Anthony Browne (died 1548)
Sir Anthony Browne (died 6 May 1548) was an English courtier and Knight of the Shire.
He was the son of Sir Anthony Browne, Standard Bearer of England and Governor of Queenborough Castle, by his wife Lucy Nevill, daughter of John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu and widow of Sir Thomas Fitzwilliam. Anthony junior was thereby half-brother of William Fitzwilliam, 1st Earl of Southampton.
He married Alice, daughter of Sir John Gage, and their children included:
- Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montagu;
- Mary Browne, who married John Grey of Pirgo and was the mother of Henry Grey, 1st Baron Grey of Groby;
- Mabel Browne, who married Gerald FitzGerald, 11th Earl of Kildare.
His recorded royal service began in 1518, when he was appointed surveyor and master of hunting for the Yorkshire castles and Lordships of Hatfield, Thorne, and Conisbrough. He was included him in an embassy to hand over Tournai to Francois I. Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey, knighted him on 1 July 1522. In 1525 he was made lieutenant of the Isle of Man. He was ambassador to France in 1527, reporting home in increasingly anti-French terms.
During the uprisings in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire, known as the Pilgrimage of Grace, Brown was sent against the Catholic protesters, to test his loyalty. Anthony maintained Henry's trust. He was made a Knight of the Garter in 1540. When Henry VIII came to Rochester to meet Anne of Cleves, he first sent Anthony, his Master of Horse, into her chamber. He later declared that he was never more dismayed in his life, lamenting in his heart to see the Lady so far and unlike that was reported. Henry confided his own disappointment the next day to Anthony as they returned to Greenwich by barge.[1]
He was returned as knight of the shire for Surrey in 1539 and was then re-elected in 1542, 1545, and 1547.
Sometime after 1540, he married Elizabeth Fitzgerald, daughter of the 9th Earl of Kildare, his wife Alice having died.
As a conservative, he had to be careful not to be brought down by factional politics at the court of Henry VIII. He became so trusted by Henry that in the King's latter years, Browne held a dry stamp of the King's signature, to use for minor letters. By 1547, he was Keeper of Oatlands Palace
He died on 28 April 1548 at Byfleet, Surrey, and was buried at Battle in a tomb with his first wife. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Anthony.
[edit] Mistresses Brown
Browne was said to be a good-looking man and two members of his family were said to have been mistresses of Henry VIII. One, 'Mistress Browne', we do not know the first name of, but it was allegedly his sister. One piece of information, however, points to it being his daughter, Elizabeth Browne, countess of Worcester. The ex-mistress was alleged to have been a prime mover in the downfall of Anne Boleyn. Elizabeth Browne was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Anne Boleyn and the chief witness against her. Another member of his family, Anne Bassett was rumoured to be in the running to become Henry's fifth wife and there were earlier rumours of an affair, shortly before his marriage to Anne of Cleves.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Strype, John, Ecclesiastical Memoirs, vol. 1 part 2, Oxford (1822), 456-458.
- ^ Hart, Kelly (June 1, 2009). The Mistresses of Henry VIII (First ed.). The History Press. ISBN 0752448358. http://books.google.com/books?id=r6HGPAAACAAJ.
- Dictionary of National Biography, Browne, Sir Anthony (d 1548), politician, by J. A. E. Roundell. Published 1886.
- Rotherham Web:Sir Anthony Browne
- Medieval History:Sir Anthony Browne
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Nicholas Carew |
Master of the Horse 1539–1548 |
Succeeded by Sir William Herbert |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by The Earl of Essex |
Captain of the Gentlemen Pensioners 1539–1548 |
Succeeded by The Lord Braye |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by The Earl of Rutland |
Justice in Eyre north of the Trent 1546–1548 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Shrewsbury |
