William Laurence Brown (7 January 175511 May 1830) was a Scottish minister.

Life

Brown was born in

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. His father, William Brown, was minister of the English church there, but was then appointed professor of ecclesiastical history at

St Andrews St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fou ...

, and therefore returned to Scotland in 1757. Brown went to the grammar school there, and then to the

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

, graduating MA in 1772. After passing through the

divinity Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine

classes, in 1774 he went to the

University of Utrecht Utrecht University (UU; nl, Universiteit Utrecht, formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2018, it had an enrollme ...

, where he studied

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and civil law. He was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of St Andrews in October 1777 and he was appointed minister the Scots Church in Utrecht in place of his uncle Robert Brown in January 1778. The University awarded him a Doctor of Divinity in 1784. In 1788 he was appointed Professor of Moral Philosophy and Law of Nations (International Law) at the

. To this was added the professorship of the law of nature. He was made Rector of the University of Utrecht in 1790. At the threat of French invasion of the Netherlands following the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

Brown and his young family sailed back to Aberdeen in January 1795. In June 1795 the magistrates of Aberdeen elected him to the post of minister of Greyfriars Church and he was ordained into that post in August 1795 at the same time being given the post of Professor of Divinity at Marischal College, which physically adjoins the church. In January 1796 he was made Principal of

Marischal College Marischal College ( ) is a large granite building on Broad Street in the centre of Aberdeen in north-east Scotland, and since 2011 has acted as the headquarters of Aberdeen City Council. However, the building was constructed for and is on long- ...

in place of George Campbell. In March 1800 he was appointed Chaplain in Ordinary to the King, and in October 1803 was made

Dean of the Chapel Royal The Dean of the Chapel Royal, in any kingdom, can be the title of an official charged with oversight of that kingdom's chapel royal, the ecclesiastical establishment which is part of the royal household and ministers to it. England In England, ...

, and awarded the

Order of the Thistle The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an order of chivalry associated with Scotland. The current version of the Order was founded in 1687 by King James VII of Scotland, who asserted that he was reviving an earlier Order. The ...

. From 1824 to 1828 he was Patron of the

Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen is an ancient society of craftsmen in Aberdeen, Scotland. Their home is Trinity Hall on the city's Holburn Street. Composition The society comprises seven trades: * Hammermen (1519) * Bakers (1398) * Wrig ...

. He is buried in the

Kirk of St Nicholas The Kirk of St Nicholas is a historic church located in the city centre of Aberdeen, Scotland. Up until the dissolution of the congregation on 31 December 2020, it was known as the ''"Kirk of St Nicholas Uniting"''. It is also known as ''"The Mit ...

on Union Street in Aberdeen.

Family

In May 1786 in Utrecht he married his first cousin, Ann Elizabeth Brown (1764–1844), daughter of Rev Robert Brown of the Scots Church in Utrecht (1728–1777). Their nine children were: *Rev William Robert Brown (1787-1859), minister of little Clacton, Essex *Laurence George Brown MA (b.1788) *Catherine Mary Ann (b.1790) *Joanna (Janet) Elizabeth (b.1791) * Robert James Brown (b.1792),

Moderator of the General Assembly The moderator of the General Assembly is the chairperson of a General Assembly, the highest court of a Presbyterian or Reformed church. Kirk sessions and presbyteries may also style the chairperson as moderator. The Oxford Dictionary states th ...

of the Free Church of Scotland in 1846/47.Ewing, William ''Annals of the Free Church of Scotland'' *Ann (Nancy) Elizabeth (1795-1847) married James Conacher lawyer in

Dunkeld Dunkeld (, sco, Dunkell, from gd, Dùn Chailleann, "fort of the Caledonians") is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The location of a historic cathedral, it lies on the north bank of the River Tay, opposite Birnam. Dunkeld lies close to t ...

*Dr John Moore Brown (b.1797) physician in Aberdeen *Helen Jane Brown (b.1797-1848) twin of John *Dr

George Gilbert Brown George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Preside ...

(1800-1873) Inspector General of Hospitals

Selected works

*The History of St Rule's Chapel (1780) *An essay on the Folly of

Scepticism Skepticism, also spelled scepticism, is a questioning attitude or doubt toward knowledge claims that are seen as mere belief or dogma. For example, if a person is skeptical about claims made by their government about an ongoing war then the pe ...

(1788) *An essay on Sensibility (1791) *''An Essay on the Natural Equality of Men'' (1793), which gained the

Teylers Eerste Genootschap Teylers Eerste Genootschap (English: ''Teyler's First Society''), also known as the Godgeleerd Genootschap (''Theological Society'') is one of the societies founded within the Teylers Stichting as a result of the will of the Dutch 18th-century me ...

's prize; *''On the Existence of the Supreme Creator'' (1826), to which was awarded the first Burnet prize of £1250; and *''A Comparative View of Christianity, and of the other Forms of Religion with regard to their Moral Tendency'' (2 vols, 1826).

References

;Citations ;Sources * * * * * * * * Attribution: {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, William Laurence 1755 births 1830 deaths Clergy from Utrecht (city) Academics of the University of Aberdeen 19th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland Principals of the University of Aberdeen