Robert Browne (priest)

Robert Browne (c. 1550 – c. 1633) was an English Separatist clergyman and is considered the founder of the Brownists, a Separatist movement that advocated for church congregations independent from the Church of England.

Born in Tolethorpe Hall near Oakham, Rutland, Browne was educated at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, where he was influenced by Puritan thought. He initially worked as a schoolmaster before becoming a lecturer at St. Benet's Church, Cambridge, in 1580. He soon began to preach his separatist views, arguing that the Church of England was not a true church because it was still subject to the authority of the state and not based on the voluntary association of believers.

Browne believed that each congregation should be self-governing, choosing its own ministers and managing its own affairs without interference from bishops or the crown. His teachings were considered radical and seditious by the authorities.

In 1582, he formed a separatist congregation in Norwich, which faced persecution. He and his followers then fled to Middelburg in the Netherlands, where they established a church based on their principles. However, the community soon fragmented due to internal disputes.

Browne returned to England in 1585, recanted his separatist views, and was eventually ordained in the Church of England in 1591. He served as a schoolmaster and later as rector of Achurch, Northamptonshire, from 1591 until his death. Despite his later conformity, his earlier Separatist teachings had a lasting impact, influencing the development of Congregationalism and other independent church movements in England and New England. His writings, including "A Treatise of Reformation Without Tarrying for Any," articulated his core beliefs on church governance and the separation of church and state.

His views were considered dangerous by the establishment, and while he eventually reintegrated into the Church of England, his initial stance and writings laid important groundwork for future dissenting movements. His followers, known as Brownists, continued to advocate for Separatist principles, some of whom later emigrated to the New World and played a role in the development of early American religious freedom.