River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1882-03-23
GREAT ESTATE IN ENGLAND.
Ancient Fortunes Awaiting Proper
Claimants in America.

For many years it has been known
that Mary Townley, of Townley Hall
in Lancashire, England, ran away from
her fathers home, and married John
Lawrence, a seafaring man, after
wards coming with him to this country
large property has accrued to her
heirs, who have frequently been adver-
tised for by the authorities of Great
Britain, and who have never been
found. The estate to which attention
is now called is known as the Lawrence
Townley estate, which has been in the
custody of the British government for
more than 100 years, and has accumu-
lated to enormous proportions. 1t is
not strange that the attention of the
Lawrences and the Townleys in America
should be awakened to intense interest,
or that the general public should be
eager to second this family's interest
when it is understood that this estate is
now estimated at $150,000,000. Fifty
years ago the Lawrences of Boston
and vicinity were thoroughly aroused
to the study of their family history,
and to combined effort to bring this
estate, in its then enormous dimen-
sions to this country, and formidable
suit was made in the English courts of
chancery, which will be remembered
by many of our citizens still living, fail
ed through inability to establish the
line of descent according to English
law. Their suit was denied, as it was
found in the language of the decree
case No. "a 500, "That the claimants
are not lawful and lineal de-
scendants of John Lawrence and
Mary his wife, that they are not
in the line of descent" The Hon.
Abbott Lawrence and Daniel Webster
1.-THE latter in the interest of the Chase
family in early connection with the
same estate) have had to do with the
inquiries instituted. Many and more
recent movements have been noticed
by the press in different sections of the
country; as for example the large
gathering of the Townleys in America
at Elizabeth, n. j., held September q,
1916, at which time commission was
sent to England, which resulted like the
movements of the Lawrences mention
ed above, and the gathering OF the pos
sible heirs at Cincinnati and Dayton,
Ohio, in 1873. The following is an out
line of its prominent features: The
family of Lawrences is traced plausibly
to a Robert Lawrence, who settled in
Lancashire, and was knighted 1191, for
various deeds at the siege of acre.
yet more positively to Sir Robert
Lawrence of Ashton Hall, whose mar
riage to Ann Trafford in 1898 is mat
ter of public record, and the records OF
Ashton Hall for a period of 400 years
bring us to son of the house named
John, who married Mary Townley OF
Towniey Hall. The descendants OF
this pair are the heirs officially called
for so repeatedly by the English
authorities. Ashton Hall is situated
six miles west of Manchester, is en-
titled to one member of parliament,
and is remarkable, among other
features, for a large church of the time
of Henry Fifth, and the Lawrence
family is thus prominent in English
history. But the enormous possessions
of the Internationally family are
derived from the wife. Mary Townley
was Oldest daughter of Sir Richard
Townley and Mary Widdrington, the
latter being the only daughter and
child of Lord Widdrington, Northum-
berland county, of notoriety from his
connection with the heirs of Cherry
Chase, of whom was sung
~ Co..