The club was founded in 1877 by George Howell, a professional cricketer,[1] out of the Brunswick Cricket Club, and who started the football section by recruiting a number of rugby union players.

[2] Brunswick entered the Edinburgh Cup in its first season of existence, losing 3–1 to Heart of Midlothian in its first tie, played on neutral territory at Newington.

[6] Brunswick's biggest competitive win came in the first round of the 1879–80 Scottish Cup, 5–0 over the declining Edinburgh Swifts.

[9] With the growth of association football in Edinburgh, Brunswick was firmly in the shadow of Hearts and Hibs, and was overtaken by St Bernard's and Leith Athletic in short order.

[12] The club's last win in the Scottish Cup was against Hanover in 1881–82[13] and in 1883–84 the club did not even enter the Edinburgh Cup, instead concentrating on the national cup, where it lost 8–0 to Hearts in the first round, six of the goals being scored by Wood; the Brunswick players were described as "out of condition" and only the goalkeeping of William Braidwood kept the score down.