BROWN, JAMES [SSNE 6314]

Surname

BROWN, BROUN

First name

JAMES

Title/rank

REVEREND

Nationality

SCOT or ENGLISH

Text source

James Broun/Brown was born ca. 1634 and d. 1713. He was ordained in 1660. From 1677 to 1683 Brown served a congregation (Presbyterian or Anglican?) in North Ferriby, Yorkshire near Hull and it seems had to leave there in the summer of 1683 (he took with him the Parish Registers or copies 1677 - June 1683, these were still in Rotterdam in 1833).  William Steven implies he left for Kohigsberg in 1683.

From the correspondence of James Adie [SSNE 7080] in Danzig to Andrew Russell [SSNE 143] in Rotterdam, it is clear that Brown lived in Danzig from mid-1685 and appealed for Russell to send him more news, particularly of the aftermath of the failed Argyll uprising of that year. Brown himself wrote to Russell from Danzig on 2 November 1685 via the "honest bearer", Robert Fleming [SSNE 7151]. This letter had to do with a little money that Brown was to have. He asked that Russell could remit it via Mr Robert Hog [SSNE 7152] to the Scottish merchant in Konigsberg, Mr Andrew Marshall. Soon after this was sent, Brown moved from Danzig to Konigsberg. In December 1686, he served as a minister in the city and wrote a letter to the David Melville Earl of Leven [SSNE 5000] in Berlin stating "having heard of your Lordship being at Berlin and that you are highly favoured by our renowned Prince Elector of Brandenburg". He asked that Leven would use his influence to ensure that Britons could have their privilege to become burgesses of Konigsberg renewed. Brown insisted that it should be phrased to ensure that Scots were included as well as Englishmen and that the privilage would apply to future as well as present residents of the city. On 24 April 1690, Brown again wrote to Russell noting that he had received several letters from friends inviting him to return home and he pointed out that he had "a strong inclination to it". The safest route, he was told, was via Holland by land but he had heard that French forces had arrived in Ireland and Scotland the previous week, so he was hesitant. He wrote to Mr Fleming and Russell requesting their advice as by the time they got his letters, more news would be to hand about events in Ireland and the proceedings of the Scottish Parliament. He reiterated that he did not want to inflict this journey on his family without the best information. Any response was to be directed to Mr Thomas Hervey's house in Konigsberg and he looked forward to hearing in about three weeks time. 

National Archives of Scotland, Russell Papers, RH15/106/576/. James Adie to Andrew Russell, 6 July 1685 and James Brown to Andrew Russell, 2 November 1685; RH15/106/710/10. James Brown to Andrew Russell, 28 April 1690; National Archives of Scotland, GD 26/13/369, 13 December 1686; William Steven, A History of the Scottish Church in Rotterdam (Edinburgh 1833) pp.107-109; Steve Murdoch, Network North: Scottish Kin, Commercial and Covert Associations in Northern Europe, 1603-1746 (Brill, Leiden, 2006), pp.113-114.

With thanks to Angus Fowler for the update from the William Steven's book.

Service record

POLAND-LITHUANIA, DANZIG, DANZIG

Arrived 1685-07-06

Departed 1685-11-02

Capacity REFUGEE, MINISTER, purpose ECCLESIASTICAL, MISC.

BRANDENBURG, EAST PRUSSIA, KONIGSBERG

Arrived 1686-12-13

Departed 1690-12-31

Capacity MINISTER, purpose ECCLESIASTICAL