Frank Brownsett was an expert in textile machinery known to have been active in the Lancashire area c 1960. He was an engineer employed by The Shirley Institute, a research foundation established by the cotton industry.

Brownsett was a frequent expert witness in court, invited by solicitors' firms to testify about textile machinery and working practices in the textile industry in order to support industrial injury claims. He had particular expertise in the management and removal of cotton dust, and was therefore called upon to testify in cases of Byssinosis.