David Brown (Free Church of Scotland)


David Brown was a son of bookseller who was twice Provost of the city. He was a Free Church of Scotland minister who served as Moderator of the General Assembly 1885/86.

Life

He was born in Aberdeen in 1803 the fourth son of Alexander Brown, a bookseller, and twice Lord Provost of Aberdeen, and his wife, Catharine Chalmers. He was educated at Aberdeen Grammar School. He studied Divinity at Aberdeen University graduating in 1821. He was licensed to preach in 1826 then went to London for two years to work with Edward Irving.
He returned to Scotland in 1829 to assist in the ministry at Dumbarton. Emerging from a period of doubt which accompanied his studies, he became a probationer in the Church of Scotland and assistant to the celebrated Edward Irving in London, 1830-32. In 1835 he became minister of Ord, Banffshire in the Presbytery of Fordyce, Aberdeenshire.
In the Disruption of 1843 he left the Church of Scotland and became minister of Free St. James, Glasgow, and professor of theology at Free Church College of the University of Aberdeen. He was co-author of the Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary with Robert Jamieson, St. Paul's, Glasgow and the Rev. A. R. Fausset, St. Cuthbert's, York, England. He was a director of the National Bible Society of Scotland, the Evangelical Alliance and the Alliance of the Reformed Churches.
He was succeeded as Moderator by Rev Alexander Neill Somerville.
He died at home, 104 Crown Street in Aberdeen on 3 July 1897.

Family

David Brown married Catherine Dyce, daughter of Dr William Dyce, on 25 February 1836 at Saint Nicholas's Church, Aberdeen, Scotland. Their eldest daughter, Margaret Dyce Brown, married Sir David Stewart, Lord Provost of Aberdeen from 1889 to 1894.
His younger brother was Charles John Brown.

Works