The title of Marquess Townshend was created in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1787 for George Townshend, 4th Viscount Townshend.

Lord Townshend holds the subsidiary titles of Viscount Townshend, of Raynham in the County of Norfolk (1682), and Baron Townshend, of Lynn Regis in the County of Norfolk (1661), in the Peerage of England, and is also an English baronet. As Lord Townshend holds no titles with names different to his main title, the territorial designation from his Viscountcy is used for his heir, who is styled Viscount Raynham. In addition, the Marquess once held the title Earl of Leicester; however, upon the death of the third Marquess , this title became extinct, the marquessate and other titles passing to a more distant family member.

Viscounts Townshend (1682)

• Horatio Townshend, 1st Viscount Townshend (1630-1687)
• Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend (1674-1738)
• Charles Townshend, 3rd Viscount Townshend (1700-1764)
• George Townshend, 4th Viscount Townshend (1724-1807) (became Marquess Townshend in 1787)

Marquesses Townshend (1787)

• George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend (1724-1807)
• George Townshend, 2nd Marquess Townshend (1753-1811)
• George Ferrars Townshend, 3rd Marquess Townshend (1778-1855)
• John Townshend, 4th Marquess Townshend (1798-1863)
• John Villiers Stuart Townshend, 5th Marquess Townshend (1831-1899)
• John James Dudley Stuart Townshend, 6th Marquess Townshend (1866-1921)
• George John Patrick Dominic Townshend, 7th Marquess Townshend (b. 1916)

Heir Apparent: his son, Charles George Townshend, Viscount Raynham (b. 1945)