John Browne, 1st Earl of Altamont ( – 4 July 1776), styled Lord Mount Eagle between 1760 and 1768 and 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, Westport, County Mayo, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, is a Georgian architecture, Georgian country house, historically the family seat of the Marquess of Sligo and the Brownes. The house was designed by ...

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 (; ) 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 ...

, and Mary Daly. He was a grandson of Colonel John Browne, a signatory of the Treaty of Limerick, and of Denis Daly, judge of the

Court of Common Pleas (Ireland) The Court of Common Pleas was one of the principal courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror image of the equivalent court in England. Common Pleas was one of the four courts of justice which gave the Four Courts in Dublin, which is sti ...

. His sisters were

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

but he himself was a member of the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...

. He matriculated at

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 ...

, in July 1725.

Career

Browne was High Sheriff of Mayo in 1731, and was elected Member of Parliament for

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

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 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 ...

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 and absorbent, and it dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. Lin ...

trade in the town of

Westport, County Mayo Westport (, historically anglicised as ''Cahernamart'') is a town in County Mayo in Republic of Ireland, 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 ...

. 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 and Elizabeth Annesley, in December 1729. Their children – six sons and four daughters – included: * Peter Browne, 2nd Earl of Altamont, 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 is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, 1770s MP for

. * 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 (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 County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

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

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, 19 November 1850), was a

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

-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 The rank of Inspector is present in all Australian police forces excep ...

of the Irish Constabulary, and married at Mobarnan,

County Tipperary County Tipperary () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary (tow ...

, 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 ( zh, c=卜力, sl=Buk1 Lik6; 8January 184023February 1918) was an Irish-born British colonial administrator who held the governorships of six British colonies over the course of his career. Early life, family and caree ...

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 * Second E ...

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