John Townsend II
Mayor of Oxford 1720/1
John Townsend (or Townesend) (1648–1728) was a mason.
Townsend was mason of the Queen’s College from 1688 until his retirement in 1712, and may have designed some of its buildings as well as working on them.
Townsend took on as apprentices William King in 1704, John Osborne in 1706, and Daniel Boodan in 1713.
Townsend was chosen to be one of the 24 members of the common council in September 1699, and was selected City Chamberlain in September 1709, Junior Bailiff in September 1711, and a keykeeper and inspector of nuisances in September 1714.
In September 1719 he was elected one of the Mayor’s eight Assistants, and in September 1720 Mayor, choosing Edward Law as his Child. Thomas Hearne wrote of him:
Yesterday Mr Townesend, the mason, father to [William] Townesend who hath a hand in all the buildings in Oxford and gets a vast deal of money that way, was elected Mayor of Oxford. This old Townesend is commonly called "Old Pincher" from his pinching his workmen.
Hearne describes the customary breakfast Townsend gave at the end of his year of office as being "so splendid that the like hath not been known many years".
Townsend died at the age of about 80 and was buried in St Giles' churchyard on 25 May 1728.
Townsend’s descendants
- His son William Townsend (d.1739) worked onthe Radcliffe Camera, Convocation House, the Botanical Garden, Magdalen Bridge, the Clarendon Building, and at Magdalen, Corpus Christi, Oriel, All Souls, St John’s, University, Trinity, Worcester, Christ Church, and New Colleges. Thomas Hearne expressed surprise that although John was so against the University, his son William was employed "in all the Buildings in the University, tho' 'tis well known he hath spoil'd most, if not all, the Buildings he hath been employ'd in". William was also a sculptor, and carved busts in St Mary the Virgin Church and Christ Church Cathedral
- His grandson John Townsend (d.1746) was mason to Christ Church and worked on the Radcliffe Camera and St John’s and Corpus Christi Colleges
- His great-grandson John Townsend (d.1784) completed the work on the Radcliffe Camera, built the Town Hall, worked at the Queen’s and Exeter Colleges, and constructed the Gothic fan vault over Convocation House in the Bodleian Library
- His great-great-grandson Stephen Townsend (1755–1800) carried on the family business but worked mostly outside Oxford. His foreman, Thomas Knowles, was to become the founder of a famous Oxford building firm.
See also:
- John Townsend I, Mayor 1669 and 1682 (possibly his uncle)
- Malcolm Graham, Oxford City Apprentices 1697–1800, entries numbered 339.432, and 804
- H. M. Colvin, Biographical Dictionary of British architects, s.v. Townesend