James Weston Townroe _^(1808-1885) & Anne Boss _^(1816-1886)

James Weston Townroe was the son of Richard Townroe, a malster from Nottingham, and Elizabeth Weston. He was baptised at St Mary’s, Nottingham, on 5 December 1808. He grew up in Skegby, near Manfield. In 1841 he was living there in the houeshold of Robert Townroe, his grandfather and then aged c 75 years, and Robert and John Townroe (most likely his cousins) and all were described as farmers and malsters.

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Anne Boss (sometimes “Annie” or “Ann”) was the daughter of Samuel Boss, a tailor originally from Nottingham, and Elizabeth Gee. She was baptised at St Clement Danes on 3 March 1816. She grew up in the Soho Square area in London.

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James Weston Townroe and Anne Boss were married at St Martin’s-in-the-Fields on 5 January 1849 . The parish records listed them both as then residing at Frith Street, and him as a brewer. The Nottingham papers carried the notice saying “Ann, eldest daughter of the late Mr Samuel Boss of 57 Frith Street…[and] James Weston Townroe of the Forest House, Radford”.

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James Weston Townroe and Anne Boss lived at Forest House in Radford where their eldest daughter, Edith Ann, was born; she was baptised at St Nicholas’s, Nottingham. On 16 October 1851 “Edith Ann, the only daughter of Mr James Weston Townroe, Forest Side Nottingham, died aged 17 months”. (Nottingham Guardian).

They then lived at Alfreton Road in Radford, in a house attached to the brewery (1851 census) where their second daughter, Emily Boss, was born on 6 January 1853; she was baptised at St Paul’s, Hyson Green. They were living at Forest House, Alfreton Road when, on 3 January 1854, their daughter Emily Boss died “of bronchitis, aged 11 months” (Nottingham Guardian).

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They then had two sons, James Weston Boss born in February 1855 and Charles Edward born in 1857.

Both sons attended Nottingham High School where they were academically successful, appearing in the published lists of prize winners including in 1870 when “the best performance of the day [in language recitals in the prize giving ceremony programme] was that of the Brothers Townroe in German” (Nottingham Guardian).

Interestingly, the first baptism records for the sons were in 1871 – at St Stephen’s, Sneinton. At that point, this church was closely associated (and more so when the Rev. V W Hutton was appointed vicar in 1868) with the Anglo-Catholic movement – which was espoused by James Weston (fils) as a clergyman and Charles Edward as a lay member of the Church of England. Indeed, James Weston (fils) went on serve as a curate under the Rev Hutton at St Stephens before being appointed vicar of St Peter-at-Gowt, Lincoln, where he served for 50 years.

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The family were recorded as living at Bilbie Street, Nottingham, in the 1871 and 1881 census returns.

James Weston Townroe appeared to have been an associate of Thomas Bailey – a Nottingham newspaper owner, publisher, and Liberal politician – as he was one of the principal mourners at Bailey’s funeral in 1856. This association perhaps indicated James Weston Townroe’s political leanings but also showed his involvement with art and history – he was listed as a subscriber to books published by Bailey on these subjects. In 1855 he was listed as a distributor of shares in Midland Counties Fine Arts Distribution (a lottery where investors bought shares at a guinea each and were guaranteed a win). He was also listed as a benefactor of the Lincoln Diocesan Architectural Society in 1864.

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