George Townsend (1788 – 23 November 1857) was an English priest and author. Life Born at Ramsgate, Kent, he was the son of George Townsend, an Independent minister there and author of published sermons. He was educated at Ramsgate, and attracted the attention of Richard Cumberland, with whose help he was able to go to Trinity College, Cambridge. He graduated Bachelor of Arts (BA) in 1812 and Cambridge Master of Arts (MA Cantab) in 1816, was ordained deacon in 1813 and priest in the year following, and in 1813 became curate of Littleport, Cambridgeshire; he then moved to Hackney as curate to John James Watson. In 1816 he was appointed professor at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and at the same time undertook the curacy of Farnborough, Hampshire. His work on the Old Testament was noticed by several eminent men, including Shute Barrington, Bishop of Durham, who appointed him his domestic chaplain in 1822. This was the period of great controversy over Catholic Emancipation, and Townsend wrote works for that debate. On 25 August 1825 he received the tenth prebendal stall in the see of Durham, which he retained until his death. He also obtained, on 26 April 1826 the chapter living of Northallerton, which he exchanged on 22 February 1839 for the perpetual curacy of St Margaret, Durham. In 1850 he undertook a journey to Italy with the intention of converting Pope Pius IX. He died at the college in Durham. Works [[File:The acts and monuments of John Foxe- a new and complete edition- with a preliminary dissertation, by the Rev. George Townsend (1837) (14586488928).jpg|thumb|THE ACTS AND MONUMENTS OF JOHN FOXE: A NEW AND COMPLETE EDITION WITH A PRELIMINARY DISSERTATION, BY THE REV. GEORGE TOWNSEND (1837)]] In 1811 appeared his first published work, a reply to William Drummond of Logiealmond, who in Œdipus Judaicus alleged that the greater part of the Old Testament was a solar allegory, and that the twelve patriarchs symbolised the signs of the zodiac. Townsend rejoined with Œdipus Romanus, in which by similar reasoning he showed that the signs of the zodiac were represented by the twelve Cæsars. In 1821 appeared the first part of his major work, The Old Testament arranged in historical and chronological order, London; 5th edit. 1860; the sequel was The New Testament arranged in historical and chronological order, London, 1826; 5th edit. 1860. As contribution to the polemical literature of