The parish registers of St Peters Gamston open about 1540, there is a strong Bronley/Brownley/Brownlow presence from the offset.
From 1540 to 1650 there are a total of over 100 entries of Brownley births, marriages and deaths. Ralffe, Welbeck, Uxor, Betteris and Jennet being some of the more uncommon ones. The registers are probably not complete as it did not become necessary to keep them until 1539 and then in many cases it was only a half-hearted attempt by the clergy; who were not always in favour of the extra work. During the civil war in the 1640s many parishes have no entries at all.
There are three wills made by Brownleys pre 1600; these give a small insight to life at the time. The will of Edward Brownley 1592 infers that he is a small tenant farmer (husbandman) as he leaves to "my right worshipful landlady" a spun veil in gold. Other bequests are of hunting horses, pans, counters and money to his children.
After 1650 there is much less mention to the Brownleys although the lines continues. In 1741 the will of Francis Brownley leaves £1650 a very large amount for those days; much of it left in money, although crops and livestock are in the inventory.
The last definite entry was in 1772 when another Francis is buried; this is the end of over 230 years in the village. In the churchyard there is the gravestone of Elizabeth Brownlow who died in 1855. we have not attempted to tie her into the family tree but the 1851 census shows her as not being born in Gamston.
Other Brownley families were resident in nearby villages pre 1600, the most notable being East and West Markham and Ossington; as yet we are unable to connect these. We can however be sure that branches of the Gamston family went to Ordsall and Mattersey.
Joyce Brownlow