William Browne … married say 1530 Joan -----. … William and Joan Brown were married and their children born before the commencement of the Sawbridgeworth registers, but their probate records describe their children and leave hints of more distant relatives. It is possible that William's eldest brother was Thomas, since William remembered Thomas' son John, perhaps the "heir male," in his 1565 will. It is equally possible that John was William's eldest grandson. … In her will eight years later, Joan did not mention three of William's sons, William, Thomas and Nicholas, leading to speculation that they might not have been her children. She did mention John and Laurence, and gave them duties but no legacies.
