Statue of John Brown in the estates of Balmoral. View from south west

Description Statue of John Brown in the estates of Balmoral. View from south west

Date 18/6/2001

Collection Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

Catalogue Number SC 769148

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of E 15353 CN

Scope and Content Statue of John Brown, Balmoral Estate, Aberdeenshire This life-size statue was erected by the queen in memory of John Brown, her personal attendant for many years after Albert's death in 1861. The statue, by Sir Edgar Boehm, shows Brown in Highland dress wearing both the Devoted Service Medal and the Faithful Servant Medal. The inscription on the granite plinth reads: 'Friend more than Servant, Loyal, Truthful, Brave, Self less than Duty, even to the Grave'. John Brown was born in 1826 on a farm at Crathie, and was already employed at Balmoral when the estate was bought by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1852. He became ghillie to Prince Albert, and then Queen Victoria's personal servant. After Albert's death in 1861, he was a great support to the queen who mourned Albert for the rest of her life. Between 1861 and his death in 1883, Brown rose from specially favoured servant to become the most influential member of the Scottish royal household. In 1879 he was appointed 'Personal Attendant and Page' to the queen, and given his own servant and a fine house, Baile-na-Coile, at Balmoral. He was awarded the Faithful Servant Medal and the Devoted Service Medal, the latter decoration specially created for him. His death in 1883 was unexpected, and was a great blow to the queen, who kept Brown's memory alive until her death in 1901. He was buried in Crathie churchyard. The Balmoral estate was bought in 1852 by Prince Albert and Queen Victoria at their own expense as a Highland retreat from the stresses of London life. Prince Albert initiated many improvements, including the building of a new Balmoral Castle in 1853-5 that became Queen Victoria's favourite holiday home. The many memorials that were built in the woods around the castle show her firm attachment to the estate. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

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