Browne Matters in Michael Questier's Catholicism and Communi

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Douglas Richardson

Browne Matters in Michael Questier's Catholicism and Communi

Legg inn av Douglas Richardson » 07 sep 2007 00:05:33

Dear Newsgroup ~

Another example of a historian who has made some rather interesting
genealogical blunders is Michael Questier, whose recent book published
in 2006 is entitled Catholicism and Community in Early Modern
England. This book includes a good chapter on the Browne family of
Cowdray. This family is ancestral to Anne Browne, wife of Charles
Brandon, Duke of Suffoik, which lady is currently under discussion in
other threads here on the newsgroup. A limited view of this book can
be found online at the following weblink:

http://books.google.com/books?id=hjQHtU ... A1-PA68,M1

Mr. Questier makes at least two mistakes in his discussion of the
Browne family. He states on page 69 that Sir Anthony Browne and his
wife, Lucy Neville, were married "about 1580," citing as his source
BL, Additional MS 5726 E. 5, fo. 22r. The truth, however, is far from
this date. Lucy Neville was still the wife of Sir Thomas Fitzwilliam,
of Aldwark, Yorkshire, as late as 27 April 1497 (date of Sir Thomas'
will). Sir Thomas Fitzwilliam's will was proved 6 June 1498
[Reference: Complete Peerage, 12(1) (1959): 119, footnote f.].

That Lucy Neville was the wife of Sir Thomas Fitzwilliam before she
married Sir Anthony Browne is accounted for by many contemporary
sources, among them a lawsuit dated 1500-1501, in which Sir Anthony
Browne and Lucy his wife, of Calais, sued various parties in
Chancery. Lucy is styled "executrix and late the wife of Sir Thomas
FitzWilliam, knight" in the abstract of this proceeding which can be
found in the National Archives catalog:

C 1/237/90

Chancery Proceeding dated 1500-1501: Anthony Brown, knight, and
Lucy, his wife, of Calais, executrix and late the wife of Sir Thomas
FitzWilliam, knight. v. Humfrey FitzWilliam, clerk, Rauf Reresby,
Thomas Trygott, Robert Henryson, and Thomas Okes, feoffees to uses.:
The manor of Brampton in Morthyng and other lands and tenements there,
and in Brokhous, Carhous, Laghton in Morthyng, Swynton, Hoton,
Underhagh, and elsewhere.: Calais, York. END OF QUOTE.

An abstract of Lucy Browne's own will dated 20 August 1531, proved 30
June 1534, can be found in North Country Wills, 1 (Surtees Soc. 116)
(1908): 129-131. In the will, Lady Lucy names her two sons, Sir
William Fitzwilliam and Sir Anthony Browne, who were half-brothers to
one another. The elder of the two, Sir William Fitz William, was born
about 1490; and the younger of the two, Sir Anthony Browne, was born
in 1500. As such, it is impossible for Lucy Neville to have been the
wife of Sir Anthony Brown "about 1480," as claimed by Mr. Questier.

Moving onto more mundane matters, I see that on page 68 Mr. Questier
correctly identifies Anne Browne, wife of Charles Brandon, Duke of
Suffolk, as the daughter of Sir Anthony Browne, husband of Lucy
Neville. However, Mr. Questier calls her Sir Anthony's 3rd daughter
by Lucy Neville, which is impossible. As has been discussed in
earlier posts, Anne can only have been Sir Anthony's eldest daughter,
and by a wife previous to his marriage to Lucy Neville. The identity
of Anne's mother remains unknown at present.

One other worthwhile scrap provided by Mr. Questier is his reference
to an unpublished Browne family pedigree which he consulted during the
course of his research for his book. According to Mr. Questier, the
pedigree dates from 1615 and the modern citation for this pedigree is
BL, Harleian MS 1195, no. 1, fo. 1v. I haven't seen this pedigree,
but it might well contain useful information regarding the marriages
of Sir Anthony Browne, whose last known wife was Lucy Neville. The
citation to Additional MS. 5726 mentioned above might also prove
helpful to Browne researchers.

Best always, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah


..

taf

Re: Browne Matters in Michael Questier's Catholicism and Com

Legg inn av taf » 07 sep 2007 02:32:27

[ill-considered crosspost removed]

On Sep 6, 4:05 pm, Douglas Richardson <royalances...@msn.com> wrote:

Mr. Questier makes at least two mistakes in his discussion of the
Browne family. He states on page 69 that Sir Anthony Browne and his
wife, Lucy Neville, were married "about 1580," citing as his source
BL, Additional MS 5726 E. 5, fo. 22r. The truth, however, is far from
this date.

This is a mistake if, AND ONLY IF, BL Additional MS 5726E, fo. 22r
does not say that they were married at this time. Additional
information may allow more precision or more accuracy, but that does
not make it a "mistake" to report what a source says.

Surely your training taught you the importance of using precise
language.

taf

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