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Towneley-O'Hagan family, Barons O'Hagan

This page summarises records created by this Family

The summary includes a brief description of the collection(s) (usually including the covering dates of the collection), the name of the archive where they are held, and reference information to help you find the collection.

Date: 1100-2000
History:

The De La Legh, later Towneley, family of Hapton and Cliviger (Lancashire) inherited Towneley (Lancashire) in the 14th century. Gateford (Nottinghamshire) came with the marriage of Sir John Towneley (d. c1540) to Isabel, daughter and heir of Sir Charles Pilkington, but was subsequently sold. The marriage of Sir Richard Towneley (d. 1554) to Frances, daughter of Sir Christopher Wymbish, brought the Nocton (Lincolnshire) estate, sold to meet debts c1660. Standish (Lancashire) entered the family through the marriage of William Towneley (1714-41) to Cecilia, daughter and heir of Ralph Standish (d. 1755), but this estate passed to William Towneley’s youngest son Edward Towneley-Standish, who however also succeeded his eldest brother Charles Townley in the Towneley estates on the latter’s death without issue in 1805.

On the death of Edward Towneley-Standish in 1807 Standish passed to his nephew Thomas Strickland of Sizergh (Westmorland), but the Towneley estates were inherited by his uncle John Towneley (1731-1813). John Towneley had already inherited the Lancashire estate of Leighton, formerly owned by the Middleton family, on the death of his uncle George Towneley in 1786, and the Stella (County Durham) estates of the Widdrington family, Barons Widdrington, to whom he was related through his mother, on the death of Thomas Eyre of Hassop (Derbyshire) in 1792.

In 1835 John Towneley’s son Peregrine Edward Towneley (d. 1846) bought the manor of Slaidburn and the Bowland Forest estate of about twenty thousand acres in the West Riding of Yorkshire from the Duke of Buccleuch. Properties in Leicestershire (Bittesby), Herefordshire (Pembridge, Welsh Newton, etc) and elsewhere, however, acquired by John Towneley from the Talbot family in the mid-18th century, were sold c1837, and the Leighton estate was disposed of before 1875.

Following the deaths of Charles Towneley in 1876 and his brother John Towneley in 1878, both without male issue, the estates were divided among their daughters. The Towneley Hall estates, mainly in Lancashire but extending into the West Riding east of Burnley, were divided equally between the three daughters of Charles Towneley: Caroline, wife of Lord Norreys, later 7th Earl of Abingdon; Emily, wife of Lord Alexander Gordon-Lennox; and Alice, wife of Thomas O’Hagan, 1st Baron O’Hagan. Lady O’Hagan received Towneley Hall, which was sold to Burnley Corporation in 1901, the library manuscripts having been sold by auction in 1883. In 1921 the Gordon-Lennox portion of the Lancashire estates (Worsthorne, etc) was inherited by Lady Alice Reyntiens, daughter of the 7th Earl of Abingdon and grandmother of Sir Simon Towneley of Dyneley (Lancashire). The Bowland Forest and County Durham estates were left to the daughters of John Towneley, the longest survivor of whom died in 1928.

Estates in 1873: Charles Towneley: Yorks WR 23,153 acres, Lancs 14,086 acres, Co Durham 2,826 acres, total 40,065 acres worth £26,979 a year. In 1883 the daughters of Charles Towneley each held 4,695 acres in Lancs and 604 acres in Yorks WR, and the daughters of John Towneley jointly held 21,341 acres in Yorks WR and 2,826 acres in Co Durham.

Places:
  • Blankney, Lincolnshire
  • Calais, France
  • Chester, Cheshire
  • Chesterfield, Derbyshire
  • Clitheroe, Lancashire
  • Cliviger, Lancashire
  • Duxbury, Lancashire
  • Eastbridge, Kent
  • Gateford, Nottinghamshire
  • Grindleton, Yorkshire
  • Hapton, Lancashire
  • Ightenhill, Lancashire
  • Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland
  • Nocton, Lincolnshire
  • Pembridge, Herefordshire
  • Slaidburn, Yorkshire
  • Standish, Lancashire
  • Stella, Durham
  • Strickland, Westmorland
  • Towneley, Lancashire
  • Warwick, Cumberland
  • Welsh Newton, Herefordshire
  • Wetheral, Cumberland
  • Whalley, Lancashire
  • Whitchurch, Shropshire
  • Wiggold, Gloucestershire
  • Winlaton, Durham
  • Worsthorne, Lancashire
Sources of authority: Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts, Guide to Principal Estate and Family Collections L-W, 1999.
Name authority reference: GB/NNAF/F88701 (Former ISAAR ref: GB/NNAF/F10831 )
Collections
Number Description Held by Reference Further information
1
12th cent-20th cent: Lancs (Cliviger, Towneley, etc) and Yorks (Grindleton, Slaidburn, etc) deeds, legal and trust papers, manorial records, rentals, accounts, estate, household and Towneley and Towneley-O'Hagan family corresp and papers 12th-20th cent, deeds and estate papers for Cumberland (Warwick and Wetheral) 17th-19th cent, Durham (Stella, etc) 13th-19th cent and Lincs (Blankney, Nocton, etc) 12th-18th cent and misc deeds and papers 13th-18th cent, incl Cheshire (Chester, etc), Gloucs (Wiggold, etc), Notts (Gateford, etc), Salop (Whitchurch, etc) and Westmorland (Strickland, etc), with Calais deeds 14th-15th cent, Chesterfield (Derbys) deeds 1377-1452 and rental 1411, Gloucs and Herefs (Pembridge, etc) estate valuation 1837, Stella (Durham) household schedule 18th cent, etc
Lancashire Archives
NRA 1302 Towneley

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [106a]
2
14th cent-19th cent: Lancs (Cliviger, etc) and Lincs (Nocton, etc) deeds and papers
Lancashire Archives
NRA 1302 Towneley

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [106b]
3
18th cent-19th cent: misc Lancs (Cliviger, Ightenhill, etc) deeds and papers
Lancashire Archives
NRA 1302 Towneley

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [106b]
4
1797-1804: Hapton (Lancs) coal mining papers
Lancashire Archives
NRA 6038 Culcheth coll

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [106e]
5
1639-1919: Hapton (Lancs) estate wages book 1911-19, Towneley (Lancs) library catalogues early 18th cent and papers of Christopher Towneley 1639 and Charles Towneley c1782-1802
Manchester University: University of Manchester Library
6
1773-1795: Lancs (Cliviger, Duxbury, Standish, etc) estate accounts
Lancashire Archives
NRA 43628
7
1762-1941: Lancs (Cliviger, Hapton, etc) deeds and papers 1858-1922 and coal rent book 1857-1941, with Towneley family trust deeds 1762-1857
Lancashire Archives
NRA 3510 Lancs RO misc
8
19th cent-20th cent: misc Lancs (Cliviger, etc) and Yorks mineral accounts and papers
Archives: Wigan & Leigh
NRA 15633 Standish
9
1845-1846: Lancs (Clitheroe, etc) and Yorks (Grindleton, Slaidburn, etc) estate accounts
Lancashire Archives
NRA 3510 Lancs RO misc
10
14th cent-20th cent: Lancs (Worsthorne, etc) deeds and estate papers
Collection held privately: enquiries to The National Archives, Archives Sector Development
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [106 Related Collections]
11
17th cent-20th cent: misc Lancs (Towneley, etc) financial and estate papers mid 18th-early 19th cent, Towneley household inventories 1805-68, London household papers mainly c1770-79 and Towneley family papers 17th-20th cent, incl many of Charles Towneley (1737-1805)
British Museum Central Archive
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [106o]
12
17th cent-20th cent: Winlaton (Durham) manorial records
Durham County Record Office
NRA 26390 Clayton & Gibson

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [106f]
13
1765-1773: Durham (Stella, etc) estate rental
Durham County Record Office
NRA 18297 Durham RO misc

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [106g]
14
late 18th cent-1837: Durham (Stella, etc) coal mining and other corresp of PE Towneley 1807-37 and papers rel to the Towneley library and collections late 18th-early 19th cent
Oxford University: Bodleian Library, Special Collections
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [106h]
15
14th cent-18th cent: misc Durham (Stella, etc) and Northumberland (Newcastle upon Tyne, etc) deeds and papers
Derbyshire Record Office
NRA 7871
16
14th cent-20th cent: Yorks (Slaidburn, etc) manorial records
Lancashire Archives
NRA 40716 Clitheroe
17
17th cent: Towneley family papers, mainly scientific papers of Richard Towneley (1628-1707)
Oxford University: Bodleian Library, Special Collections
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [106i]
18
14th cent-19th cent: Towneley family deeds and papers 14th-19th cent, incl Towneley (Lancs) estate maps 1661, corresp of Cecilia Towneley 1742-55 and MS catalogue of the Towneley marbles 1804
Collection held privately: enquiries to The National Archives, Archives Sector Development
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [106s]
19
16th cent-18th cent: Towneley family papers 16th-18th cent, incl transcripts and papers of Christopher Towneley (1604-74), commonplace book of Roger Dodsworth 17th cent and executors accounts of Robert Nowell 1569
Chetham's Library
NRA 17002 Chetham's L

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [106k]
20
19th cent: misc Towneley family trust papers
Lancashire Archives
NRA 1302 Towneley

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [106b]
21
1847-1878: Towneley family trust deeds
Lancashire Archives
NRA 1302 Towneley

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [106c]
22
mid 18th cent-1807: Towneley family corresp
Archives: Wigan & Leigh
NRA 26876
23
1735: survey of Charles Towneley's estates
Lancashire Archives
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [106d]
24
14th cent-18th cent: antiquarian transcripts and papers of Christopher Towneley (1607-1674), with MSS collected by the Towneley family 14th-18th cent
British Library, Manuscript Collections
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [106j]
25
c1484-17th cent: further antiquarian transcripts and papers of Christopher Towneley 17th cent, with Whalley (Lancs) abbey accounts c1485-1538
Manchester Archives and Local Studies
NRA 17338 Dr Farrer

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [106l]
26
15th cent-17th cent: transcripts of Plumpton family evidences 17th cent and Wilstrop family cartulary 15th cent (from the Towneley family archive)
West Yorkshire Archive Service, Leeds
NRA 19413 Chambers

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [106m]
27
16th cent-17th cent: further transcripts by Christopher Towneley 17th cent, with Eastbridge (Kent) hospital register 16th cent
Oxford University: Bodleian Library, Special Collections
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [106n]
28
17th cent: further transcripts by Christopher Towneley
Archives: Wigan & Leigh
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [106n]
29
1787-1798: account book of Charles Towneley
Archives: Wigan & Leigh
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [106p]
30
c1825-1885: political, legal, personal and family corresp and papers of the 1st Baron O'Hagan (1812-1885)
Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI)
NRA 18813 O'Hagan

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [106q]
31
1850-1885: further Irish corresp of the 1st Baron O'Hagan
National Library of Ireland
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [106r]