(1792-1884)
William Brown was a Scottish merchant, public servant and philanthropist, who lived all his life in Glasgow. His life and his fluctuating fortunes reveal much about nineteenth century Glasgow, its economic and urban development, its colonial connections and its longstanding religious tensions.
Religion and business
William was married to Jane Wilsone, daughter of an eminent Glasgow surgeon, whose family had been staunch supporters of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobite cause. Her family were Episcopalians, but William was a deacon of the Presbyterian church. He was a Sunday school teacher and an active spiritual, moral and physical campaigner among Glasgow’s poor.
In 1813 he inherited a thriving oil and paint company from his father, James Brown. A competent chemist, he expanded the company, extending its range into new oil-based products, including lubricating materials and fuels. It prospered under his leadership, generating handsome profits. He made his two sons, James and Charles Wilsone Broun, directors of the company.
All would have been well had William not been seduced by the 1840s railway boom. His speculations on railway stock resulted in the loss of a great deal of money when the bubble burst in the 1850s. This disaster was compounded by the loss of a legal action about breach of patent. In 1858 William was forced to wind up the company and withdraw from business altogether.
Profits from slavery
William’s younger brother, Francis, had been part-owner of a sugar estate in the West Indies that employed slave labour. Francis died in 1825 and William and his older brother were beneficiaries of his will. When slavery was abolished in 1838, the British Government offered the plantation owners and their heirs funds in compensation. Despite his religious convictions, William claimed a share of these funds. He used the money to buy Kilmardinny House, an imposing Georgian mansion overlooking a loch. Meanwhile, the freed slaves received nothing to compensate for their exploitation by plantation owners.
Dean of Guild
An upright member of the community, William held various public offices. He was a member of the Merchants’ House of Glasgow and of Glasgow Town Council. His most prestigious position was Dean of Guild. A pair of elegant iron gates were erected in his memory at the entrance to the Glasgow Necropolis. They can still be seen there today, beautifully restored with gleaming black and gold paint.
For more information on this story see: Angela Coulter, A Stream of Lives, Matador Press 2021, available from Troubador Bookshop