Background
He was born on 6 March 1811 at Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, the second son of Robert Browne of Morton House, in Buckinghamshire, and of Sarah Dorothea Steward. And younger brother to Thomas Gore Browne.
priest Bishop of Winchester Bishop of Ely
He was born on 6 March 1811 at Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, the second son of Robert Browne of Morton House, in Buckinghamshire, and of Sarah Dorothea Steward. And younger brother to Thomas Gore Browne.
He was educated at Eton College and Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He graduated with his Master of Arts in 1836, was elected fellow of Emmanuel in 1837, and appointed senior tutor in 1838.
In 1854 he was elected Norrisian Professor of Divinity at Cambridge. He took the Bachelor's Degree in 1855 and the Doctor of Divinity in 1864. He was ordained deacon in on 26 November 1836 by Joseph Allen, Bishop of Ely and priest, again by Allen, on 3 December 1837.
In 1841, he accepted a curacy in Exeter (Street Sidwell"s), but in 1843 moved to Wales as Vice-Principal of Street David"s College.
In 1849, he took a benefice in Cornwall, to which was attached a prebendal stall in Exeter Cathedral, which he exchanged in 1857 for a canonry in the same and the living of Heavitree. In 1854, he was appointed to the Norrisian chair of divinity at the University of Cambridge but held his livings in the Diocese of Exeter concurrently.
(The Cornish benefice was the vicarage of Kenwyn and Kea) On 29 March 1864 he was consecrated Bishop of Ely by Charles Longley, Archbishop of Canterbury (assisted by Connop Thirlwall, Bishop of Street David"s and Henry Philpott, Bishop of Worcester) at Westminster Abbey. He was enthroned at Ely Cathedral on 26 April.
During his time at Ely he returned to his home town for the re-opening of a newly refurbished church of Saint Mary the Virgin, Aylesbury in 1869.
In December 1873, he was translated to the see of Winchester. He was enthroned at Winchester Cathedral on 11 December. Browne resigned his See in 1890 and died at Shales House near Bitterne on 18 December 1891.
Browne was a High Churchman and in 1885, Browne set up the first diocesan organisation of the Mothers" Union, which had previously been a simple parish meeting chaired by Mary Sumner in Old Alresford.
He was a moderating influence in the conflict arising from Essays and Reviews and the Pentateuch criticism of J. West. Colenso. His Exposition of the Thirty-Nine Articles (2 vols) 1850, 1853 held its place as a standard work for many years.
1811–1836: Harold Browne Esq
1836–1849: The Reverend Harold Browne
1849–1854: The Reverend Prebendary Harold Browne
1854–1857: The Reverend Prebendary Professor Harold Browne
1857–1864: The Reverend Canon Professor Harold Browne
1894–1884: The Right Reverend Doctor Harold Browne.