Andrew BROWN

BROWN, ANDREW (b. Tibbermore, Perthshire, Scotland, 5 Nov 1797; d. Cooerwull, Bowenfels, NSW, 2 April 1894). Grazier and Presbyterian philanthropist in NSW.

The second son of a Scottish tenant farmer who became an elder of the Presbyterian church at Tibbermore, Andrew Brown came to Australia as a free settler in 1823. First as overseer for the Perthshire Walkers in western NSW, then as an independent grazier at Bowenfels and on the Castlereagh river, Brown used his substantial income for causes associated with the church and education, with a strong Free Kirk preference. He gave generously to many churches, built a large extension to Bowenfels Presbyterian church in 1885 (where he was an elder), completely financed the building of a major boarding school, Cooerwull Academy, in Lithgow in 1881-3, assisted nine small primary schools and was an influential foundation councillor of St Andrew's College in the University of Sydney.

He married his cousin, Christina, the daughter of John Henderson, Presbyterian minister of Tranent, Midlothian, and was survived by her and one of his three children, John Laurence Brown, a distinguished grazier. There is an unusually full family archive, including many diaries, in the Mitchell Library and in private hands.

R I Jack, 'Andrew Brown, laird of Cooerwull', JRAHS 73 (1987-8): 173-86; R I Jack, ‘Andrew Brown's Woollen Mill at Lithgow’ (Lithgow District HS Occasional Paper 32, 1980)

ROBERT IAN JACK