Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montagu
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Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montagu KG PC (29 November 1528 – 19 October 1592) was an English peer during the Tudor period.
He was the eldest son of Sir Anthony Browne. At the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539, he came into possession of the manor of Worthing, which remained in his family for 200 years.
Before 1550, he married Jane Radclyffe, daughter of Robert Radclyffe, 1st Earl of Sussex. She died giving birth to a son childbirth in 1554, after having earlier borne a daughter:
- Mary Browne married first Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of Southampton, second Sir Thomas Heneage, third Henry Hervey, 1st Baron Hervey
He later married Magdalen Dacre, daughter of William Dacre, 3rd Baron Dacre, by whom he had five sons and three daughters, including:
- Anthony-Maria Browne, 2nd Viscount Montagu (1574–1629), his eldest son and heir
On 2 September 1554, Browne was created Viscount Montagu. That year, he was also sent as one of the ambassadors to Rome to treat for the reconciliation of the Church of England with the Pope, and in 1555 was made a Privy Counsellor and Knight of the Garter. He was lieutenant-general of the English troops at the siege of Saint-Quentin in 1557.
Upon the accession of Elizabeth, Montagu lost his seat on the Privy Council for his Roman Catholicism, and generally opposed the religious measures of Elizabeth. However, he retained her favour through his prudence and loyalty, and was joint Lord Lieutenant of Sussex from 1570 to 1585. In 1587, Montagu was one of the commissioners who tried Mary, Queen of Scots, and was one of the first to raise a troop of horse to muster at West Tilbury to guard against the Spanish Armada.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Nicholas Carew |
Master of the Horse 1539–1548 |
Succeeded by Sir William Herbert |
| Preceded by The Lord Lumley |
Lord Lieutenant of Sussex jointly with The Lord De La Warr The Lord Buckhurst 1570–1585 |
Succeeded by The Lord Howard of Effingham |
| Peerage of England | ||
| New creation | Viscount Montagu 1554–1592 |
Succeeded by Anthony-Maria Browne |
