Robert Townley Parker
Robert Townley Parker (1793–1879) was a Unionist Member of Parliament for the United Kingdom House of Commons constituency of Preston.
He was the son of Thomas Townley Parker, Esq. of the cadet brand of the Towneley family of Towneley Hall. He inherited Cuerden Hall, near Preston, Lancashire on his father's death.
He presented a petition related to the Maynooth Grant affair to prevent Roman Catholic Members of Parliament from Voting on Church matters,[1] complaining about duties on English goods in France and Belgium.[2]
Townley Parker was elected Guild Mayor of Preston in 1861–2.[3]
He was also a prominent Freemason. Whereas most Freemasons Lodges are named after areas or moral virtues, Townley Parker had the unusual honour of having not one but two Masonic Lodges named for him; namely Townley Parker Lodge 1032, which currently meets at Cunliffe Hall in Chorley [4] and Townley Parker Lodge 1083, which meets in Manchester.[5]
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Robert Townley Parker
References
- Hansard Commons Hansard Millbank Systems Search result
- Hansard Commons Hansard Millbank Systems Search result
- Portrait Flikr Preston Digital Archive
- Chorley Masonic Group
- Precis of the History of Townley Parker Lodge 1083
- Article features content from Who's Who of British Members of Parliament - Volume I 1832-1885: A Biographical Dictionary of the House of Commons, ISBN 0391006134
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Henry Smith-Stanley Sir Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood, Bt |
Member of Parliament for Preston 1837–1841 With: Sir Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood, Bt |
Succeeded by Sir Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood, Bt Sir George Strickland, Bt |
| Preceded by Charles Grenfell Sir George Strickland, Bt |
Member of Parliament for Preston 1852–1857 With: Sir George Strickland, Bt |
Succeeded by Charles Grenfell R. A. Cross |