Dominick Geoffrey Edward Browne, 4th Baron Oranmore and Browne, 2nd Baron Mereworth (21 October 1901 – 7 August 2002), was a British peer and legislator.

Biography

He was born into an

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...

aristocratic family as The Hon. Dominick Geoffrey Edward Browne in 1901, the eldest son of The 3rd Baron Oranmore and Browne and Lady Olwen Verena Ponsonby, daughter of The 8th Earl of Bessborough. He was educated at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

and

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

before joining the

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

, serving 1921-22 as a second lieutenant. In 1927, he succeeded his father and took his seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

as Baron Mereworth, a title in the

Peerage of the United Kingdom The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five Peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union 1800, Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the ...

(the older Barony of

Oranmore Oranmore ( or ''Úarán Mór'') is a town near the city of Galway in County Galway, Ireland. It is also the name of the civil parish and Roman Catholic parish in which the town lies. It is east of Galway city on the edge of Oranmore Bay, an ...

and Browne, in the

Peerage of Ireland The Peerage of Ireland consists of those titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It is one of the five divisi ...

, did not entitle its bearer to a seat in the Lords), although he primarily used his Irish title. He sat in the House of Lords for 72 years, the longest by any peer up to that time, and during that time was one of the few peers to have never spoken in the House. In 1930, the English residence of the Browne family,

Mereworth Castle Mereworth Castle is a grade I listed Neo-Palladian country house in Mereworth, Kent, England. This source attributes the plasterwork to Francesco Bagutti, but Giovanni Bagutti would appear to be more likely. History Originally the site of ...

, was sold and he went to live in his Irish residence, Castle MacGarrett, just outside

Claremorris Claremorris (; ) is a town in County Mayo in the west of Ireland, at the junction of the N17 and the N60 national routes. It is the fastest growing town in the county. There was a 31% increase in the town's population between 2006 and 2011 an ...

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...

. Castle MacGarrett, its and 150 employees gave him the chance to breed racehorses and farm on a large scale. Lord Oranmore and Browne was also an aviator. In 1939, Oranmore and Browne tried to rejoin the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

, but he was told that, at 38, he would be more useful concentrating on farming; as a result, his war service was in neutral Ireland with the Irish reserve force, the Local Defence Force, in County Mayo. In the early 1950s, the castle was acquired by the Irish Government's

Irish Land Commission The Irish Land Commission was created by the British crown in 1843 to 'inquire into the occupation of the land in Ireland. The office of the commission was in Dublin Castle, and the records were, on its conclusion, deposited in the records tower t ...

and turned into a nursing home. Lord Oranmore and Browne went to live in London.

Personal life

Lord Oranmore and Browne married three times : * First, 1925, Mildred Helen Egerton (15 November 1903 – 1980), daughter of The Hon. Thomas Henry Frederick Egerton of the Earls of Ellesmere and Lady Bertha Anson of the

Earls of Lichfield Earl of Lichfield is a title that has been created three times, twice in the Peerage of England (1645 and 1674) and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom (1831). The third creation is extant and is held by a member of the Anson family. ...

(marriage dissolved 1936). Children from this marriage: ** The Hon. Patricia Helen Browne (born 16 Feb 1926 – 1981) ** The Hon. Brigid Verena Browne (25 Dec 1927 – 3 Jan 1941) ** Dominick Geoffrey Thomas Browne (born 1 Jul 1929), succeeded his father as 5th Baron Oranmore and Browne and 3rd Baron Mereworth but known as Lord Mereworth ** The Hon. Martin Michael Dominick Browne (27 Oct 1931 – 14 June 2013) ** The Hon. Judith Browne (born 23 Sep 1934) * Second, 1936,

Oonagh Guinness Oonagh Guinness (22 February 1910 – 2 August 1995) was an Anglo-Irish socialite, society hostess and art collector, and the second wife of Dominick Browne, 4th Baron Oranmore and Browne. Early life She was born on 22 February 1910, the ...

(22 February 1910 – 2 August 1995), daughter of Ernest Guinness and an heir to the

Guinness Guinness () is an Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in 1759. It is one of the most successful alcohol brands worldwide, brewed in almost 50 countries, and available in ove ...

brewery fortune (marriage dissolved 1950). Children from this marriage: ** The Hon. Garech Domnagh Browne (25 Jun 1939 – 10 March 2018) ** ''An unnamed son'' (28 Dec 1943 – 30 Dec 1943) ** The Hon.

Tara Browne Tara Browne (4 March 1945 – 18 December 1966) was a London-based Irish socialite and heir to the Guinness fortune. His December 1966 death in a car crash was an inspiration for the Beatles' song " A Day in the Life". Early life Browne was ...

(4 March 1945 – 18 December 1966), killed in a car accident * Third, 1951, Constance Stevens (14 February 1915 – 24 September 2006), an actress with the stage name

Sally Gray Constance Vera Browne, Baroness Oranmore and Browne (''née'' Stevens; 14 February 1915 – 24 September 2006), commonly known as Sally Gray, was an English film actress of the 1930s and 1940s. Her obituary in ''The Irish Times'' described he ...

, famous for her roles on the stage and in various movies in the 1930s and 40s. Lord Oranmore and Browne died in London on 7 August 2002 at the age of 100.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oranmore and Browne, Dominick Browne, 4th Baron Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Barons in the Peerage of Ireland Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Grenadier Guards officers British centenarians Men centenarians 1901 births 2002 deaths People educated at Eton College People from London People from County Mayo