Author: Brown, William Laurence
Biography:
Brown, William Laurence (1755-1830: ODNB)
He was born at Utrecht to William Brown, minister of the Scots Kirk, and Janet (Ogilvie) Brown. The family moved to St Andrews in 1757, and Brown attended the local grammar school and university, graduating MA in 1772. He was ordained in 1778 after being appointed to succeed his uncle, Robert Brown, as minister to the Scots Kirk, Utrecht. His tasks as minister allowed him time to travel, write, and study (he gained his Doctor of Divinity from St Andrews in 1783, the youngest candidate ever to do so). In 1786 he married his cousin Anne Elizabeth Brown; they were to have five sons and four daughters. With the threat of a French invasion, the family fled Utrecht for England in 1795. Brown was elected to the chair of divinity at Marischal College, Aberdeen, and the charge of Greyfriars Church. He became principal of Marischal College in 1796. His numerous publications have no lasting merit. He died at Aberdeen. (ODNB 23 May 2018) SR
Other Names:
- W. L. Brown