British politician (1728-1810). Autograph document signed ("Chas. Townshend"). Madrid. 4to. 1 p.
$ 482 / 450 €
(91276/BN56123)
A claim for reimbursement of no less than 100 pounds sterling (today more than £15,000) for "Intelligence" and other services provided, addressed to Whitehall in 1753 by the Secretary to the British Embassy in Madrid, Charles Townshend. - Townshend was in service in Spain from 1751 to 1756 and became known as 'Spanish Charles' to distinguish him from the politician Charles Townshend, his cousin. The reimbursement was granted and signed by Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness, Secretary of State for the Southern Department under George II, on 3 October 1753 at Whitehall: "I allow this Bill".
- On his return to England in 1756, Townshend was elected as a Whig Member of Parliament. He would go on to serve in a number of senior political posts including Lord of the Admiralty, Lord of the Treasury, and joint Vice-Treasurer for Ireland. In 1777, Townshend was admitted to the Privy Council. He was raised to the peerage in 1796 as Baron Bayning, of Foxley in the County of Berkshire. - The bill preserves the remnants of a red seal in its upper-left corner. It has one small tear and minimal roughing to the edges. On the verso three pieces of tape are the remains of the bill's earlier inclusion in a collection. Alongside Townshend's claim and signature, and Holderness' confirmation and signature, there is one additional pencil note..