Sir Patrick Reginald Evelyn Browne, PC, OBE, TD (28 May 1907 – 1 October 1996) was an English judge, who was a Lord Justice of Appeal between 1974 and 1980.

Biography

Patrick Browne was born in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

, the son of

Edward Granville Browne Edward Granville Browne FBA (7 February 1862 – 5 January 1926) was a British Iranologist. He published numerous articles and books, mainly in the areas of history and literature. Life Browne was born in Stouts Hill, Uley, Gloucestershire, ...

, a leading Cambridge Orientalist, and of Alice Caroline Browne, daughter of the historian

Francis Henry Blackburne Daniell Francis Henry Blackburne Daniell (19 January 1845 – 10 February 1921) was an Anglo-Irish barrister and historian, known for his work on the '' Calendar of State Papers''. Early life and education Francis Henry Blackburne Daniell was born at Roeb ...

. His grandfather was Sir Benjamin Chapman Browne, head of the shipbuilding and engineering firm R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company. His father died in 1924 and his mother died the following year. Browne was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

, before going up to Pembroke College, Cambridge (honorary fellow, 1975), where his father had been a fellow, in 1925, the year of his mother's death. He read Law and was called to the bar by the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and ...

in 1931. The same year, he married Evelyn Sophie Alexandra (''d'' 1966), daughter of the archaeologist Sir Charles Walston, a family friend. They had two daughters, the elder of which was

Harriet Crawford Harriet Elizabeth Walston Crawford (born 1937) is a British archaeologist. She is Reader Emerita at the UCL Institute of Archaeology and a senior fellow at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge. Life Harriet ...

. After Evelyn's death, he married Lena Atkinson in 1977. On the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

in 1939, he joined the

Royal Horse Artillery The Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) was formed in 1793 as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery (commonly termed Royal Artillery) to provide horse artillery support to the cavalry units of the British Army. (Although the cavalry link r ...

, and was employed in the planning of air defence at the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

, becoming a GSO1 and a

lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...

. He was appointed an OBE (Military Division) in 1945. Returning to the bar, Browne acquired a large civil practice, mainly in planning law and parliamentary work. He became a Queen's Counsel in 1960, and was Deputy Chairman of the Essex County Quarter Sessions from 1963 to 1965. He also edited the second edition of ''Shawcross and Beaumont's Air Law''. In 1965, he was appointed a Justice of the High Court and assigned to the

Queen's Bench Division The King's Bench Division (or Queen's Bench Division when the monarch is female) of the High Court of Justice deals with a wide range of common law cases and has supervisory responsibility over certain lower courts. It hears appeals on point ...

, receiving the customary

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the ...

. He was the first instance judge in the seminal case '' Anisminic Ltd v Foreign Compensation Commission'', where he found in favour of the plaintiffs. Reversed by the Court of Appeal, his judgment was restored by the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

. Unusually, his judgment in full was annexed to the Lords' judgment. He was made a Lord Justice of Appeal in 1974, and was sworn of the Privy Council.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Browne, Patrick Knights Bachelor 1996 deaths People from Cambridge People educated at Eton College Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge Members of the Inner Temple English King's Counsel 20th-century King's Counsel Royal Horse Artillery officers British Army personnel of World War II Officers of the Order of the British Empire Queen's Bench Division judges Lords Justices of Appeal Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom 20th-century English judges