Townsend was born in Exeter, in Devon, England on December 1, 1815.
[1] Ordained in England in 1842, Townsend set off for Sierra Leone with Charles Andrew Gollmer and Samuel Ajayi Crowther,[2] landing there that same year; after working there only a few months, he was transferred to the Yoruba mission.
[1] He returned to England for a year, then travelled to Abeokuta in Nigeria.
Townsend and they celebrated Christmas Day together sharing the Gospel in Badagry.
[1] From 1871 to 1872 Rev Henry and Mrs Townsend were co-principals of CMS Female Institution Lagos Nigeria.