Sir Anthony Colling Brownless, , (19 January 1817 – 3 December 1897) was an English-Australian physician and educationist, chancellor of the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...

Biography

Brownless was the only son of Anthony Brownless, of Paynetts House, and Bockingfold Manor, near Goudhurst,

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. After studying for the medical profession at St. Bartholomew's Hospital in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, and at the

University of Liège The University of Liège (french: Université de Liège), or ULiège, is a major public university of the French Community of Belgium based in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. Its official language is French. As of 2020, ULiège is ranked in the 301 ...

, he was admitted M.R.C.S. of London in 1841, and M.D. of St Andrews in 1846. Brownless practised for some years as a physician in London. Brownless probably suffered from tuberculosis; it's almost certain the state of his health made him decide to come to Australia. He left

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

as medical officer aboard the ''Chaseley'' and arrived in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

in December 1852. Dr. Brownless arrived in Victoria in December 1852, and was soon afterwards elected Physician to the

Benevolent Asylum, and in 1854 Physician to the Melbourne Hospital—a post which he held for twelve years, being appointed a Life Governor and Consulting Physician on his retirement. In June 1855 the Melbourne University gave him the diploma of M.D., this being the first occasion on which the degree was conferred by that University, in which Dr. Brownless founded the medical school, and of which he was annually elected Vice-Chancellor for twenty-nine years, from 1858 to 1887; when he was elected Chancellor, in succession to Dr.

James Moorhouse James Moorhouse (19 November 1826 – 9 April 1915) was a Bishop of Melbourne and a Bishop of Manchester, and a Chancellor of the University of Melbourne. Early life and career Moorhouse was born in Sheffield, England, the only son of James Moo ...

. Dr. Brownless held the honorary degree of LL.D. of the Universities of St. Andrews and Melbourne, and in 1884 he was elected a

Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an intercollegiate basis by the four Royal Colleges of Surgeons (the Royal ...

of England. Dr. Brownless was made, a Knight of St. Gregory the Great by the Pope in 1870, and a Knight Commander of the

Order of Pius IX The Order of Pope Pius IX ( it, Ordine di Pio IX), also referred as the Pian Order ( it, Ordine Piano), is a papal order of knighthood originally founded by Pope Pius IV in 1560. Currently, it is the highest honor conferred by the Holy See (bein ...

, conferring nobility, by Leo. XIII. in 1883. Dr. Brownless, who was created C.M.G. in May 1888, has been twice married: first, in 1842, to Ellen, daughter of the late William Hawker, M.D., of Charing, Kent, and Liège, Belgium, formerly surgeon in the Grenadier Guards, who died in 1846; and secondly, in 1852, to Anne Jane, eldest daughter of the late Captain William Hamilton, of Eden,

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconn ...

, Ireland, an officer in the Rifle Brigade, who served with distinction in the Peninsular War. Brownless died in Melbourne on 3 December 1897 at the university and was buried in the

Melbourne General Cemetery The Melbourne General Cemetery is a large (43 hectare) necropolis located north of the city of Melbourne in the suburb of Carlton North. The cemetery is notably the resting place of four Prime Ministers of Australia, more than any other n ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brownless, Anthony Colling 1817 births 1897 deaths Alumni of the University of St Andrews Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George University of Melbourne faculty Vice-Chancellors of the University of Melbourne Chancellors of the University of Melbourne Burials at Melbourne General Cemetery