Townshend

Townshend is a surname of English origin and a toponym associated with places in England. The name is linked to the Townshend family, a longstanding noble lineage that played a prominent role in British political and landed history. Notable individuals bearing the name include Charles Townshend, a British politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer and oversaw the Townshend Acts in the 1760s, and Pete Townshend, the English guitarist and songwriter who fronted the rock band The Who.

Townshend also designates geographical places. The most prominent is Townshend, Vermont, a town in Windham County, United States. The name appears in various historical and geographic contexts connected to the Townshend family in England, including estates and localities associated with their estates.

The Townshend Acts were a series of measures enacted by the Parliament of Great Britain in 1767, imposing duties on colonial imports to raise revenue and assert parliamentary authority over the American colonies. They contributed to increasing colonial opposition and helped precipitate the tensions that led to the American Revolution.

Notes and related topics: Townshend is distinct from the variant Townsend (without the h), though both derive from similar place-name elements. See also Townsend (disambiguation) for other uses of the similar name.