Browne Willis (16 September 1682 – 5 February 1760) was an antiquary, author,

numismatist A numismatist is a specialist, researcher, and/or well-informed collector of numismatics, numismatics/coins ("of coins"; from Late Latin , genitive of ). Numismatists can include collectors, specialist dealers, and scholar-researchers who use coi ...

and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1705 to 1708.

Early life

Willis was born at Blandford St Mary,

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

, the eldest son of Thomas Willis of Bletchley,

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

and his wife Alice Browne, daughter of Robert Browne of Frampton, Dorset. He was grandson of Dr Thomas Willis, the physician. He was educated at Beachampton School under the care of Abraham Freestone, and later at

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

. He attended

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

and entered the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

in 1700. In 1707 he married Katherine Eliot, the daughter of Daniel Eliot. He joined the recently reformed Society of Antiquaries in 1717–18.

Political career

In 1705, Willis was elected Member of Parliament for

Buckingham Buckingham ( ) is a market town in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, which had a population of 12,890 at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census. The town lies approximately west of ...

. He held the seat until 1708.

Published works

His published works are: * ''Notitia Parliamentaria'', vol. 1 (1715) * ''Survey of St David’s Cathedral'' (1716) * ''Notitia Parliamentaria'', vol. 2 (1716) * '' The Whole Duty of Man, Abridged for the Benefit of the Poorer Sort'' (1717) * ''Mitred Abbies'', vol. 1 (1718) * ''An Survey of the Cathedral-Church of Landaff'' (1718 or 1719) * ''Mitred Abbies'', vol. 2 (1719) * ''Survey of St Asaph'' (1720) * ''Reflecting Sermons Consider'd; occasion'd by several discourses deliver'd by E. Wells'' (1720) * ''Survey of Bangor Cathedral'' (1721) * ''Survey of York, Durham, Carlisle, Chester, Man, Lichfield, Hereford, Worcester, Gloucester, and Bristol'' (1727) * ''Survey of Lincoln, Ely, Oxford, and Peterborough'' (1730) * ''A Table of the Gold Coins of the Kings of England'' (1733) * ''Parochiale Anglicanum'' (1733) * ''Notitia Parliamentaria'', vol. 3 (1750) * ''To the Patrons of Ecclesiastical Livings'' (1752) * ''History of the Town, Hundred, and Deanery of Buckingham'' (1755)

St Martin's Church, Fenny Stratford

Between 1724 and 1730, Browne Willis built St. Martin's Church on the site of the old Chantry Chapel of St. Margaret and St. Catherine at Fenny Stratford. He erected the church as a memorial to his grandfather Dr. Thomas Willis, a famous physician who lived in St. Martin's Lane in the parish of St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London and died on St. Martin's Day, 11 November 1675.

The Fenny Poppers

Browne Willis arranged for a sermon to be preached in his memory at St. Martin's Church every St. Martin's Day, for which a fee was payable. He celebrated the occasion with a dinner for local clergy and gentry. The firing of the "Fenny Poppers", six small cannon, dates from this period, although there is no record of their first use. In 1740 Browne Willis bought a house in Aylesbury Street, Fenny Stratford and the rent from this was used to pay for the sermon and gunpowder for the Fenny Poppers. The traditions were continued after Willis's death in 1760. The six poppers were re-cast in 1859 after one of them burst. They are still in use today. Many sites have been used for this battery. These include; the Canal Wharf, land behind the Church, St, Martin's Hall, the Churchyard and now the Leon Recreation Ground, which was once part of the lands belonging to the Chantry. The poppers each weigh about . The bore, will take up to of gunpowder, which is plugged with well-rammed newspaper. They are fired three times on St. Martin's Day: noon, 2pm and 4pm. There is no connection with Remembrance Day, which is also on 11 November. The poppers are also fired to mark special occasions, including the death of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

, the start of the second millennium, the 100th birthday of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.

Notes

References

External links

Browne Willis's Library

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Browne 1682 births 1760 deaths Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford British MPs 1707–1708 Members of the Inner Temple English MPs 1705–1707 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies People educated at Westminster School, London People from Blandford Forum