Robert Browne

Robert Browne (1540–1630) was the founder of the Brownists, a common designation for early Separatists from the Church of England before 1620.

Biography

Browne was born at Tolethorpe Hall in Rutland, England. In 1572 he took a degree from Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.^[1] He is reputed to have been Master of Stamford School.

He was the first seceder from the Church of England, and the first to found a Church of his own on Congregational principles. He founded his church at Norwich, but ended up returning to the Church of England.

He died in jail at Northampton, where he was imprisoned for assaulting a constable. He may be considered the father of the Congregational body in England.

Works

• A True and Short Declaration (1581)
• A Treatise of Reformation without Tarrying for any and of the Wickedness of those Preachers which will not reform till the Magistrate command or compel them (1582)
• A Book which sheweth the Life and Manners of all true Christians (1582)
• An answere to master Cartwright his letter for ioyning with the English Church (1583)
• A true and short declaration, both of the gathering and ioyning together of certaine persons, and also of the lamentable breach and division which fell amongst them (1583)
• A Reproof of Certain Schismatical Persons (15??)
• A New Year's Guift (1589)

References

External links

• English dissenters – Brownists — this ExLibris article has considerably more biographical detail about Robert Browne.

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Browne, Robert.

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1907 edition of The Nuttall Encyclopædia.

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