(Material researched & presented by Barbara Armstrong)

[1854 - 1938]

Frank Styant Browne was born on 10 July, 1854 at Norwich, Norfolk. He was the son of George Browne and his wife Ann Styant. Frank was educated at King Edward VI School, Norwich, Derby Grammar School and Westminister College of Pharmacy. Westminster College was the same pharmacy college which was attended by Henry Thomas Gould with whom Browne later worked for a short period after Frank arrived in Hobart.

According to England's 1871 census, at age 16 Frank was already working as a chemist's apprentice in Norwich. By the time of the 1881 census, at age 26 he was working as a chemist at Hastings in Sussex.

On 22 June 1882 at Wimborne Minster, Dorset, Frank married Emma Anne Elmes. At that time his residence was stated as being Newport, Isle of White. The couple arrived in Hobart in November, 1882.

Mr Browne is usually given credit for having established Gould's Homœopathic Pharmacy in Hobart. However, this is not possible given the fact that the Pharmacy was established in 1878, long before his arrival in Hobart in 1882, and after the arrival of Henry Thomas Gould in 1880. My research shows that the Pharmacy was in fact established by Dr Benjafield.

As mentioned above, for a short time after his arrival in Hobart, Frank worked with Henry Thomas Gould before moving to Launceston to manage the Homœopathic Pharmacy there.  The Launceston pharmacy was established in October 1883.  It was originally owned by Dr Benjafield until September 1885 when Mr Browne purchased the pharmacy and changed its name to F.S. Browne & Company.

Mr Browne helped to found the Launceston Homœopathic Hospital in 1900. He was honorary secretary until 1929, while his wife, Emma, was a board member from its inception to the time of her resignation in 1924.

Mr & Mrs Browne had one daughter and six sons.

He was involved with many organisations, including the Northern Tasmanian Camera Club, the Pharmaceutical Society of Tasmania, the Launceston Art Society, the Launceston Improvement Association, and was also a justice of the peace. Mr Browne was greatly interested in scientific advances. In 1890 he photographed the first demonstration of sound recording onto wax cylinders. He imported the first X-ray plant into Tasmania and was the first to demonstrate its use in that State in October 1896.

(For more details see the document on Homœopathic Pharmacies, Dispensaries & Manufacturers & the entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography)

© Barbara Armstrong

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