John Brownlow of Willingham arrived in the Parish of Haxey in the 1780's and took over High Burnham Farm. He met Elizabeth, daughter of William and Sarah Ducker, and in July 1790 they were married at Haxey Church. In February 1792, a son Thomas was born, but Elizabeth died a month later aged 21 years. John continued to farm at High Burnham and within five years he married again, this time to his cousin, Mary Brownlow of Mattersey. Between 1797 and 1804 they had three children but then Mary died also and John was left with four children without a mother. It is probable that the Ducker family of Burnham and John's own sisters in Marton cared for these children while they were growing up. About 1814, John married for the third time. His bride was another member of the Ducker family and again the lady's name was Elizabeth. During the next eleven years they had seven children, the more important of these for our present survey being John their eldest son born in 1815 and Richard their third son born in 1823. From these two sons, the Brownlows of Melton Mowbray and Merseyside are descended.
John, the elder, died at High Burnham in 1839. Elizabeth lived for a while at Starkey House Farm with their daughter Eliza who had married Joseph Starkey in 1838. Elizabeth was having a dwelling house built for herself elsewhere in Burnham but it has not been possible to identify which house it was.
Elizabeth died in 1842 leaving this dwelling and associated property to her son Richard. John, the younger, inherited High Burnham Farm through his father's will. Richard died in Low Burnham in 1867 and his sons, Ellis John and Alfred, moved to Liverpool to join Richard's younger brother, Robert, who was already established there as a butcher and cow-keeper.
On August 1st 1874 a public tea and special services were organised at High Burnham Farm in aid of the trust fund of the Methodist New Connexion Chapel, Haxey. This was one of many such events at High Burnham and was reported in the Epworth Bells newspaper. Gradually the family were leaving the Haxey area and by 1881 John, the younger, had retired from High Burnham and no Brownlows were listed in the 1881 Census of Burnham. John and his wife, Mary, died in Haxey in 1892 and both are buried in Haxey.
Joyce Brownlow