BROWNISTS. The forerunners in England of the Independents or Congregationalists, followers of Robert Browne (1550?-1633). After graduating at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, Browne seems to have been or dained about 1573. After this he became Master of the Free School of St. Olave's, Southwark. At the same time he preached in the open air at Islington without a licence from the bishop. About the year 157S, preach ing at Cambridge and in the neighbouring villages, he began to attack the parochial system, and to denounce ordination by bishops or by the presbytery. His brother obtained him a licence to preach from the Bishop of Ely, but he destroyed it. For this he was inhibited. He proceeded to Norwich about the year 1580, and formed an independent congregation, " the church," there, his assistant being Robert Harrison (d. 1585?). In 1581 the Bishop of Norwich was induced to take action against him, and he was imprisoned for " de livering unto the people corrupt and contentious doc trine." But through the influence of Cecil, Lord Bur leigh, he was released. He then left England with his followers and settled at Middleburg in Holland. Here be wrote and issued books, which in England were not allowed to be circulated. One of these, published in 1582, was " A book which sheweth the life and manners of all true Christians, and how unlike they are to Turks and Papists and Heathen folk. Also, the points and parts of all Divinity, that is of the revealed will and word of God, are declared by their several defini tions and divisions." In 1583 he quarrelled with Robert Harrison, and in 1584 he left Holland for Scotland. Having spent a few days in prison there, he returned to England. In England he was again imprisoned. His next field of action was Northampton where we find him preaching in 1586. In the same year he was ex communicated by the Bishop of Peterborough. After this he " submitted himself to the order and govern ment of the Church." Thereupon he was made master of Stamford Grammar-school. From 1591 to 1631 he was Rector of Thorpe-Achurch in Northamptonshire. Before his death he was again imprisoned, this time for as saulting a constable. He died in Northampton gaol about the year 1633. Henry Barrow or Barrowe (d. 1593) succeeded Browne as leader of the Brownists. In consequence they became known also as " Barrowists." He was a Cambridge graduate and a barrister of Gray's Inn. In his advocacy of Brownist principles he was assisted by John Greenwood (d. 1593), a yonng clergy
man. In 1586 they were both summoned to appear for examination before the Court of High Commission. From this examination it was clear that Barrow set himself in uncompromising opposition to the ecclesias tical government. He was, moreover, bitterly opposed to the use of fixed prayers and the taking of an oath. Greenwood's principles were found to agree closely with those of Barrow. They published an account of their examination and other works, and paid the penalty by going to prison. Subsequently (1593) they were hanged at Tyburn " for writing and publishing sundry seditious books and pamphlets, tending to the slander of the Queen and Government." In the same year another Brownist, John Penry (1559-1593), who wrote pamphlets under the pseudonym " Martin Mar-Prelate," was hanged in Southwark on the charge of exciting to re bellion. Henry Barrow was succeeded by Francis Johnson (1562-1618), who had been a Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge, but was expelled in 15S9 for preach ing a " seditious " sermon. He went to Middleburg in Holland and was preacher to the English merchants there from 15S9 to 1592. In 1592 he formed an inde pendent church in London. In 1596, after being im prisoned several times, he went to Amsterdam, where he acted as Independent pastor and published works explaining Independent principles. Henry Jacob (1563 1624), precentor of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, joined the Brownists in Holland in 1593. In 159S, after a return to England, he was again in Holland. and in 1599 he entered into a controversy with Francis John son. He seems to have been convinced by a pamphlet which Johnson wrote the next year. Later on Jacob was associated with John Robinson (1576-1625), who emigrated to Amsterdam in 160S. In 1616, having re turned to England, he established in Southwark " the first Independent or Congregational Church in Eng land." Jacob regarded each congregation as " an en tire and independent body-politic, endued with power immediately under, and from, Christ, as every proper Church is and ought to be " (Declaration and Plainer Opening of Certain Points, 16U). In 1622 he emigrated to Virginia. Returning to London, he died there in 1624. He was succeeded in London by John Lathrop, Lothrop, or Lothropp (d. 1653), who emigrated to Boston in 1634. See John Hunt: D. Neal, History of the Puritans, 1732-1738: J. H. Blunt; the D.N.B.