Separatist from 1579 to 1585 and returned to the Church of England. He served as Headmaster of St Olave's Grammar School, Southwark 1586–89 and was also Headmaster of Stamford School between 1589 and 1591. He was much engaged in controversy with some of those who held his earlier separatist position and who now looked upon him as a renegade. In particular he several times replied to John Greenwood and Henry Barrowe; one of his replies, entitled A Reproofe of certaine schismatical persons and their doctrine touching the hearing and preaching of the word of God (1587–1588) sheds light upon the development of Browne's later views. He was ordained deacon and priest by Richard Howland, Bishop of Peterborough in September 1591. He held the benefice of Little Casterton (in which parish Tolethorpe lay) and then Thorpe Achurch in Northamptonshire from 1591 to 1631. He was married twice, firstly to Alice Allen, thought to be one of his Middelburg congregation, with whom he fathered nine children. Alice Browne died in July 1610 and in February 1612 Browne married Elizabeth Werrener at St Martin's Church, Stamford. He was imprisoned 32 times during his life for his non-conformist beliefs and died in jail at Northampton, after he was imprisoned for hitting a constable. He is buried in St Giles's churchyard, Northampton. Legacy He is considered the father of the Congregational body in the English-speaking world, and "The Father of the Pilgrims" due to the Mayflower passengers in 1620 being part of the Brownist movement. He is commemorated as a reformer of the church in the calendar of the Uniting Church in Australia on 5 September. Works A True and Short Declaration (1581) A Treatise of Reformation without Tarrying for any and of the Wickedness of those Preachers which will not reform till the Magistrate command or compel them (1582) – The church had a right to effect necessary reforms without permission of civil magistrate A Book which sheweth the Life and Manners of all true Christians (1582) – defines congregational autonomy An answere to master Cartwright his letter for ioyning with the English Church (1583) A true and short declaration, both of the gathering and ioyning together of certaine persons, and also of the lamentable breach and division which fell amongst them (1583) A Reproof of Certain Schismatical Persons (15??) A New Year's Guift (1589) References External links Robert Browne of Lilford; this article