Career

Sworn to the peace in Kent

Kent

Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...

 in 1434. He was Justice of Peace for Kent from 1436 to 24 Dec. 1450. He was Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 (MP) between 1439 and 1444 for Dover

Dover (UK Parliament constituency)

Dover is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...

. He was High Sheriff of Kent

High Sheriff of Kent

The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere or are now defunct, so that its functions...

 in 1443-4, and then MP between 1445 and 1446 for Kent

Kent (UK Parliament constituency)

Kent was a parliamentary constituency covering the county of Kent in southeast England. It returned two "knights of the shire" to the House of Commons by the bloc vote system from the year 1290...

. He was present at Parliament in 1447 and 1449 as Under Treasurer. He was MP between 1449 and 1450 for Wallingford

Wallingford (UK Parliament constituency)

Wallingford was a constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.It was a parliamentary borough created in 1295, centred on the market town Wallingford in Berkshire . It used to return two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons; this was cut to one in 1832, and...

.

He was knighted 1449/51. During the reign of King Henry VI

Henry VI of England

Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...

, his highest post was that Chancellor of the Exchequer

Chancellor of the Exchequer

The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...

 which post he held between 1440 and 1450. He was later Justice of Peace for Surrey

Surrey

Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...

 from 20 July 1454 till death. He was executed for treason on the gallows at Tyburn

Tyburn

Tyburn is a former village just outside the then boundaries of London that was best known as a place of public execution.Tyburn may also refer to:* Tyburn , river and historical water source in London...

 on 29 Jul 1460.

Property

• Beechworth or Betchworth Castle
  Betchworth Castle
  Betchworth Castle is a ruin of a fortified medieval house, near Brockham, built on a sandstone spur overlooking the western bank of the River Mole, Surrey, UK...
  
  , Dorking, Surrey.
  which he purchased from his father in law Thomas FitzAlan
  Thomas FitzAlan
  Sir Thomas FitzAlan , of Beechwood Castle in Kent, was a medieval English knight.He was born to John Fitzalan, 2nd Lord Arundel and Elizabeth le Despenser and was a grandson of John Fitzalan and Eleanor Maltravers . Sir Thomas married Joan Moyns, and they were parents to Eleanor Fitzalan...
  
  .
• Tonford Manor, Thanington, Kent
  Called Toniford, Tunford etc, came into possession of the manor from Sir Thomas Fogge, (died anno 9 Henry IV.) by the Browne's who in the 27th year of Henry VI. obtained a grant of liberty to embattle and impark, and to have free warren, &c. within this manor.
• Morris-Court, Bapchild, Kent.
  situated within the Ecclestical jurisdiction of the diocese of Rochester, and deanry of Sittingborne.
• Eythorne Manor, Kent
  Thomas obtained the grant of a fair at the neighbouring village of Wimlingswold, to be held on the feast of St. Margaret the Virgin, (20 July), but it is now held yearly on Old May-day.
• Hoptons Manor, in the parish of Alkham, Kent.
• Kingsnoth Manor, Kent
  in the 27th year of Henry VI. reign, Thomas obtained a licence for a fair in this parish, on the feast of St. Michael, and that same year he had another to embattle his mansion here and to inclose a park, and for freewarren in all his demesne lands within this manor.
• Westbery Manor, Watringbury, Kent.
  Richard Fishborne, sold the manor in the 33d year of Henry VI. reign to Thomas Browne.
• Swanscombe Manor, Greenhithe, Kent
• Tong Castle & Manor, Tong, Kent
  the property which had been in possession of Richard, Duke of York
  Richard, Duke of York
  Richard, Duke of York may refer to:*Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York , father of Edward IV of England and Richard III of England...
  
  , but was attainted in anno 38 Henry VI., and granted by Henry VI. to Thomas Browne, prior to his knighthood, and being made comptroller and treasurer of his household. Thomas soon afterwards obtained a grant of a fair at this manor, on St. Jame's day yearly, and another for liberty to embattle his mansion, and to impark his lands here.

Family

Thomas was born about 1414. He was the son and heir of Robert Browne and a nephew of Stephen Browne MP He married Eleanor daughter and coheir of Thomas Fitzalan (third son of Lord Maltravers) in 1434. Eleanor later remarried, to Sir Thomas Vaughan

Thomas Vaughan (soldier)

Sir Thomas Vaughan was a Welsh medieval soldier and diplomat, an adherent of Jasper Tudor and King Henry VI of England. Despite this, he was a Yorkist by inclination, as were so many Welshmen of the time, and became ambassador to the courts of Burgundy and France on behalf of the Yorkist King...

 in 1461. Thomas had seven sons and several daughters:

• Sir George Browne, Knt, was M.P. Surrey. Knighted after the Battle of Tewkesbury, but attainted as a rebel and beheaded by Richard III in 1483. His estates were confiscated, but were afterwards restored to his heirs in 1485 by Henry VII.
• Thomas Browne
• Robert Browne Of Chilham, Kent, Eng; m Anne
• Sir Anthony Browne; Standard bearer for England.
• William Browne (of Tavistock, Devon)
• Leonard Browne
• Edward Browne
• Katherine Browne m Humphrey Sackville of Buckhurst, Sussex (1426 – January 24, 1488).
• Jane Browne