In the early 19th century, the clatter of silk-throwing machinery echoed through the former Abbey Mills in St Albans. A century and a half later, one of their descendants was photographing the Rolling Stones in Chelsea during the height of Swinging London. This is the story of how industrial wealth, strategic marriages, and talent flowed through generations of one remarkable English family.
The Woollams of St Albans
The story begins with Charles Woollam (died 1797), a wine merchant turned silk entrepreneur. Charles established a silk-throwing business in St Albans, processing raw silk into thread for the London weaving trade. After his death, his widow Penelope and sons continued and expanded the business.
Charles had two sons who would shape the family’s future:
• Charles Woollam (1778–1836)
• John Woollam (1790–1869)
Both brothers strengthened the family’s position in the silk industry through marriage into another prominent silk-throwing family — that of George Ward of Bruton, Somerset.
Charles Woollam junior married Elizabeth Ward, daughter of George Ward and Elizabeth Ridout. His brother John married Mary Anne Burges, daughter of Daniel Burges and Mary Ann Ward (Elizabeth’s sister). Thus, the two Woollam brothers married an aunt and her niece, cementing business and family ties between the Hertfordshire and Somerset branches of the silk trade. These marriages were typical of the period — tight-knit industrial families interlinked for capital, expertise, and market access.
The Woollam business flourished. Under later generations, particularly Charles Woollam (1832–1915), grandson of the founder, the firm employed hundreds at mills in St Albans and Redbourn. The family became major local benefactors, donating land for playing fields, supporting almshouses, and playing an active role in civic life.
Penelope Woollam and Joseph Phipps Townsend
In 1853, at St Albans Abbey Church, Penelope Woollam (1825–1878), daughter of John and Mary Anne Woollam, married Joseph Phipps Townsend (1813–1888). Joseph was a successful solicitor, Justice of the Peace, and member of the professional gentry. The couple lived at Downhills, a substantial Georgian estate in Tottenham with extensive grounds.
The Townsend Sisters and Their Notable Marriages
Joseph and Penelope had nine children. While their only son died young, three of their daughters formed marriages that would carry the family into military, diplomatic, and financial circles.
• Rose Nankivell Townsend (1863–1940) married Cresswell John Eyres (1862–1949), who rose to the rank of Admiral in the Royal Navy (DSO, CBE).
• Penelope Louisa Townsend (1855–1947) married Harry Charles Augustus Eyres (1856–1944), a distinguished British diplomat who served as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Albania in the 1920s.
• Ellen Stanley Townsend (1856–1933) married Augustus Hills Cobbold (1855–1931), a London stockbroker.
The double marriage of the Townsend sisters to the Eyres brothers was particularly striking — two sisters marrying two brothers, uniting the families even more closely.
From Cobbolds to Sivewrights — and into the Spotlight
Through the Cobbold line came another fascinating turn. Ellen and Augustus’s daughter, Sylvia Townsend Cobbold, married Robert Henry Vivian Sivewright (1896–1981), a Royal Navy officer who earned the Distinguished Service Cross.
Their youngest son, Philip Henry Vivian Sivewright (1940–2016), later adopted the surname Townsend. In the 1960s, Philip became a celebrated documentary and celebrity photographer. A friend of Andrew Loog Oldham (the Rolling Stones’ first manager), he took some of the earliest professional photographs of the band — raw, energetic images that captured the spirit of a generation on the cusp of stardom. His camera also documented many other icons of Swinging London.
A Story of Social Mobility and Female Lines
From the water- and steam-powered silk mills of St Albans to the vibrant streets of 1960s Chelsea, this family’s story spans nearly two centuries of British social history. Strategic marriages, industrial enterprise, imperial service, and creative talent each played their part. Female lines were particularly important — it was through the daughters of Penelope Woollam and Joseph Townsend that the family’s connections extended into the highest levels of naval, diplomatic, and artistic life.
In Part 2, we will trace the Eyres family backwards — from the diplomat and admiral brothers through their Norfolk gentry roots to an East India Company Major-General, and ultimately to the London vintners who laid the foundations for this remarkable ascent.