The Townshend Moment

Patrick Griffin offers a double biography of the Townshend brothers, Charles (1725–1767), chancellor of the exchequer; and George (1724–1807), lord lieutenant of Ireland. His drama—a “complex story, in five acts”—unfolds chronologically (p. 10). It draws insights from a rich cache of archival sources and effectively incorporates several works of art, including George's caricatures. Act 1, “Making Empire,” documents childhoods at Raynham Hall and traces the impact of “a cruel father and a narcissistic mother” through the brothers' early careers in the civil service (Charles) and army (George) (p. 16). Separated for a time, by the end of the Seven Years' War they were again “brothers in arms.” Act 2, “Britain's Imperial Reckonings,” situates the brothers as British officials in search of a “system” amid “the stresses and strains, the drama of figuring out what to do” after the 1763 Peace of Paris (p. 77). Acts 3 and 4, “Charles Townshend's America” and “George Townshend's Ireland” introduce challengers, such as John Dickinson and Henry Flood. Act 5, “Making Revolution,” traces both Townshends in historical memory

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