Potto Brown

He was the fourth of 12 children of William Brown and Elizabeth Hicks and was named after his paternal grandmother, Sarah Potto.

He did not excel academically; "That which is conventionally called education left strangely few traces upon him", wrote biographer Neville Goodman, adding that "no boy was more apt to profit by practical experience".

After his retirement William Brown took up medicine, attending lectures and hospital rounds in London and then becoming apprenticed to a local surgeon and apothecary, George Cockle.

Bateman Brown became mayor of St Ives, only the second nonconformist to hold the position since the time of Oliver Cromwell.

A greatgrandson, Bateman Brown Tarring, won the London amateur 1-mile speed skating championship in December 1892.

He retired from the business in 1862 and spent the remaining years of his life on farming, philanthropic activities, and work as a magistrate.

[3] Once he had established a successful business and become a wealthy man, Brown turned his attention to religious and charitable work.

Visitors included the revivalist Charles Grandison Finney and the peace and anti-slavery activist Elihu Burritt.

It was produced in Andrea Carlo Lucchesi's studio in London and was based on a model by Albert Goodman, a son of Brown’s milling partner.

The inscription reads: "Potto Brown was born in this village 16 July 1797 where he spent his life devoting himself to the best interests of those around him and died 12 April 1871."