William Brownlow (1591 - 1661)

Born 1591 in Epworth, Lincolnshire, England

Ancestors

Husband of Elinor (O'Doherty) Brownlow — married about 1611 in Ireland

Descendants

Died 20 Jan 1661 at about age 70 in Lurgan, County Armagh, Ireland

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This profile is part of the Brownlow Name Study.

Biography

Birth and baptism
William was born in 1591 in Epworth, Lincolnshire, England, to John Brownlow and Duglas Robarts. He was baptized 16 October 1591 in St. Andrews, Epworth, Lincolnshire.^[1]

Role in the plantation of Ulster
William Brownlow's father John applied to be one of the original English undertakers of the plantation of Ulster, was accepted and was granted 1,500 acres in Onealand, county Armagh. (See his his profile.) A few days later, William Brownlow received his own grant of 1,000 acres

Grant to William Brownlowe, gent. The small proportion of Ballynemony — Derritagh, Ballineverewe, Derryada, Derreinver, Derryasny, Anardevore, one balliboe each: Derryvicasse, one and 1/2 balliboe; Bechonill, one balliboe; Knockrawre, one and balliboe; Ballynemany, Tanaghvore, Leggachory, Moynrege, Tollygalla, Teghevan, one balliboe each; in all, 1,000 acres. The balliboe of Kinenereganbeg, containing 60 acres, is excepted from this grant. The premises are erected into the manor of Ballynemony, with 300 acres in demesne, and a court baron. Rent, 5£. 6s. 8d. English. To hold forever, as of the castle of Dublin, in common socage. 18 June, 8th [1610].^[2][3]

John and William Brownlow appear together in Carew's Survey' of Ulster carried of 1611.

William Brownlow, 1,000 acres, and his son, John Brownlow 1,500 acres [Carew appears to get these the wrong way round]; both resident, and dwelling together in an Irish house. Have brought over 6 carpenters, 1 mason, a tailor, and 6 workmen ; 1 freeholder and 6 tenants upon their land. Preparations to build 2 bawns. Some muskets and other arms in readiness.^[4]

The 'Bodley Survey' of 1613 showed some progress, but also that the tenants they had recruited had abandoned them

John Brounlo the father with his wife and family, together with his son William Brounlo, are resident on their proportions, having fitted themselves for the time in a house which they patched up of stone and clay, on the ruins of an old chapel, being in a place of good safety on that side of Lough Chichester. Their stock of cattle they have on the ground, but as yet very few tenants; those which John Brounlo brought over, which were 40 or 50, by reason of the hardness of the country having all forsaken him. Howbeit by that time he hath perfected his building, which he hath now in hand, both of a bawn and house, for which the most part of his materials are in place in a well chosen seat for that purpose, he doubteth not but to people his country sufficiently ; to which end he is building of certain tenements, whereof 2 are already finished, and other frames set up, where his town shall be, and hath a windmill ready framed and presently to be reared.^[5]

Pynar's Survey of 1618-19 showed further progress, with new tenants. John Brownlow had already died, and William held the two proportions.

William Bromlow, Esq., hath two Proportions, viz., Doivcoran, being 1,500 acres, and Ballynemony, 1,000 acres. Upon the Proportion of Ballynemony there is a strong Stone House within a good Island; and at Dowcoran there is a very fair House of Stone and Brick, with good Lyme, and hath a Strong Bawne of Timber and Earth, with a Pallazado about it. There is now laid in readiness both Lyme and Stone to make a Bawne thereof, which is promised to be done this Summer. He hath made a very fair Town, consisting of 42 Houses, all which are inhabited with English Families, and the streets all paved clean through; also two Water Mills, and a Wind Mill, all for corn; and he hath Store of Arms in his House. I find planted and estated on this Land, of Brittish Families [There the follows a list (but no names) of 52 plots of land leased and 5 sold freehold, and the survey continues] 57 families with divers under them all of whom have taken the oath of supremacy and are able to make 100 men of arms ‘and not one Irish family upon the land.’^[6]

Further progress was shown in the survey of spring 1622, and by then there were also some Irish tenants (or perhaps the 1622 surveyor was better informed than Pynar had been)

William Bromlow, Esqr. hath 2 Proportions, vizt. Dewcorran containeing 1500 acres on which is built a good house or Castle of stone, and brick lay'd with lime, 3 stories high, wherein himself, his wife and Familie, now inhabit ; This house is compassed with a strong Bawne of lyme, and stone, 159 foot long. 93 foot broad, and 14 foot in height, with a fair Flancker square to the South East ; and he is purposed to make another opposite ; he hath made neer adjoyning a good Village, consisting of 40 houses, inhabited with English Tenants, on both sides of the Streete, on which a good Windemill stands

'He hath also an other proportion, called Ballynemony, where he hath built a house of lyme and stone, standing within an Island ; In which, one William Trueman dwelleth, and holds this howse & 60 acres of and in Fee Simple. [After mentioning the parts held by six freeholders, three with 60 and three with 10 acres each and 12 leaseholders each with between 50 and 200 acres, it continues] The rest some have 40 acres, some 30, some 20, some 11, and some less, but all have some Land to their houses for 21 yeares, and some for longer tearmes ; they are able to bring 160 men into the ffield, armed with Pikes, Callivers, and other Weapons ; but there are on these Proportions (as we are credibly informed) 24 Irish Families.^[7]

The same survey included a muster roll, which showed that Mr William Brumlagh was able to muster out of his 2,500 acres, 42 men with 27 swords, 16 pikes, 1 musket, 8 calivers and 4 snap. ^[8]

Sir William Brownlow, Kt, received another significant grant of land in the same barony in 1629. ^[9] However, he got into trouble for letting part of it to meere Irish tenants contrary to the conditions of the grant. This was the subject of an inquisition in 1632 which unusually was written in English and which resulted in the lands being forfeit to the King

... all and every the townes & pcells of land afore menconed, are undertaker's lands within the province of Ulster, ... granted to Sir William Bromloe Knt, & his heirs ... upon condicon that if he would allien or let the same to any person, being meere Irish, or such as are not of the British discent, or let any agistment, pasturage or comon of pasture, to any of the meere Irish, over and above the fourth part of the said pporcon of Dun¬carron, that then it should be lawfull for the King, his heirs & suc-cessors, to take as by said lres [letters] it apeth [appeareth].—All the afore menconed townes have been occupied by Irishmen, and he the said sir William the said condicon hathbroken, whereby the said several townes are become forfeited to the present King.^[10]

This was one of a large number of lands in Ulster repossessed by Charles I for having been let to Irish tenants. ^[11]

Marriage
Unusually for an English planter in Ireland, William Brownlow allied himself in marriage with a family with roots in both the Irish nobility and the Catholic Old English of county Louth. His wife Elinor O'Doherty was the daughter and co-heiress of John O'Doherty of Derry. ^[12] The family's continued association with the Irish nobility and the Catholic Old English can be seen in the marriages of daughter Lettice Brownlow and in grandson Arthur (Chamberlain) Brownlow's interest in the Irish language and literature.

Member of Parliament
William Brownlow of Lurgan alias Brownlow's derry was a member of the Irish Parliament for the county of Armagh in 1639. ^[13]

Rebellion of 1641
Twelve years after the event, William Brownlow gave a deposition about the rebellion of 1641. ^[14] He stated that rebels came to Lurgan

and with fire, and sword burnt the Toune and Murthered seauerall of the protestant inhabitants ... and that the said rebells came the next day following, and threatned that except I would deliuer my house, they would put vs all to the sword man, woman and childe, and if wee would surrender that they would convoye vs safe to Lisnegaruey, with what goods Wee would carry with vs ... and wee at that tyme hauing noe manner of fire Armes, nor amunition, wherby wee might defend our selues, and hauing many poore stript men, women and children, within the house ... wee consented to deliuer the house, which was noe sooner done, then they contrary to ther condicions plundered the house, stript the people, and in a cruell manner Murthered seauerall of them, and I with my children sent in a most sadd condicion to Ardmagh, where wee remained prisoner vntill such tyme as the Inglish and Scots Army, marched to the Newry

James Stuart mentions this event in his Historical memoirs of the city of Armagh in which he describes horrific atrocities committed by both the rebels and the arriving English and Scots armies. ^[15]

There is some evidence that William Brownlow and his brother Richard acted for the Royalists in some capacity during the civil war as both names are included in the lists of '49 Officers (those who had served Charles I before 1649 and were therefore awarded grants of land).^[16] William also appears on the list of 'Decrees of the Innocents' (those found guilty of rebellion under the Commonwealth, which might have included Royalists as well as rebels) and were subsequently found innocent by the Court of Claims after the Restoration).^[17]

Cromwellian settlement and land surveys
'The Books of Survey and Distribution' which summarised the ownership of land before and after the Cromwellian re-distribution, showed that in 1640 Sir William Bromlow owned 45 townlands in the barony of Onealan and 2 in the barony of Orier, both in the county of Armagh, ^[18] and that he owned the same townlands in 1670. ^[19] (See 'Death and will' below.)

In between these dates he appeared in the 'Pender census' of c 1659 where both he (Sir William Bromloe, knight) and his brother Richard were 'Tituladoes' (people with a claim on land) in the parish of Shankell. ^[20]

Death and will
Sir William Brownlow made his will on 22 November 1660. In it, he mentioned his eldest daughter Lettice Clinton, his granddaughter Catherine Byrne, his grandson Arthur Chamberlain, and his grandson William Draper.^[21][22] He died 20 January 1660/1.^[23]

After his death, there was an inquisition post mortem (written up in Latin) which referred to him as GUL' BROWNELOW de Brownelow's Derry in co' Armagh [?] defunct. It described his lands at some length and continued that they had been transferred to his daughter Lettice Brownlow als Clynton during her life and then to her son Arthur Chamberlain) who was then aged 16 and unmarried. ^[24]

It is slightly odd that William Brownlow died in 1661 but was still shown as the owner of land in 1670. This suggests legal issues surrounding the settlement of his estate. Indeed there were legal issues. His daughter and heir Lettice had foreited her life interest in her late husband's lands for involvment on the rebels' side of the 1641 rebellion. ^[25] Her son Arthur Chamberlain (who took the name Brownlow) was in dispute with the person to whom the life interest was awarded and saw some success, being awarded 'Savings' under the Act of Explanation of 1665 ^[26] and being included like his grandfather in the list of 'decrees of the innocents'.^[17] Lettice died in 1699 and the dispute may have come to a conclusion not too long after that.

Sources

1. ↑ Lincolnshire Baptisims, database with images, FindMyPast, Baptism of William Bronnley, St. Andrew's, Epworth, Lincolnshire, 16 October 1591, (accessed 21 October 2020); citing Epworth Parish Register, Lincolnshire Archives, page 45, “Wm ye son of John Bronnley ye xvith of october (baptized).”
2. ↑ An historical account of the plantation in Ulster, pp 262
3. ↑ Lodge, JD, Records of the Rolls : abstracts of all the involvements of lands, deeds and other matters of property remaining of record in the Rolls Office of the High Court of Chancery and in Bermingham Tower from the 3rd year of King Edward I ... to King George II [1274-1760], Dublin, 1774, James I, vol I, page 461, item 16 (https://www.virtualtreasury.ie/item?isadgReferenceCode=NAI%20Lodge%2F2%2F326 : accessed 27 February 2023)
4. ↑ Calendar of the Carew manuscripts, preserved in the archi-episcopal library at Lambeth, vol 1603-1623, London : Longmans, Green, Reader, & Dyer, 1872, p 1611 (https://archive.org/details/calendarofcarewm06lambiala/page/225/mode/1up?q=Brownlow&view=theater : accessed 26 February 2023)
5. ↑ The Bodley Survey of Ulster, 1613, cited in Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts, Report on the manuscripts of the late Reginald Rawdon Hasstings, Esq. of the Manor House, Ashby de la Zouch, HMSO, London, 1928, p 174, (https://archive.org/details/reportonmanuscri0004grea/page/174/mode/1up?view=theater&q=Brounlo : accessed 26 February 2023)
6. ↑ An historical account of the plantation in Ulster, pp 556, 557
7. ↑ Paterson, T. G. F. 'County Armagh in 1622 a Plantation Survey.' Seanchas Ardmhacha: Journal of the Armagh Diocesan Historical Society, vol. 4, no. 1, 1960, pp. 103–40. JSTOR, (https://doi.org/10.2307/29740723 : Accessed 27 Feb. 2023.)
8. ↑ Paterson, T. G. F. 'An Unpublished Early 17th Century Census of the Men and Arms on the Estates of the English and Scotch Settlers in Co. Armagh.' Seanchas Ardmhacha: Journal of the Armagh Diocesan Historical Society, vol. 5, no. 2, 1970, pp. 401–17. JSTOR, (https://doi.org/10.2307/29740779 : Accessed 27 Feb. 2023)
9. ↑ Lodge, JD, Records of the Rolls : abstracts of all the involvements of lands, deeds and other matters of property remaining of record in the Rolls Office of the High Court of Chancery and in Bermingham Tower from the 3rd year of King Edward I ... to King George II [1274-1760], Dublin, 1774, volume Charles I, vol I, pp 133-135, item 36 (https://www.virtualtreasury.ie/item?isadgReferenceCode=NAI%20Lodge%2F5%2F100 : accessed 27 February 2023)
10. ↑ Repertory of Irish Chancery Inquisitions, 'Com Armagh' (County of Armagh), Reign of Charles I, inquisition no 19, seventh regnal year (1632). (https://archive.org/details/dli.granth.77919/page/n101/mode/1up?q=Bromloe&view=theater : accessed 27 February 2023)
11. ↑ Gilbert, J. Thomas, A contemporary history of affairs in Ireland, from 1641 to 1652. Dublin: For the Irish archaeological and Celtic society, (3 vols), 1879-1880, appendix 'Ejecting Irish tenants in Ulster', dated 30 December 1631, vol 1, pp 348-352, citing patent roll of Ireland, vii, Charles I, part 3 (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89049106008&view=1up&seq=481 : accessed 2 March 2023)
12. ↑ Clendinning, Kieran. “The Brownlow Family and the Development of the Town of Lurgan in the 17th Century: Part II William Brownlow and the Formation of the Manor of Brownlowsderry.” Seanchas Ardmhacha: Journal of the Armagh Diocesan Historical Society, vol. 20, no. 2, 2005, pp. 106–32. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/29742753. Accessed 12 Mar. 2023.
13. ↑ Lodge, John, 'Parliamentary Register' (manuscript), National Archives of Ireland archive ref NAI Lodge/20/10 List of members returned to parliament for County Armagh (https://www.virtualtreasury.ie/item?isadgReferenceCode=NAI%20Lodge%2F20%2F10 : accessed 3 March 2023)
14. ↑ Examination of William Brownelow, 26/2/1653, 1641 Depositions, Trinity College Dublin, MS 836, fols 202r-203v, (http://1641.tcd.ie/index.php/deposition/?depID=836202r100 : Accessed 27 February 2023)
15. ↑ Stuart, J. (1819). Historical memoirs of the city of Armagh: for a period of 1373 years, comprising a considerable position of the general history of Ireland ; a refutation of the opinions of Dr. Ledwich, respecting the non-existence of St. Patrick; and an appendix, of the learning, antiquities, and religion of the Irish nation. Newry: printed by Alexander Wilkinson ...for Longman, p 371 (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433071383016&view=1up&seq=391&q1=Brownlow : accessed 27 February 2023)
16. ↑ Appendix to 15th report, Index of names of Persons in Inrolments of Adjudications in favour of the (1649) officers starting p 616
17. ↑ ^{17.0 17.1} Appendix to 15th report, Index of names of Persons in Inrolments of the Decrees of the Innocents starting p 526
18. ↑ TCD Down survey web site, Historical GIS, 1641 landowner search (https://downsurvey.tchpc.tcd.ie/landowners.php#l2=Bromlow,+Sir+William&mc=54.299015,-6.550105&z=9 : accessed 27 Feburary 2023)
19. ↑ TCD Down survey web site, Historical GIS, 1670 landowner search (https://downsurvey.tchpc.tcd.ie/landowners.php#l2=Bromlow,+Sir+William&l4=Bromlow,+Sir+William&mc=54.053587,-7.142879&z=8 : accessed 27 Feburary 2023)
20. ↑ Séamus Pender (ed), A census of Ireland , circa 1659, Irish Manuscripts Commission, Dublin, 1939 p 39 (https://www.irishmanuscripts.ie/product/a-census-of-ireland-circa-1659/ : accessed 16 November 2022)
21. ↑ The will of Sir William Brownlow, 1660, Public Records Office for Northern Ireland, reference D/1928/T/3/1
22. ↑ "Betham Genealogical Abstracts"
    Archive: National Archives of Ireland
    FindMyPast Image - FindMyPast Transcription (accessed 1 March 2023)
    Will abstract of Sir William Brownlow of Browlowes Denry County Armagh dated 20 Nov 1660; Collection: Genealogical abstracts of records of the Prerogative Court of Armagh; Series description: Series 1, wills: v. 9 "B" 1538-1680 "C" 1538-1680 v. 10 "B" 1581-1766 & misc. v. 11 "C" 1700-1737 v. 12 "C" 1738-1760 v. 13 "C" 1760-1777 v. 14 "C" 1778-1791 v. 15 "C" 1792-1799 v. 16 "C" 1681-1699 "D" 1550-1694 v. 17 "D" 1700-1745 v. 18 "D" 1741-1772; Notebook: Betham's Genealogical Abstracts Prerogative Wills. (Philliphs Mss) B. 1581-1766. & Misc.
23. ↑ Pedigree of the Brownlow Family, 1591-1905. Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, reference D/1928/Z/8. Note: The pedigree records his death as 2 January 1660/1, but it is evident from the inquisition post mortem cited below that he died 20 January 1660/1.
24. ↑ Repertory of Irish Chancery Inquisitions, 'Com Armagh' (County of Armagh), Reign of Charles II, inquisition no 7, eighth regnal year (1661/2). (https://archive.org/details/dli.granth.77919/page/n109/mode/1up?q=Brownlow&view=theater : accessed 27 February 2023)
25. ↑ Appendix to 15th report, Abstracts of Grants of Lands and other hereditaments under the Acts of Settlement and Explantion A. D. 1666-1684 starting p 281. (Award in Louth to John Swift, p 170)
26. ↑ Appendix to 15th report, Account of the savings contained in the patents starting p 281 (Savings from John Swift to Arthur Chamberlaine, p 305)

• Hill, George, An historical account of the plantation in Ulster at the commencement of the seventeenth century, 1608-1620, Belfast : M'Caw, Stevenson & Orr, 1877, pp 260, 261 (https://archive.org/details/historicalaccoun00hill_0/page/260/mode/1up?q=Brownlow&view=theater : accessed 26 February 2023)
• Royal Commission on the Public Records of Ireland, Inquisitionum in Officio Rotulorum Cancellariae Hiberniae asservatarum Repertorium, (Repertory of Irish Chancery Inquisitions), Vol. II, Ulster, London, 1829, 'Com Armagh' (County of Armagh)
• Appendix to the Fifteenth Annual Report of the Irish Record Commission dated 1825, (https://archive.org/details/op1244157-1001/page/27/mode/1up?view=theater : accessed 27 February 2023)