Frognal House by George Shepherd appears in Thomas Ireland's "History of Kent" published c. 1830

Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney (24 February 1732 - 30 June 1800), was a British politician who held several important Cabinet posts in the second half of the 18th century. His most enduring legacy is probably that the city of Sydney, Australia was named in his honour. February 24 is the 55th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events February 23 - First performance of Handels Orlando, in London June 9 - James Oglethorpe is granted a royal charter for the colony of Georgia. ... June 30 is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 184 days remaining. ... 1800 (MDCCC) was an common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Sydney Opera House is one of the most iconic landmarks in the world, and since its opening it has become an international symbol of Sydney Sydney (pronounced ) is the state capital of New South Wales, located on the east coast of Australia. ...

Biography

Townshend was born at Frognal House, near Chislehurst in Kent, and was educated at Clare College, Cambridge University. Townshend was elected to the House of Commons in 1754 as Whig member for Whitchurch and held that seat till his elevation to the peerage. He initially aligned himself with his great uncle Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle but later joined William Pitt the Elder in opposition to George Grenville. Frognal House, in Foots Cray, Kent, England, was the residence of Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney[1]. It was built in the early 18th century[2], and is now a nursing home. ... Chislehurst is a place in the London Borough of Bromley. ... Kent is a county in England, south-east of London. ... Full name Clare College Motto _ Named after Elizabeth de Clare Previous names University Hall (1326), Clare Hall (1338), Clare College (1856) Established 1326 Sister College Oriel College St Hughs College Master Prof. ... The University of Cambridge (often called Cambridge University), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... 1754 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... While the Whigs (along with the Tories) are often described as one of the two political parties in late 17th to mid 19th century Great Britain, it is more accurate to describe them as loose political groupings or tendencies. ... Location There are several places called Whitchurch in England. ... Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and 1st Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyme (July 21, 1693 - November 17, 1768) was a Whig statesman, whose official life extended throughout the Whig supremacy of the 18th century. ... William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham (15 November 1708–11 May 1778) was a British statesman who achieved his greatest fame as war minister during the Seven Years War and who was later Prime Minister of Great Britain. ... Arms of George Grenville The Right Honourable George Grenville (October 14, 1712 – November 13, 1770) was a British Whig statesman who served in government for the relatively short period of nine years (reaching the position of Prime Minister of Great Britain); Sir Robert Walpole served as Prime Minister alone for...

Townshend was a lord of the treasury in the first Rockingham ministry and continued in that office in the Pitt (now Lord Chatham) administration until December 1767, when he became a member of the Privy Council and joint-Paymaster of the Forces. During the ministry of Lord Chatham and Lord Grafton he supported the position his cousin Charles Townshend was in with regard to the American revenue program. Townshend was forced out of office in June, 1768 by Grafton who wanted Rigby as Paymaster of the Forces to gain favour with the Duke of Bedford^[1]. Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham (May 13, 1730 – July 1, 1782) was a British Whig statesman, most notable for his two terms as Whig Prime Minister of Great Britain. ... 1767 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Her Majestys Most Honourable Privy Council is a body of advisors to the British Sovereign. ... The Paymaster of the Forces was a British government position. ... Augustus Henry FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton (October 1, 1735 - March 14, 1811), was a British politician of the Georgian era. ... Charles Townshend (August 29, 1725 – September 4, 1767), English politician, was the second son of Charles, 3rd Viscount Townshend, and Audrey (d. ... 1768 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Augustus Henry FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton (October 1, 1735 - March 14, 1811), was a British politician of the Georgian era. ... Richard Rigby, Secretary of Ireland, Paymaster of the Forces, was a member of the Rigby family also known as Rigby of Mistley Hall in Essex, the site of their manor. ... The Paymaster of the Forces was a British government position. ... John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford (1710-1771), second son of Wriothesley Russell, 2nd Duke of Bedford, by his wife, Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of John Howland of Streatham, Surrey, was born on 30 September 1710. ...

Townshend remained in opposition until the end of Lord North's ministry and spoke frequently in the House of Commons against the American war. Although he had no close party connection, he was inclined toward the Chathamites. He took office again as secretary at war in the second Rockingham ministry. When the 2nd Earl of Shelburne became prime minister in July 1782, Townshend succeeded him as Secretary of State for the Home Department and became Leader of the House of Commons. He was created Baron Sydney and entered the House of Lords in 1783. He took the title Sydney to commemorate his descent from Robert Sydney, 2nd Earl of Leicester, who traced his descent from a Surrey yeoman, John de Sydenie. The name Sydney derives from a village in Normandy called Saint-Denis.^{[citation needed]} Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford, KG , PC (April 13, 1732–August 5, 1792), more often known by his earlier title, Lord North, was Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1770 to 1782, and a major actor in the American Revolution. ... William Petty Fitzmaurice, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne (2 May 1737–7 May 1805), also known as the Earl of Shelburne (1761–1784), was a British statesman. ... 1782 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Secretary of State for the Home Department (the Home Secretary) is the chief United Kingdom government minister responsible for law and order in England and Wales; his or her remit includes policing, the criminal justice system, the prison service, internal security, and matters of citizenship and immigration. ... The Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Commons. ... Viscount Sydney is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain created in 1789, to Thomas Townshend, 1st Baron Sydney (the Barony having been created in 1783). ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ... 1783 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Mont Saint Michel, one of the famous symbols of Normandy. ...

He opposed the Fox-North coalition and returned to political office with Pitt, serving as Home Secretary from 1783 to 1789. Following the loss of the North American colonies, Townshend, as Home Secretary in the Pitt Government, was given responsibility for devising a plan to settle convicts at Botany Bay. His choice of Arthur Phillip as Governor was inspired and Phillip's leadership was instrumental in ensuring the penal colony survived the early years of struggle and famine. On 22 January 1788, Phillip named Sydney Cove in honour of Townshend and the settlement became known as Sydney Town. In 1789 he was created Viscount Sydney. The Right Honourable Charles James Fox (13 January 1749–13 September 1806) was a British Whig politician. ... 1783 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1789 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Admiral Arthur Phillip (1786 portrait by Francis Wheatley, National Portrait Gallery, London) Admiral Arthur Phillip, RN (11 October 1738 – 31 August 1814) was a British naval officer and colonial administrator. ... January 22 is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1788 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Sydney Cove is a small bay on the southern shore of Port Jackson (commonly but incorrectly called Sydney Harbour), on the coast of the state of New South Wales, Australia. ... Viscount Sydney is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain created in 1789, to Thomas Townshend, 1st Baron Sydney (the Barony having been created in 1783). ...

Sydney's reputation has suffered at the hands of the nationalist school of Australian historians, such as Manning Clark. In his influential A History of Australia (Melbourne University Press 1961) Clark wrote: "Mr Thomas Townshend, commonly denominated Tommy Townshend, owed his political career to a very independent fortune and a considerable parliamentary interest, which contributed to his personal no less than his political elevation, for his abilities, though respectable, scarcely rose above mediocrity." Other writers have portrayed Sydney as a cruel monster for dispatching the unfortunate convicts to the far side of the earth. Charles Manning Hope Clark AC (3 March 1915 – 23 May 1991) is one of Australias best-known historians, recognised for his mammoth six-volume work History of Australia published between 1962 and 1987. ...

In fact, Townshend was, by the standards of his time, an enlightened and progressive politician. He did not support the American Revolution but was a strong opponent against the war which he thought was pointless and needlessly prolonged during Lord North’s ministry. As Home Secretary/Foreign Secretary he was heavily involved in the development of Canada and the settling of fleeing refugees from the intolerant rebels. The city of Sydney in Nova Scotia is named after him in memory of his efforts on behalf of the loyalist settlers of Canada. The American Revolution was a revolution that ended two centuries of rule in Thirteen Colonies of North America by the British Empire and created the modern United States of America. ... The Sydney Opera House is one of the most iconic landmarks in the world, and since its opening it has become an international symbol of Sydney Sydney (pronounced ) is the state capital of New South Wales, located on the east coast of Australia. ... Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit (Latin: One defends and the other conquers) Official languages None (English,French,Gaelic) Capital Halifax Largest city Halifax Lieutenant-Governor Myra Freeman Premier Rodney MacDonald (PC) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 11 10 Area Total  â€¢ Land  â€¢ Water    (% of total)  Ranked 12th 55,283... Loyalists (often capitalized L) were British North American colonists who remained loyal subjects of the British crown during the American Revolution. ... United Empire Loyalists is the name given to the portion of British Loyalists who resettled in British North America and other British Colonies as an act of fealty to King George III after the British defeat in the American Revolutionary War, and to recover lost fortunes (land and private property...

More recently Townshend's reputation has been revisited by Australian historians. Alan Atkinson wrote in The Europeans in Australia (Oxford University Press, 1997): "Townshend was an anomaly in the British Cabinet, and his ideas were in some ways old-fashioned... He had long been interested in the way in which the empire might be a medium for British liberties, traditionally understood." He took the view that convicts should be given the chance to redeem themselves through self-government in penal colonies such as New South Wales. Governor Phillip's well-known statement that "There will no slavery in a new country and hence no slaves" is an accurate reflection of Townshend's philosophy. 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Emblems: Floral - Waratah (Telopea Speciosissima); Bird - Kookaburra (Dacelo Gigas); Animal - Platypus (Ornithorhynchus Anatinus); Fish - Blue Groper (Achoerodus Viridis) Motto: Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Slogan or Nickname: First State, Premier State Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Government Governor Premier Const. ...

Sydney's papers are held by the William L. Clements Library at the University of Michigan. This article is about the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. ...

Timeline of Townshend's life and career

• 1732, 24 Feb: Born
• 1754: Entered the House of Commons as MP for Whitchurch, for 29 years until 1783
• 1756: Clerk of the household of the Prince of Wales
• 1760, 19 May: married Elizabeth Powys (b.1736 d.1826), later served as Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Charlotte
• 1761, 21 March: one of the clerks of the board of green cloth until he resigned in Dec. 1762
• 1765, 12 July: 4th Lord of the Treasury, under Lord John Cavendish, under William Dowdeswell (Chancellor of the Exchequer), under 2nd Marquess of Rockingham (1st Lord of the Treasury and Prime minister)
• 1766, 2 Aug: 3rd Lord of the Treasury, under Charles Townshend (Chancellor of the Exchequer), under Duke of Grafton (1st Lord of the Treasury)
• 1767, 23 Dec.: Paymaster of the Forces under William Pitt (The Elder), until 1768 (June)
• 1767, 23 Dec.: became a member of the Privy Council
• 1782, 30 March: Secretary at War under Rockingham's 2nd ministry, until 10 July 1782.
• 1782, 10 July: Leader of the House of Commons, under the Earl of Shelburne's ministry, until 2 April 1783.
• 1782, 10 Jul.: Home Secretary (and Colonial Secretary), under Shelburne ministry, until 2 Apr. 1783
• 1783, March 6: Created Baron Sydney and entered the House of Lords.
• 1783, 23 Dec.: Again, Home Secretary (and Colonial Secretary) under William Pitt (The Younger), until 5 June 1789
• 1783: Leader of the House of Lords under William Pitt (The Younger), until 1789
• 1784: First President of the Board of Control over the British East India Company, until 1790
• 1784: 5 Mar.: President of the Committee on Trade and Foreign Plantations (equiv. to Secretary of State for Trade and Industry), until 1786 (Aug. 23)
• 1785: Sydney in (Cape Breton) Nova Scotia was named after him by Col J.F.W. DesBarres.
• 1788, 22 Jan.: Sydney in NSW, Australia named after him by Governor Arthur Philip
• 1789: Elevated to 1st Viscount Sydney of Chislehurst, Kent
• 1793: Deputy Lieutenant of Kent
• During some period Thomas Townshend was also a governor of the Charter House.
• 1800, 30 Jun.: Died at home, Frognal House

The President of the Board of Control was a British government official in the late 18th and early 19th century responsible for overseeing the British East India Company and generally serving as the chief official in London responsible for Indian affairs. ... William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville (October 25, 1759 - January 12, 1834), was a British Whig statesman and Prime Minister. ... Viscount Sydney is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain created in 1789, to Thomas Townshend, 1st Baron Sydney (the Barony having been created in 1783). ...

Notes

1. ↑  The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press 2004: article by Ian K. R. Archer