John Browne (died 1589) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

cartographer Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...

and

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

. Browne appears to have been a member of the

Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 *Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature *Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 1066 ...

Browne family of Kilpatrick,

County Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Sovereign state, Country , subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Provinces o ...

. By his own account, he was ''"the first Englishman (

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 ...

) that in the memory of man settled himself to dwell in the county of Mayo."'' In August 1583, while servant to

Sir Christopher Hatton Sir Christopher Hatton KG (1540 – 20 November 1591) was an English politician, Lord Chancellor of England and a favourite of Elizabeth I of England. He was one of the judges who found Mary, Queen of Scots guilty of treason. Early years Sir ...

, he created town plans of Athenry and

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 ...

, which he sent to

Sir Francis Walsingham Sir Francis Walsingham ( – 6 April 1590) was principal secretary to Queen Elizabeth I of England from 20 December 1573 until his death and is popularly remembered as her "spymaster". Born to a well-connected family of gentry, Wals ...

. That November, he was appointed the first

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

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 ...

. He settled at The Neale, Ballinrobe, on lands thought to have been acquired from the Mac Meyler Bourkes. In the summer of 1584, he prepared a map of Mayo, leaving out the barony of Costello and parts of Gallen and Clanmorris. This map was created at the request of Sir Richard Bingham, and was sent to Walsingham. He was again appointed Sheriff in 1587. Other maps by Browne included one of Connacht, which was completed by his nephew, John, in 1591, and one of parts of County Monaghan. Browne and his sub-Sheriff, Donnel O'Daly, were killed in an encounter with Risdeard mac Deamhain and Chorrain and Walter na mBuilleadh Burke at

Burrishoole Burrishoole () is one of the nine baronies of County Mayo in Ireland. It is named after the former Gaelic territory of Umhaill, which also included Murrisk barony, and roughly means the "borough of Umhaill". Legal context Baronies were crea ...

in February 1589 at the start of a major rebellion. John Browne married Ann, daughter of Thomas Kardyff of Dunsink,

County Dublin "Action to match our speech" , image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Dublin.svg , map_alt = map showing County Dublin as a small area of darker green on the east coast within the lighter green background of ...

. From their only son, Josias Browne, descends Baron Kilmaine,

Marquess of Sligo Marquess of Sligo is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1800 for John Browne, 3rd Earl of Altamont. The Marquess holds the subsidiary titles of Baron Mount Eagle, of Westport in the County of Mayo (created 10 September 1760), ...

and a number of other Browne families in Mayo. They were known as Browne of the Neale, and distinct from the family of Browne - one of the

Tribes of Galway The Tribes of Galway ( ga, Treibheanna na Gaillimhe) were 14 merchant families who dominated the political, commercial and social life of the city of Galway in western Ireland between the mid-13th and late 19th centuries. They were the families ...

- who also settled in Mayo and assumed the title

Baron Oranmore and Browne Baron Oranmore and Browne, of Carrabrowne Castle in the County of Galway and of Castle Macgarrett in the County of Mayo, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1836 for Dominick Browne, who had earlier represented County Mayo in t ...

. Other descendants included John Browne of the Neale (1638-1712?); John Browne (died 1762) and Henry Browne, Chief Justice of

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

References

* ''A map of .... Mayo ...'', Martin J. Blake, in the ''Journal of the

Galway Archaeological and Historical Society The Galway Archaeological and Historical Society was founded on 21 March 1900, at the Railway Hotel, Galway. It promotes the study of the archaeology and history of the west of Ireland. Since 1900, the Society has published 70 volumes of the ''J ...

'', volume 5, 1907–08, pp. 145–58. * ''the History of the county of Mayo to the close of the sixteenth century'',

Hubert T. Knox Hubert Thomas Knox (1845–1921) was an Irish historian. He was the third son of Charles Knox of Ballinrobe, who would later be High Sheriff of Mayo in 1860 and was a colonel in the North Mayo Militia. His great-grandfather was James Cuffe, 1 ...

, 1908; reprinted 1982. * ''Shapes of Ireland:maps and their makers, 1564-1839'', J.H. Andrews, 1997 * ''Dictionary of Irish Biography'', p. 915, Cambridge, 2010

External links

* http://thepeerage.com/p3469.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Browne (sheriff), John People from County Westmeath People from Ballinrobe 16th-century Irish people People of Elizabethan Ireland English army officers High Sheriffs of Mayo 1589 deaths Year of birth unknown