1725-1788 GB
Charles Townshend (28 August 1725 – 4 September 1767) was a British politician. He was born at his family's seat of Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England, the second son of Charles Townshend, 3rd Viscount Townshend, and Audrey (died 1788), daughter and heiress of Edward Harrison of Ball's Park, near Hertford; she was reportedly a lady who rivaled her son in brilliance of wit and frankness of expression. He was a sickly child, suffered from epilepsy, and had a strained relationship with his parents. Charles graduated from the Dutch Leiden University on 27 October 1745; while there he had associated with a small group of other English youth, who later became well known in various circles, including Dowdeswell, Wilkes, and Alexander Carlyle. The latter would chronicle their exploits in his Autobiography.