His father, William Brown, was minister of the English church there, but was then appointed professor of ecclesiastical history at St Andrews, and therefore returned to Scotland in 1757.

After passing through the divinity classes, in 1774 he went to the University of Utrecht, where he studied theology and civil law.

[1] 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.

In January 1796 he was made Principal of Marischal College in place of George Campbell.

[3] He is buried in the Kirk of St Nicholas on Union Street in Aberdeen.