Dominick Browne, 4th Baron Oranmore And Browne
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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 State rel ...
aristocratic family as
the Hon. ''The Honourable'' (Commonwealth English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of cert ...
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 and
Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...
, before joining the
Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...
, serving 1921–1922 as a second lieutenant. In 1927, he succeeded his father and took his seat in the
House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
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 in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great B ...
(the older barony of Oranmore and Browne, in the
Peerage of Ireland The peerage of Ireland consists of those Peerage, titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lordship of Ireland, Lord or Monarchy of Ireland, King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great B ...
, 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 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 a fort ...
, 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. As of the 2017, it was the fastest growing town in the county, having seen a 31% increase in population between 2006 and ...
in
County Mayo County Mayo (; ) 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 Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...
. 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 Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
, 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 ...
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. ''The Honourable'' (Commonwealth English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of cert ...
Thomas Henry Frederick Egerton of the earls of Ellesmere and Lady Bertha Anson of the earls of Lichfield (marriage dissolved 1936). Children from this marriage: ** The Hon. Patricia Helen Browne (16 February 1926 – 1981) ** The Hon. Brigid Verena Browne (25 December 1927 – 3 January 1941) ** Dominick Geoffrey Thomas Browne (born 1 July 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 October 1931 – 14 June 2013) ** The Hon. Judith Browne (born 23 September 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 in Ha ...
(22 February 1910 – 2 August 1995), daughter of Ernest Guinness and an heir to the
Guinness Guinness () is a stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at Guinness Brewery, St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in the 18th century. It is now owned by the British-based Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic bever ...
brewery fortune (marriage dissolved 1950). Children from this marriage: ** The Hon. Garech Domnagh Browne (25 June 1939 – 10 March 2018) ** ''An unnamed son'' (28 December 1943 – 30 December 1943) ** The Hon.
Tara Browne Tara Browne (4 March 1945 – 18 December 1966) was an Irish socialite and heir to a part of the Guinness fortune. His December 1966 death in a car crash was referenced in the Beatles' song " A Day in the Life". Early life Browne was the yo ...
(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.


Notes


References

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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 men centenarians 1901 births 2002 deaths People educated at Eton College Nobility from London People from County Mayo Oranmore and Browne