Victoria gave him gifts and created two medals for him: John Brown took it upon himself the task of bringing bad news to the queen. You can search for royalty-related items - or anything else - by using this link. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert decided they wanted a home in Scotland. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. The cause of death was erysipelas, a streptococcal infection. He purchased land for escaped slaves, raised a black orphan as his own son, and was active in the Underground Railroad. [7] Debate continues over this report. Many of Brown's men were killed, including two of his sons, and he was captured. "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564–1950", database, FamilySearch (, gravestone of John Brown in Crathie Kirkyard, Aberdeenshire, inscription on gravestone in Crathie Kirkyard, Aberdeenshire, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XYXQ-M21, "John Brown, faithful servant to Queen Victoria", https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1429127/Victoria-did-become-Mrs-Brown.html, "Letter from Queen Victoria points to affair with Brown", Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Brown_(servant)&oldid=967645283, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Silver medal (Servant medal? 7-Oct-1835, d. 19-Oct-1859 Harpers Ferry)Son: Salmon Brown (b. The photograph, wrapped in white tissue paper, was placed in her left hand, with flowers arranged to hide it from view. The phrase "for the second time" relates to the death of Brown after the death of her husband Prince Albert. Victoria gave him gifts and created two medals for him, the Faithful Servant Medal and the Devoted Service Medal. At that time Balmoral, owned by the Earl Fife, was leased to Sir Robert Gordon, a younger brother of George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, who made major alterations to the original castle at Balmoral. Queen Victoria’s diary first mentions John Brown on September 8, 1849. Queen Victoria ordered that Brown’s room in Windsor Castle where he had died, to be left as it was during his lifetime, much like she had done with the room where Prince Albert had died. [5] Victoria herself dismissed the chatter as "ill-natured gossip in the higher classes".[6]. Gerhard Bienert portrayed John Brown in Ohm Kruger (1941). Brown treated the queen in a rough and familiar, but kind manner, which she relished. On 16 October 1859, Brown and a 21-man abolitionist army (five black, 16 white) attacked the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. “Balmoral Castle”. Brown was born on 8 December 1826 at Crathienaird, Crathie and Braemar Aberdeenshire, to Margaret Leys and John Brown,[1][2] and went to work as an outdoor servant (in Scots ghillie or gillie) at Balmoral Castle, which Queen Victoria and Prince Albert leased in February 1848, and purchased outright in November 1851. Two days after being afflicted with erysipelas, which crippled him to the point of not being able to attend the queen for the first time in over eighteen years as her servant, John Brown died. When Sir Robert died in 1847, an arrangement was made for Prince Albert to acquire the remaining part of the lease on Balmoral, together with its furniture and staff, sight unseen. In June 1852, the sale was complete with Prince Albert having purchased Balmoral for £32,000. The Queen also commissioned a statue of John Brown from Sir Joseph Boehm to be set up at Balmoral. The cause of death was erysipelas, a streptococcal infection. Self less than Duty, even to the Grave. The inscription read: Friend more than Servant. . His presence was always a sign of the special and personal sympathy of Queen Victoria. From around 1851, John Brown became a permanent ghillie at Balmoral, often acting on behalf of Prince Albert, being responsible for the safety of Queen Victoria, or performing various outdoor tasks. In 1864, Victoria’s personal physician Sir William Jenner ordered that she ride all winter. 20-May-1848, d. 1849)Son: un-named (b. That Friend on whose fidelity you count/that Friend given to you by circumstances/over which you have no control/was God’s own gift. The inscription on his gravestone shows the affection between him and Queen Victoria: “This stone is erected in affectionate and grateful remembrance of John Brown the devoted and faithful personal attendant and beloved friend of Queen Victoria in whose service he had been for 34 years. Accessed 29 May 2018. The 1997 film Mrs Brown is the fictionalised story of John Brown. 3-Nov-1837, d. 11-Sep-1843)Son: Oliver Brown (b. While it is true that some widowed monarchs have contracted private marriages with their servants, there is little evidence that Victoria married Brown. Renovations were considered but by that time, negotiations were underway for Victoria and Albert to purchase Balmoral. The 1950 film The Mudlark features John Brown at Windsor Castle, portrayed by Finlay Currie. Sir Billy Connolly portrays Brown and Dame Judi Dench portrays Queen Victoria. Two days after being afflicted with erysipelas, which crippled him to the point of not being able to attend the queen for the first time in over eighteen years as her servant, John Brown died. John Brown was buried in the cemetery at Crathie Kirk near Balmoral, next to his parents and some of his siblings. Statue of John Brown, sculpted by Sir Joseph Boehm at Balmoral; Photo Credit – Wikipedia, Recommended Book – Serving Queen Victoria: Life in the Royal Household by Kate Hubbard John Brown became a good friend and supported the Queen. Princess Alice, Prince Leopold, Princess Louise, John Brown and Princess Helena at Balmoral in August 1860; Photo Credit – Wikipedia, Prince Albert’s untimely death in 1861 was a shock from which Queen Victoria never fully recovered. Amazon.com, All content copyright Unofficial Royalty 2018. The following year, after another attack left several anti-slavery settlers dead, Brown took retaliation by riding into a pro-slavery enclave, dragging five men and boys from their home on Pottawatomie Creek and killing them, then dismembering their bodies. Already in his 50s, Brown abandoned his wife and followed several of his adult sons to Kansas territory, then widely called "bleeding Kansas" for its violent clashes between pro- and anti-slavery factions. 21-Dec-1830, d. 30-Aug-1856)Son: un-named (b. [4], Victoria's children and ministers resented the high regard she had for Brown, and inevitably, stories circulated that there was something improper in their relationship. . Courageous, unselfish, totally disinterested, discreet to the highest degree, speaking the truth fearlessly and telling me what he thought and considered to be "just and right," without flattery and without saying what would be pleasing if he did not think it right. Slaves living in the area did not join the raid, local militia and the United States Marines, under Robert E. Lee, put down the raid, and most of John Brown’s men were either killed or captured, including two of his sons. Well done good and faithful servant/Thou hast been faithful over a few things,/I will make thee ruler over many things/Enter through into the joy of the Lord.”, John Brown’s grave; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! He was appreciated by many (including the Queen) for his competence and companionship, and resented by others for his influence and informal manner. The Queen feels that life for the second time is become most trying and sad to bear deprived of all she so needs ... the blow has fallen too heavily not to be very heavily felt..."[9]. Born on December 8, 1826 in Crathie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, John Brown was the second of eleven children of Scottish tenant farmer John Brown and his wife Margaret Leys. Victoria called him “the perfection of a servant for he thinks of everything.”, Queen Victoria on ‘Fyvie’ with John Brown at Balmoral, photographed by George Washington Wilson, 1863; Photo Credit – Wikipedia. 22-Jun-1845, d. 1846)Daughter: Sarah Brown (b. His duties soon encompassed more than leading a horse. ), showing the head of, This page was last edited on 14 July 2020, at 12:56. [12], Tony Rennell's book Last Days of Glory: The Death of Queen Victoria reveals that Victoria had entrusted detailed instructions about her burial to her doctor, Sir James Reid (Brown died in 1883: the Queen's wish was for him to attend to her). Submit a correction or make a comment about this profile, Submit a correction or make a comment about this profile. "He was the best, truest heart that ever beat," Queen Victoria wrote to Brown's sister-in-law, Jessie McHardy Brown. John died at Windsor Castle on 27 March 1883, aged 56, … During the construction, the original castle could still be used. The historian who discovered the letter believed that it suggested that Victoria, in her mind, equated Brown's death with Albert's, and that she therefore viewed him as more than a servant, but also as a good friend and confidant. Brown was charged with treason, murder, and insurrection, and his trial was quick and efficient. John Brown, circa 1860s; Photo Credit – Wikipedia. Ironically, the first man killed during the raid was Hayward … The old Balmoral Castle; Credit – Wikipedia. John Brown was adamantly opposed to slavery, and unlike most abolitionists of his time, he was not content to protest through pamphleteering and speechmaking. 11-May-1834, d. 23-Sep-1843)Son: Watson Brown (b. [8] Whether Brown and Victoria were actual lovers, however, is not known. Truthful. John Brown (8 December 1826 – 27 March 1883) was a Scottish personal attendant and favourite of Queen Victoria for many years. Victoria refused to be accompanied by a stranger and so John Brown was summoned to Osborne House on the Isle of Wight with Victoria’s Highland pony. The inscription on his gravestone further shows the attachment between him and the Queen: "This stone is erected in affectionate and grateful remembrance of John Brown the devoted and faithful personal attendant and beloved friend of Queen Victoria in whose service he had been for 34 years. She also commissioned a portrait of him. Brown, born in … An eyewitness at his hanging wrote that Brown behaved with "unflinching firmness" as the sheriff put the noose around his neck. The new castle was completed in 1856 and the old castle was subsequently demolished. Construction on a new castle began during the summer of 1853. John Brown died, aged 56, at Windsor Castle on 27 March 1883, and is buried in Crathie Kirkyard, in the next plot to his parents and a number of his siblings. It was, as Frederick Douglass had told Brown in trying to dissuade him, "a perfect steel-trap" -- a strike against the U.S. government that could only lead to an unhappy ending. Prince Albert enjoyed spending time with Brown and allowed him freedoms granted only to a very trusted servant. Unlike Brown, whose loyalty was not questioned, there were unevidenced contemporary claims that Abdul Karim exploited his position for personal gain and prestige. Victoria also sent him to inquire about the sick and dying. From then on, until his death nearly twenty years later, Brown was never far from Victoria’s side. Faithful Servant Medal, a silver medal with bars denoting ten additional years of service. Queen Victoria wrote in her diary that she was “terribly moved by the loss that robs me of a person who has served me with so much devotion and loyalty and has done so much for my personal well-being. Gordon McLeod portrayed John Brown in Victoria the Great (1937), Sixty Glorious Years (1938) and The Prime Minister (1941).

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