Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1882-03-17
GREAT ESTATE IL ENGLAND.
Ancient Fortunes Awaiting Proper
Claimants in America.

For many years IL mas peen known.
that a 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 tothis country;
large property has accrued to her
heirs, who have frequently been adyer-
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. II 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 $15000D, 600. Fifty
years ago the Lawrenos of Boston
and vicinity were thoro, shly 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 viii 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. %, 366, "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
| (the latter in the interest Of the Chase
family in early connectioa with the
same estate) have had to 90 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 p,
1916, at which time commission was
sent to England, which resulted like the
movements of the Lawfences mention
ed above, and the gathering OF the pos
sible heirs at Cincinnati and Dayton,
Ohio, in 1878. The following is an out
/ line of its prominent features: The
| family of Lawrences is traced plausibly
to Robert Lawrence, who settled in
Lancashire, and was knighted 1191, for
various deeds at the siege of acre.
yet more positively to a Sir Robert
Lawrence of Ashton Hall, whose mar
riage to Ann Trafford in 1898 is a mat
ter of public record, and the records of
Ashton Hall for period Of 400 years
bring us to a son of the house named
John, who married Mary Townley of
| TownIey Hall. The descendants of
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 large church of the time
of Henry Fifth, and the Lawrence
| family is thus prominent in English
history. But the enormous possessions
of the Lawrence-Townley 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, Northuml-
berland county. of notoriety from his
connection with the heirs of Cnery
Chase, of whom was sung
My heart is woe for Widerington
As one in doleful dumTs
For when his legs were snitten off
He fought upon the stunps.
| The Widdrington estates included
many mining properties in Durham
county, near to New Castle upon Tyne.
These of very great value we're con-
yeyed by will to his daughter, and by
marriage settlement secured to her
separate right, and were accordingly
wllled by her, to her two daugh-
tiers Mary and Dorothy. The former
married against her fathers will a
John Lawrence, who was Protestant,
and socially inferior, DOUBTLESS, as he
elected to follow the seas. The couple
eloped and were married il the English
kirk, at Hayne, in Holland, recorded
in book 2. page Is of marriages. Mary
Townley Lawrence was Ibout to be-
come mother, she made application
to be received at Townlsy Hall. but
Sir Richard refused to receive her, and
she returned to the ship hight yer,
which had brought her frDm Holland,
and OF which her husband was the
second officer; and on board of this
ship was born twin sons. The ship put
into the port upon the Solway, which
was nearest to Corby Casth, where her
sister Dorothy, who had mtrried Henry
J Howard (Lord Cafnghamj resided and
there at the church oi the parish
, Witheral, TO which Corhv Castle
, belonged, the twins we're baptized
! by the names Of JOIN and iona
: than The former died in infancy
Jonathan, together with his sister Mary,
! subsequently born at theHayne, emf.
J grated with their parents TO America, In
: the autumn of 1714; and the family
were virtually lost to Their English rel
: atives, being in constructive disgrace
j from the powerful effectof the anger
!, of Sir Richard Townley, OF Townley
i Hail, whose high social position anc
great wealth added force tohis displeas
ure throughout the circle oi his kindred
These emigrants John and Mary Law
! renee, with their son Jonathan anc
5 daughter Mary. were with difficulty fol
: lowed IN their wandering after theil
2 arrival in America, for thereason chief
j " that the father and sonfolIowed the
: seas, and the females woud have only
e such temporary abodes On shore Al
might suit the coasting expeditions o
: father and aon Jonathan The son
o however, eventually found a home a
: the mature age of forty-tfree, in towr
not far from Boston, andhis marriage
: is recorded to have taken Hace Novem
8 Der Is, 1913. He becameconspicuoul
rs an officer, commissioned by Cover
: nor Shirley, In the Frencl and Indiar
: war, and was rewarded with others bY
# hy majesty King GeorgeHI, by gran
/ of 500 acres of land IN Nova Scotia
:. Upon this grant ne setled and ther,
1 died in 1863. The family history hai
e been traced (by James Uaer, one of tn,
: most skiIlful antiquarials of the dayl
with sufficient authenticity it il sup
posed to justify the institution of lega
j proceedings, which villsl0rtly be com