David Brown 1778-1825

David Brown

David Brown was famous in Penang. He had owned a section of Penang island - a piece of land called Brown Garden where his house/office was built initially. 

When I was in Penang in the early 1960s, Brown Garden was still a controversial piece of land. Brown Garden was bordered by the lands of 2 Malays  - Datuk Jenaton whose land is now the Minden Heights housing area, and the other was Dr Che Lah bin Md Joonos, an early Malay doctor, whose house was on a land at Lengkok Pemancar, atop Bukit Pemancar (Signal Hill), while Brown Garden was mainly in the lowland (valley at the foothill of Penang Hill), but it stretched up to the hilly region of Penang Hill. 

I don't have the full story on Brown Garden but some Penangites may still remembered the story about Brown Garden.

Title Correspondence of David Brown

Reference RCMS 103/13

(former reference: BAM XIII)

Creator Brown, David, 1778-1825

Covering Dates 1801–1825

Extent and Medium 1 file; paper; mixed scripts 

Content and context

David Brown was born in Longformacus, Berwickshire, Scotland in 1778. He studied law in Edinburgh, but joined his countryman James Scott's mercantile business in Penang in 1800. Scott was the trading partner of Francis Light, who had taken over Light's estate after his death in 1794. Brown succeeded Scott when he died in 1808. Brown became the largest land owner and planter in Penang, pioneering the introduction of nutmeg cultivation. He died in 1825 when travelling to Malacca. 

26 letters concerning economic development and the management of his estates exchanged between Brown and various correspondents. The collection includes eight letters from Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles. The file also includes a typescript copy of the will of Francis Light.

http://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk

Stamford Raffles

Francis Light

Glugor House in Brown Garden, Glugor/Gelugor.
Photo was taken from Penang - Past and Present.

Brown Estate, Buildings structures, planter's bungalow,

Code No.: PSL45

Category: Photographs

Scale/No.: n/a 

Title: Glugor House

Year: 

Features: no date given, Double storey bungalow verandah Tuscan columns, brick and lime building with extended roof to create a shaded verandah on two sides supported on tall timber columns. Brick columns support a single storey verandah terracotta tiled roof , Penang Island, Straits Settlements, 

Source: The Penang State Library Collection 

URL: http://www.penanglib.gov.my

More details below

Product Owner Name: The Penang State Library Collection
Owner Details: The originals of The Penang State Library Collection images can be found in the Rare Books Room of the Penang State Library in Seberang Prai. http://www.penanglib.gov.my

How to request a copy without a watermark
The images are copyright to Penang State Library. You can contact the Library to find out how to purchase a non-watermark copy. 

Coding
The code e.g. PSL45 – is for reference when you contact the Library.
PSL – Penang State Library – this code is the same for each image.
45 – The number of the digitalised image – this number is different for each image.
Accuracy 

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this website. Any errors are regretted. 

If you have any evidence and further information about the scenes captured in the postcard images – we would like to hear from you. 

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Gelugor House and Spice Plantations in Gelugor. 
Gelugor House was owned by David Brown, who settled in Penang circa 1800. 
In the plantations were grown pepper, nutmegs, cloves and other spices
 http://www.neosentuhan.com.my/tourism2004/support/eg02a_02.htm

There are 3 Brown names - David Brown, Dr David Brown, and F. S. Brown.

Duke of Edinburgh visit, Government Officials, (l) Anson Lieutenant Governor of Penang, (4l) Sir Harry Ord - Governor of S.S., (3r) F. S. Brown of Glugor Estate, and centre - Sir William Hackett Judge,
Code No.: PSL46
Category: Photographs
Scale/No.: n/a
Title: Colonel Anson and welcoming party
Year: 1869
Features: n/a, unidentified buildings to rear, standing under a tree on a path, George Town, Straits Settlements,
Source: The Penang State Library Collection
URL: http://www.penanglib.gov.my