said Hugh departed." Since which time he has made no answer in the said action. Nicholas Towneley therefore prays the Court to command his appearance before the King's Council to answer the said charge.[1]
This rector was a younger son of Nicholas Towneley (3rd son of John Towneley of Townley, in the county of Lancaster), and brother of Richard Towneley of Royle, in the county of Lancaster. He was chaplain to King Henry VIII.,[2] clerk of the works at the building of Cardinal College, now Christ Church, Oxford,[3] and chaplain to Cardinal Wolsey. He was appointed to the prebend of Dunnington in the cathedral church of York 29th December, 1531,[4] and died in the following year, when his goods were administered by his nephew of the same name.
"Nicholas Towneley, administrator of the goods of Nicholas Towneley, late parson of the church and parish of Wigan (who died at Hampton Court on or about the 10th of November, 24 Hen. VIII., 1532,)" complains that certain corn and hay of the value of £30, lying in the barn at the parsonage at Wigan, the property of the said Nicholas Towneley, deceased, had been unlawfully seized by Geoffrey Sherington, William Hasteley, chaplain, curate of Wigan, and Robert Chatton, who with divers
- ↑ Duchy of Lancaster Pleadings, vol. iv. 20 Hen. VIII. T. No. 4.
- ↑ Foster's Pedigrees of Lancashire Families; Whittaker's History of Whalley (ed. of J. G. Nichols and P. A. Lyons), vol. ii. p. 178.
- ↑ Whittaker (Ibid. p. 418, or possibly his editors, for the words are in brackets) says that Nicholas Towneley was Vicar of Rochdale in 1510; and also that he was nephew of Dr. Bernard Towneley, whom he calls Rector of Wigan and Vicar of Felkirk, co. York (giving as a reference Lane. MSS. vol xxx. p. 26). There is a mistake here somewhere, for Dr. Bernard Towneley was not Rector of Wigan. Perhaps it was Nicholas that was Vicar of Felkirk as well as Rector of Wigan. And if the Vicar of Rochdale in 1510 was the same person he must have resigned Rochdale some years before he was admitted to Wigan, for Sir Gilbert Haydoke was Vicar of Rochdale in 1522. Whittaker rightly describes him as the nephew of Sir Bernard Towneley, LL.D., who was 5th son of John Towneley of Towneley, Esq., and brother of Sir Richard Towneley and of Nicholas the father of the Rector of Wigan.
- ↑ Le Neve's Fasti.
