The eldest son of George Francis Brown, he was educated at Christ Church, Oxford, where awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1854 and a Master of Arts degree in 1857.
[1][2] He was ordained in the Anglican ministry as a deacon in 1855 and a priest in 1858.
[1] He served as a curate at Bladon-cum-Woodstock, Oxfordshire, 1855–1867; during which time he became domestic chaplain to the Duke of Marlborough in 1858.
[1] He became Rector of St John's, Edinburgh in 1883 and a canon of St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh in 1898.
[1] He lived at 9 Grosvenor Street in the western part of the city.