Sir William Browne (1410 – 14 April 1489) was Lord Mayor and Merchant of the Staple of

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...

, France; and founder of Browne's Hospital, a medieval

almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) was charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the medieval era. They were often targeted at the poor of a locality, at those from certain ...

and listed building in Stamford,

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

, England.

Career

Browne was a rich wool merchant. He was

alderman An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members ...

of Stamford, in 1435, 1444, 1449, 1460, 1466, and 1470. In 1465, he funded and built the

steeple In architecture, a steeple is a tall tower on a building, topped by a spire and often incorporating a belfry and other components. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religi ...

of Stamford's All Saints' Church, the church having been erected by his father. Browne served as sheriff of

Rutland Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire. Its greatest len ...

in 1467, 1475, 1483, and 1486, and probably also of Lincolnshire in 1478. In 1485, he was authorised by letters patent of

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Bat ...

to found and endow an almshouse. Four years later, after Browne's death and that of his wife, Margaret, the management of the Hospital passed to her brother, Thomas Stokke, Canon of York and Rector of

Easton-on-the-Hill Easton on the Hill is a village and civil parish at the north eastern tip of North Northamptonshire, England. The village had a population at the 2011 census was 1,015. The village, sited on the A43 road, is compact in form, with the older pa ...

. Stokke obtained new letters patent from Henry VII in 1493. Browne's Hospital ("Old Bead House") was completed in that year and dedicated the following year.

Personal life

He descended from the family of Brownes of Rutland. His parents were John (d. 1442) and Margaret (d. 1460) Browne. There was at least one sibling, a younger brother, John Browne. William Browne married Dame Margaret Stock (or Stokke, or Stokes) (d. 28 October 1489), heiress of the manor house of Warmington. They had at least two children, daughters Agnes and Elizabeth (c. 1441–1511) who married Sir John Elmes and lived at

Lilford Hall Lilford Hall is a Grade I listed Jacobean stately home in Northamptonshire in the United Kingdom. The 100-room house is located in the eastern part of the county, south of Oundle and north of Thrapston. History It was started in 1495 as a Tud ...

. Browne and his wife both died in 1489, and were buried in All Saints' Church's south chapel.

References

{{Authority control 1410 births 1489 deaths Merchants of the Staple People from Stamford, Lincolnshire