John Browne, 1st Earl of Altamont (c.1709 – 4 July 1776), known as The Lord Mount Eagle between 1760 and 1768 and as The Viscount Westport between 1768 and 1771, was an Irish peer and politician. He began the building of

Westport House Westport House in Westport, County Mayo, Ireland, is a country house, historically the family seat of the Marquess of Sligo and the Brownes and designed by notable eighteenth century architects Richard Cassels, Thomas Ivory and James Wyatt. ...

and the town of Westport.

Background and education

Browne was the only son of Peter Browne, a prosperous Catholic landowner in

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 ...

, and Mary Daly. He was a grandson of Colonel John Browne, a signatory of the

Treaty of Limerick }), signed on 3 October 1691, ended the 1689 to 1691 Williamite War in Ireland, a conflict related to the 1688 to 1697 Nine Years' War. It consisted of two separate agreements, one with military terms of surrender, signed by commanders of a Frenc ...

, and of Denis Daly, judge of the Court of Common Pleas (Ireland). His sisters were

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

but he himself was a member of the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...

. He matriculated at

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 ...

, in July 1725.

Career

Browne was

High Sheriff of Mayo The High Sheriff of Mayo was the British Crown's judicial representative in County Mayo, Ireland from the 16th century until 1922, when the office was abolished in the new Free State and replaced by the office of Mayo County Sheriff. The sheriff ...

in 1731, and was elected

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

Castlebar Castlebar () is the county town of County Mayo, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Developing around a 13th century castle of the de Barry family, de Barry family, from which the town got its name, the town now acts as a social and economic focal poi ...

in 1744, an office he held until 1760, although he rarely attended Parliament. He was raised to 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 ...

as Baron Mount Eagle, of Westport in the County of Mayo, and in 1768 he was created Viscount Westport, of Westport in the County of Mayo. In 1771 he was even further honoured when he was made Earl of Altamont, in the County of Mayo. He was an active and improving landlord, with a particular interest in the breeding of livestock and the improvement of crop strains. He also did much to improve the

linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...

trade in the town of

Westport, County Mayo Westport (, historically anglicised as ''Cahernamart'') is a town in County Mayo in Ireland.Westport Before 1800 by Michael Kelly published in Cathair Na Mart 2019 It is at the south-east corner of Clew Bay, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean on th ...

. He also extensively rebuilt

, which remained the family home until 2017.

Family and issue

Lord Altamont married Anne Gore, daughter of

Sir Arthur Gore, 2nd Baronet Sir Arthur Gore, 2nd Baronet (c. 1685 – 10 February 1742) was an Irish politician and baronet. He was the son of Paul Gore, himself son of Sir Arthur Gore, 1st Baronet, and his wife Anne Gore, daughter of Sir John Gore. Gore succeeded his grand ...

and Elizabeth Annesley, in December 1729. Their children – six sons and four daughters – included: *

Peter Browne, 2nd Earl of Altamont Peter Browne, 2nd Earl of Altamont (c. 1731 - 28 December 1780) was an Irish landowner, absentee slaveholder and MP. He was the son of John Browne, 1st Earl of Altamont, and Anne Gore. He married Elizabeth Kelly, the only legitimate child and he ...

, c. 1731 – 28 Dec 1780 from whom descended the Marquess of Sligo. * Colonel Arthur Browne (b. 14 Mar 1731 – 21 Jul 1779, Boston, New England), served at

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, 1770s MP for

Mayo Mayo often refers to: * Mayonnaise, often shortened to "mayo" * Mayo Clinic, a medical center in Rochester, Minnesota, United States Mayo may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Mayo Peak, Marie Byrd Land Australia * Division of Mayo, an Aust ...

. * Lady Anne Browne, c. 1740 – 21 Feb 1815 * George Browne, MP for County Mayo, c. 1735–1782; father of Dominick Geoffrey Browne who married Margaret the daughter of the Hon. George Browne, 4th son of John, 1st Earl of Altamont. Dominick and Margaret were the parents of: A) Dominick Browne 1st Lord Oranmore and Browne 1787-1860 and Catherine Anne Isabella, daughter of Henry Monck, in 1811. Dominick Browne son Geoffrey Guthrie-Browne succeeded to the Peerage; another son was

William Montague Browne William Montague Browne (July 7, 1823 – April 28, 1883) was a prominent Confederate politician and American newsman. During the American Civil War, he served as Acting Secretary of State for the Confederacy in 1862 and as a temporary br ...

(1823–1883) an Officer in the Confederate States Army. B) Henrietta Browne,(1789–1862) married Henry, Viscount Dillon and was ancestral to Clementine (the wife of Winston Churchill) and to the Mitford sisters. * James Browne, MP for Castlebar and Prime Serjeant of Ireland, c. 1736–1790 * Henry Browne, (b. 1738; d. 28 Jan 1811, Molesworth Street, Dublin) * John Browne, married Mary Cocks; their daughter Mary Browne married on 14 May 1800 Peter Blake of Corbally Castle,

County Galway "Righteousness and Justice" , anthem = () , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg , map_caption = Location in Ireland , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = ...

(? - 1842, bur. Peter’s Well, County Galway); their grandson Peter Blake of Corbally Castle (c. 1805 - bur. St. Ann's,

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, 19 November 1850), was a

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

-born county

Inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...

of the

Irish Constabulary The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC, ga, Constáblacht Ríoga na hÉireann; simply called the Irish Constabulary 1836–67) was the police force in Ireland from 1822 until 1922, when all of the country was part of the United Kingdom. A separate ...

, and married at Mobarnan,

County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after th ...

, Jane Lane ( Lanespark, County Tipperary, 5 March 1819 - ?), daughter of John Lane of Lanespark, County Tipperary; their great-grandson was Sir

Henry Arthur Blake Sir Henry Arthur Blake (; 8January 184023February 1918) was a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British colonial administrator and Governor of Hong Kong from 1898 to 1903. Early life, family and career Blake was born in Limerick, Ir ...

References

Bibliography

* ''Westport House and the Brownes'', Denis Browne, Westport, 1981 * ''Dictionary of Irish Biography'', p. 917, Cambridge, 2010

External links

Thepeerage.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Altamont, John Browne, 1st Earl of Politicians from County Mayo High Sheriffs of Mayo

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

Irish MPs 1727–1760 Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford 1700s births 1776 deaths Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Mayo constituencies Peers of Ireland created by George II Earls of Altamont