TOWNLEY FAMILY TREE

HUSBAND     John TOWNLEY  of Gray's Inn
Born                 1528                     in     Gray's Inn;  Lancashire;  ENG   
Married            08 Jun 1557        in     Burnley;  Lancashire;  ENG
Died                  03 Mar 1607     in     Burnley;  Lancashire;  ENG 
Burial           
Father              Charles TOWNLEY
Mother            Elizabeth KAYE

WIFE              Lady Mary TOWNLEY
Born               20 May 1543        in     Stone Edge;  Lancashire;  ENG     
Died                19 Jan 1606          in     Townley;  Lancashire;  ENG
Burial            
Father            Sir Richard TOWNLEY
Mother          Frances WIMBISHE

CHILDREN
1  Male            Richard TOWNLEY
Born                29 Apr 1566        in     Stone Edge;  Lancashire;  ENG 
Married                                         in     
Died                29 Nov 1628       in     Drury;  London;  ENG
Burial        
Spouse           Jane ASSHETON  of Lever

2  Male            John TOWNLEY
Born                30 Sep 1567       in     ENG     
Married                                         in     
Died                 Jun 1632              in     Burnley;  Lancashire;  ENG
Burial               Burnley;  Lancashire;  ENG
Spouse           

3  Male            Charles TOWNLEY
Born                 05 Nov 1569       in     ENG
Married                                           in     
Died                 1570                      in     ENG
Burial                
Spouse            died young

4  Male            Christopher TOWNLEY
Born                 06 Jan 1571           in     ENG
Married                                            in     
Died                  Nov 1623              in     Pendle Hall;  Lancashire;  ENG
Burial                Burnley;  Lancashire;  ENG
Spouse             Theodosia TUNSTALL

5  Male            Charles TOWNLEY
Born                 28 Feb 1572          in     ENG
Married                                            in     
Died                  1646                      in     Lincoln;  Lincoldshire;  ENG
Burial        
Spouse             Susan ROSE

6  Female        Jennit TOWNLEY 
Born                 1574                     in     ENG
Married                                         in     
Died                                               in     ENG
Burial        
Spouse          

7  Male            Thomas TOWNLEY
Born                08 Aug 1576         in     ENG
Married                                           in     
Died                                                in     ENG
Burial        
Spouse            Lucy TOWNLEY

8  Male            Nicholas TOWNLEY
Born                 01 Feb 1579         in     ENG
Married                                           in     
Died                 Apr 1650              in     Hurstwood;  ENG
Burial        
Spouse          

9  Female         Frances TOWNLEY   
Born                   11 Apr 1579           in     ENG
Married                                            in     
Died                                                  in     ENG
Burial        
Spouse              never married

10  Female        Mary TOWNLEY    
Born                    1582                     in     ENG
Married                                             in     
Died                                                  in     ENG
Burial        
Spouse              never married

11  Female          Anne TOWNLEY 
Born                    1584                      in     ENG
Married                                              in     
Died                                                   in     ENG
Burial        
Spouse               William MIDDLETON

12  Female          Margaret TOWNLEY
Born                     1585                        in     ENG
Married                                                in     
Died                                                      in     ENG
Burial        
Spouse            

13  Female           Elizabeth TOWNLEY
Born                      1586                      in     ENG
Married                                                in     
Died                                                     in     ENG
Burial        
Spouse          

NOTES
John worked as a lawyer.  He married the daughter of Sir Richard Towneley and FrancesWimbishe.
John was imprisoned in 1564 for practicing his Catholic Religion and released after about three years.  John gave shelter to Catholic Priest at Towneley estates and he was imprisoned again at different times between 1573 and 1594.  After his release, he had to stay with five miles of the estate.  He had paid over 5000 pounds in fines by the year 1601. 
Following the orders of Edward VI, in 1552, the Chantries were dissolved, closing the Chantry School in Burnley.  In 1559 certain leading men of the Parish of Burnley urged the endowment of a Free Grammar School with gifts of land and rents.  On 01 Feb 1559, the Habergham deed was sealed bringing into existence a new Grammar School for Burnley. 
John Towneley erected  the first buildings for the school.  The Towneley family, along with the Haydock, Habergham, Woodruff, and Whitacre's provided the first founders and governors of the school. 
The school has occupied various sites during it's existence.  During 1871 the Govenor's of the agreed to allow the representatives of the Town Council and School Board to join them, in return for financial aid.  This resulted in new school buildings on Bank Parade, opened in 1874.  In 1959 the school moved once again to Ivy Bank, sharing it's site with the Ivy Bank High School for Girls.  The High School, Ormerod Road, was opened under the management of the Higher Education Committee, in September 1909, on the premises of the Technical Institute. 
A preliminary prospectus for this school in included in these records.  The school was used for the reception of girls from the Grammar School.