Brownlow was commissioned as an
ensign the
30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot in April 1859. He served in the
Anglo-Zulu War in 1879 and the
First Boer War in 1880. At the
Battle of Laing's Nek during the First Boer War, he was wounded and had his horse shot out from under him. He was rescued by Private
John Doogan who was awarded the
Victoria Cross for his action. Brownlow became assistant commandant and superintendent at the Riding Establishment Cavalry Depot in May 1882 and commanded the 22nd Regimental District (the
Cheshire Regiment) from 1889 to 1894. He lived at
Boughton Hall in
Great Boughton,
Cheshire. He was also
High Sheriff of Monaghan from 1907 to 1908. ==Family==