Charles Townsend (1674-1738), British landowner, Viscount and agriculturalist. Nicknamed 'Turnip Townsend', his work on crop husbandry led to great improvements in UK agriculture. Drawing on experiences in Holland he introduced the use of turnips in rotation with other crops. Previously fields had to be left fallow every few years, but he showed that fertility could be maintained by growing different crops each year. Turnips and clover, in particular, have restorative, nitrogen- fixing, properties on the soil.