Thurtell and Related Families    

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Notes for Robert BROWNE

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Information received from Peter Murray in 1997 showed that the
grandfather of Anne Browne Thurtell, wife of John Thurtell, was Robert
Browne. He is the earliest known ancestor of our Browne family. Robert
Browne, was a founding partner of the Lowestoft China Works, which
produced distinctive wares now highly prized by collectors. The Browne
family continued to manage the factory throughout its short history, from
1757 to 1799.

The origin of the family before the time of Robert Browne is unclear.
One of his descendents recounted a family tradition that the family of
the china factory was descended from a cadet branch of Browne of
Wymondham Hall, in Norfolk, and the will of a Robert Browne of Tharston,
which is near Wymondham, has a signature that appears to match that of
Robert Browne the china manufacturer (information from John Howell who
notes that the connection is not proven). However, notices of a Brown or
Browne family appear in Lowestoft from long before this time (perhaps his
wife's family if not his own). In 1649 an Edward Browne was one of five
inhabitants of Lowestoft who were appointed surveyors for the purpose of
determining for parliament the true yearly value of all the lands and
tenements within the town. Around 1670 William Browne was one of the
inhabitants of Lowestoft who signed petitions to the government from
Lowestoft on behalf of the local herring fishery. These pieces of
information are from Gillingwater's History of Lowestoft. The
International Genealogical Index (IGI), which is derived from parish
records, shows that Brown(e) was quite a common name in Lowestoft over
the centuries.

The history of the Lowestoft China Works, including a pedigree of the
Browne family, is given in a book "Catalogue...Lowestoft China Works" by
F.A.Crisp (pub & date?). An abbreviated summary history accompanied an
exhibition of Lowestoft china at the Lowestoft library in 1984, and Peter
Murray has a copy of this. Gillingwater's History of Lowestoft, which
was published in 1790, gives the story of the foundation of this
enterprise. These extracts regarding the history of the Lowestoft China
Works are attached separately to this account.

The following Browne family history is derived from a well researched
pedigree included in the above mentioned book by F. A. Crisp, from an
extensive section on Browne descendents in the `Thurtell Pedigree'
compiled by Herbert and Ada Murray around 1930, from a Browne pedigree
chart sent by from Zimbabwe by John Browne, of the same family, and from
scattered entries in the International Genealogical Index compiled by the
Genealogical Research Library of the Mormon church.

Robert Browne, with whom our records begin, was born in 1702 or very
early in 1703, and died aged 68, buried at Lowestoft February 9, 1771.
His will, dated November 2, 1770, was proved April 29, 1771. On April 1,
1730, he married Elizabeth Brown, who was apparently born in 1698. On
their marriage licence, dated April 1, 1730, he is called `Robertum Brown
Fabr de Lowestoft...' (IRO: FAA 50/2/89). Fabr is a term literally
meaning `one who makes' but generally used at the time to describe a
workman, smith, joiner, or carpenter. A later affidavit dated in
December 1754 (when his underage daughter Ann applied for a wedding
licence) and bearing his signature has the words "and I Robert Brown of
Lowestoft Blacksmith father of the said Ann" (IRO: FAA 50/2/89). Later
tradition gives him a reputation as a chemist, and the speculation is
that this was based on his activities at the Lowestoft China Works. He
was a founding partner of this enterprise, along with Philip Walker, Obed
Aldred, and John Richman, and from the beginning Robert Browne was the
most active member of the consortium, working out the details of china
making and managing the factory. The first wares were produced in 1758,
but in the year prior to this Browne, following formation of the
partnership, had obtained first hand experience in the business in the
employ of Bow China Factory in London, his future rival. The Bow factory
account book for 1757-58 confirms weekly wages of 18 shillings payable to
a Mr Browne. While there, according to his grandson, Browne succeeded in
surreptitiously obtaining information on Bow's closely guarded secret
formula. He subsequently employed former workmen from Bow in the
Lowestoft factory. But we hear that workers brought in from London,
presumably from Bow, attempted to sabotage the initial manufacturing at
the factory, but the partners were alert enough to detect this and
rectify the problem, although not apparently without serious losses.
Robert Browne lived to see the business thrive.
Robert and Elizabeth Browne had six children of whom we have record.

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