590: Was also named after him. Parliament of Great Britain List of parliaments of Great Britain The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in May 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland . The Acts ratified the treaty of Union which created a new unified Kingdom of Great Britain and created the parliament of Great Britain located in
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1056-559: Was careless, gay, inconsiderate, volatile, seemingly foreign to every serious reflection or feeling. He had one of those happy tempers which nothing can ruffle, without a grain of pride, sternness or resentment in his nature. Ready to laugh with every body and at every thing, he poured out wit in torrents; and it was so much the worse for truth if ever truth stood in wit's way. The American towns of Townsend, Massachusetts and Townshend, Vermont were founded and named after Charles Townshend in 1732 and 1753, respectively. Raynham, Massachusetts
1089-459: Was during this time that he first showed an interest in increasing British powers of taxation and control over the American colonies. In 1754 and 1755, he served as Lord of the Admiralty , but at the close of 1755, his passionate attack against the policy of the ministry caused his resignation. In the administration which was formed in November 1756, and which was ruled by William Pitt the Elder ,
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