Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, England

Some of the earliest clear references appear in this area. A number of Townsley births appear in Boston, Lincolnshire in the mid-1500s. Then a group of Townsley entries appear in the surviving Howden parish records from the early 1600’s but there is one reference to a John Tounesley of Kyngeston upon Hull (Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire) from as far back as 1400. So clearly the family name goes back a long way. However the early records are so sketchy that making a sensible tree is fraught with problems. This is further confused by the random spellings of the surname. In general the early families in this region had a middle “s” in the surname - but not always....

The towns and cities used to breakdown the various branches of the Townsley family are -

• Boston, Lincolnshire
• Howden, Yorkshire
• Brotherton, Yorkshire
• Bradford, Yorkshire
• Castleford, Yorkshire
• Hull, Yorkshire
• Leeds, Yorkshire
• Skipwith, Yorkshire
• Warmsworth, Yorkshire

more towns later ....

A series of births to unknown parents recorded in the parish records of Boston -

• 1 x Townesley b: abt 1535 Boston, Lincolnshire ?
• . +x
• ... 2 Anna Townesley b: 31 Dec 1562 Boston, Lincolnshire
• ... 2 Margareta Townesley b: 12 Nov 1564 Boston, Lincolnshire
• ... 2 William Townesley b: 14 Jul 1566 Boston, Lincolnshire
• ... 2 Faithe Townsley b: 30 Apr 1568 Boston, Lincolnshire
• ... 2 Robert Townley b: 16 Jul 1570 Boston, Lincolnshire

One possible early Townsley family tree starts from Howden, an important town in the middle ages whose wealth faded in later centuries -

• 1 Robert Townsley b: abt 1563 Howden, Yorkshire? d: 02 Nov 1629 Skelton, Howden, Yorkshire
• . +Agnes x b: abt 1567 m: abt 1588 Howden, Yorkshire? d: 20 Nov 1612 Skelton, Howden, Yorkshire
• ... 2 Edward Townsley b: abt 1590 Skelton, Howden, Yorkshire d: 02 Dec 1620 Skelton, Howden, Yorkshire
• ...... +Alice Storye b: abt 1590 Howden, Yorkshire m: 15 Aug 1613 Howden, Yorkshire
• ........ 3 Elizabeth Townsley b: abt Mar 1613/14 Skelton, Howden, Yorkshire
• ........... +William Laverack b: abt 1610 Howden, Yorkshire ? m: 27 Nov 1636 Howden, Yorkshire
• ........ 3 Robert Townsley b: abt Aug 1617 Skelton, Howden, Yorkshire
• ........... +Elizabeth Reynall b: abt 1625 of Skelton, Howden, Yorkshire m: 17 Jun 1656 Saltmarshe, Howden, Yorkshire d: 12 Oct 1683 Skelton, Howden, Yorkshire
• ........ 3 Jennett Townsley b: abt Jun 1620 Skelton, Howden, Yorkshire
• ............. 4 Isabell Townsley aka: Isobell Towneley b: abt Oct 1639 Howden, Yorkshire
• ................ +William Wales b: abt 1635 Monk Frystone, Yorkshire ? m: 17 Sep 1662 Birkin, Yorkshire Father: Nicholas Wales
• .................. 5 Elizabeth Wales b: abt 1662 Birkin, nr Brotherton, Yorkshire
• .................. 5 Sarah Wales b: abt Nov 1669 Birkin, nr Brotherton, Yorkshire
• ..................... +George Lowther b: abt 1665 Birkin, nr Brotherton, Yorkshire ? m: 19 Nov 1689 Birkin, Yorkshire
• .................. 5 William Wales b: abt Feb 1670/71 Birkin, nr Brotherton, Yorkshire
• .................. 5 John Wales b: abt Dec 1673 Birkin, nr Brotherton, Yorkshire
• ..................... +Alice Cooper b: abt 1676 m: 07 May 1697 Birkin, Yorkshire
• .................. 5 Susanna Wales b: abt Feb 1676/77 Birkin, nr Brotherton, Yorkshire
• ........... +Thomas Binks b: abt 1615 Howden, Yorkshire ? m: 10 Nov 1639 Howden, Yorkshire
• ... 2 Margaret Townsley b: abt 1591 Skelton, Howden, Yorkshire ?
• ........ 3 Anthonie Townsley b: abt Jan 1612/13 Howden, Yorkshire d: 23 Jan 1612/13 Skelton, Howden, Yorkshire
• ... 2 Thomas Townsley b: abt 1592 of Asselbie, Howden, Yorkshire d: 06 May 1641 Asselbie, Howden, Yorkshire
• ...... +Catherine Stamper b: abt 1595 of Howden, Yorkshire m: 22 Sep 1616 Howden, Yorkshire
• ........ 3 x Townsley b: abt 1617 Asselbie, Howden, Yorkshire d: 23 Aug 1617 Asselbie, Howden, Yorkshire
• ........ 3 William Townsley b: Bef. 1641 d: 03 Dec 1657 Skelton, Howden, Yorkshire
• ... 2 George Townsley b: abt 1600 Skelton, Howden, Yorkshire d: 24 Jan 1651/52 Skelton, Howden, Yorkshire
• ...... +Elizabeth Barnard b: abt 1600 Howden, Yorkshire ? m: 07 Oct 1621 Howden, Yorkshire
• ........ 3 William Townsley b: abt Sep 1622 Howden, Yorkshire
• ........ 3 Isabell Townsley b: abt Mar 1624/25 Skelton, Howden, Yorkshire
• ........ 3 Frances Townsley b: abt Feb 1627/28 Skelton, Howden, Yorkshire
• ........ 3 Ann Townsley b: abt Jan 1630/31 Howden, Yorkshire
• ........ 3 x Townsley b: abt 1632 Skelton, Howden, Yorkshire d: 15 May 1632 Skelton, Howden, Yorkshire
• ........ 3 Joane Townsley b: abt Jan 1633/34 Howden, Yorkshire
• ........ 3 Grace Townsley b: abt Sep 1636 Howden, Yorkshire d: 17 Sep 1638 Skelton, Howden, Yorkshire
• ........ 3 Marie Townsley b: abt Sep 1636 Howden, Yorkshire d: 13 Sep 1638 Skelton, Howden, Yorkshire
• ........ 3 Grace Townsley b: abt Sep 1639 Howden, Yorkshire
• ... *2nd Wife of George Townsley:
• ...... +Ellen x m: Aft. 1621 d: 25 Apr 1644 Skelton, Howden, Yorkshire
• ... 2 William Townsley b: abt Nov 1601 Howden, Yorkshire

Details of these, and all the other, Townsley family trees are online here ....