Sir Richard Browne, 1st Baronet, of Deptford
Encyclopedia
Sir Richard Browne, 1st Baronet
of Deptford
(ca. 1605 - 12 February 1682/83) was English
ambassador
to the court of France
at Paris
from 1641 to 1660.
Browne was the son of Christopher Browne and Thomazine Gonson. His grandfather was Sir Richard Browne, Kt. Clerk of the Green Cloth
from 1594 until his death in 1604. A tablet in the church at Deptford mentions that the family was a younger branch of the ancient Browne family of Hitchin
, Suffolk
and Horsley, Essex.
Richard was the resident English ambassador to the court of France at Paris from 1641 to 1660. He was at this post when the young John Evelyn
met him in the autumn of 1646. By June 1647, Evelyn had secured permission to marry Richard's 12-years-old daughter Mary Browne.
Richard was created a Baronet by Charles II
in 1649. Being a Royalist
he could not easily return to England to his family estate Sayes Court
, in Deptford, opposite the Naval Dockyard. John Evelyn
eventually purchased the Sayes Court estate in 1653.
Sir Richard died at Charlton, Kent
.
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
of Deptford
Deptford
Deptford is a district of south London, England, located on the south bank of the River Thames. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne, and from the mid 16th century to the late 19th was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first of the Royal Navy Dockyards.Deptford and the docks are...
(ca. 1605 - 12 February 1682/83) was English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to the court of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
at Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
from 1641 to 1660.
Browne was the son of Christopher Browne and Thomazine Gonson. His grandfather was Sir Richard Browne, Kt. Clerk of the Green Cloth
Clerk of the Green Cloth
The Clerk of the Green Cloth was a position in the British Royal Household. The clerk acted as secretary of the Board of Green Cloth, and was therefore responsible for organising royal journeys and assisting in the administration of the Royal Household. From the Restoration, there were four clerks...
from 1594 until his death in 1604. A tablet in the church at Deptford mentions that the family was a younger branch of the ancient Browne family of Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin is a town in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 30,360.-History:Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce people mentioned in a 7th century document, the Tribal Hidage. The tribal name is Brittonic rather than Old English and derives from *siccā, meaning...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
and Horsley, Essex.
Richard was the resident English ambassador to the court of France at Paris from 1641 to 1660. He was at this post when the young John Evelyn
John Evelyn
John Evelyn was an English writer, gardener and diarist.Evelyn's diaries or Memoirs are largely contemporaneous with those of the other noted diarist of the time, Samuel Pepys, and cast considerable light on the art, culture and politics of the time John Evelyn (31 October 1620 – 27 February...
met him in the autumn of 1646. By June 1647, Evelyn had secured permission to marry Richard's 12-years-old daughter Mary Browne.
Richard was created a Baronet by Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
in 1649. Being a Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
he could not easily return to England to his family estate Sayes Court
Sayes Court
Located in Deptford, in the London Borough of Lewisham and on the Thames Path, Sayes Court once attracted throngs to visit its celebrated garden created by the seventeenth century diarist John Evelyn...
, in Deptford, opposite the Naval Dockyard. John Evelyn
John Evelyn
John Evelyn was an English writer, gardener and diarist.Evelyn's diaries or Memoirs are largely contemporaneous with those of the other noted diarist of the time, Samuel Pepys, and cast considerable light on the art, culture and politics of the time John Evelyn (31 October 1620 – 27 February...
eventually purchased the Sayes Court estate in 1653.
Sir Richard died at Charlton, Kent
Charlton, London
Charlton is a district of south London, England, and part of the London Borough of Greenwich. It is located east-southeast of Charing Cross. Charlton next Woolwich was an ancient parish in the county of Kent, which became part of the metropolitan area of London in 1855. It is home to Charlton...
.