The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-04-06
THE QUEENS WATCH DOG.
JOHN GROWN, THE PERSONAL AT
TENDANr OF VICTORIA.
In Her Service Thirty -four Ycars---The
Queens Attachment for Her Attendants
Tho Trouble which He Caused mt Court.

who died recently at Windsor castle,
at the age of fifty-six, had passed thir
ty-four years in the service of her
majesty and the late prince consort.
John Brown in England was much
more widely known than many of the
members of the nobility, and through
out the long years of his faithful SER
vice the queen was attached to him so
greatly that he often became bone of
contt ntion among the courtiers who
were jealous of his influence over her
majesty. He was Scotchman, the son
of small farmer who lived at the
Bush on the opposite side to Balmoral
He began his service in the royal
family as gillie, in 1919, and was Sc
lected by Prince Albert and the queen
to go with her majesty's carriage. He
was with Victoria continually during
her life in the highlands of Scotland
from 1S48 to 1861, entering the service
of the royal pair permanently in 1851,
when his duty was to lead the queens
pony on her excursions. After the
death of the prince consort in 1861,
| Victoria became more than ever at
tached to her humble Scotch servant,
and in December, 1865, she promoted
him to the position of personal attend
ant or body guard to herself. From
that time until his death the queen
never appeared in public without John
Brown, and he followed her every
where. His wishes were often much
more potent than those of the men,
bers of the court, and whenever he
was i'll Scotch physician was brought
from Scotland t. attend him, because
John had no faith in English medical
skill Of late years Browns overbear-
ing and dictatoral manners have
caused good deal of unfavorable COM
ment among the nobility and others,
whom he annoyed when they were
visiting the queen. He was not liked
by the Prince of Wales or the Duke
of Edinburgh, who complained that he
dill not know his place; but the more
he was snubbed by nob'es and princes
the more graciously the queen smiled
upon him and added to the favOrs
(which she bestowed on him. Among
the special favors granted him was the
exclusive right to shoot over some of
the royal preserves, and quite recently
the queen threw open the state apart
ments at Windsor, at his request, for
the mayor of Windsor, after having
refused to do so for others of high rank.
John Brown proved an invaluable man
to the queens household, and his per-
sonal attachment to his mistress was
undoubted. His personal anxiety on
Der account amounted almost to a
mania 1t is said that he was greatly
worried two years ago when the queen
was shot at by lunatic, because he
had not been able to prevent the shot
from being fired, and because the man
was captured by strangers in the
crowd instead of himself.
John Brown was not treated by
the queen as mere servant
; Ha was rather friend and con-
fidential adviser He was not OF
importance enough to be admitted
to the royal table, but he was too great
a man to eat with the servants of the
', household, and the result was that
when the queen Travelled three lunches
had to be preparel-ohe for the roya
party, one for the servants and THIRD
one for John Brown. 1t is said that
|, John, with the proverbial Highland
, shrewdness, feathered his nest wei
: during the long years of his service
, A recent London letter speaking Of
him, shows the familiarity which ex
!, iste between him and the queen, anC
, the trouble which it caused ut court
Ladies in waiting of exalted rank,
it says, "have rebelled openly agains
, the breach of etiquette his familiarit.
has created, and refused to be male /
party to it; but, snubbed by them, h
was only the more graciously treate(
by his royal mistress. He follows tn,
queen like a shadow from palace t.
palace, in public and in private, behinc
/, her chair at her meals, in tn
! rumble Of her carriage in he
: drives, bending over to ex-
change a few words. and calml.
a possessing himself of her field-glas
to inspect some distant maneuver at ;
review" The queen herself, writing
of John Brown in 1867, in a foot-not
in her journal of Our Life in TIN
Highlands" says: Ellis attention
|, care and faithfulness cannot be ex
ceeded, and the state Of my health
which or late years mas Deen Sorel.
tried and weakened, renders sucl
qualifications most valuable, and, in
: deed, most needful, in constant at
: tendant upon all occasions. He ha
: all the independence and elevate'
feelings peculiar to the Highland race
j and is singularly straightforward, sim
: ple-minded, kind-hearted and disinter
/: ested, always ready to oblige and of dis
erection rarely to be met with" Brown
y was heavily built, fine-looking Scotch
D man, six feet one inch in height. will
:, broad chest and well-developet
muscle. He had large, full face ant
high forehead, well-.haped head
with gray hair at the sides. wei
brushed up to hide the bald spot OF
top. His appearance and his devo
ton to the queen caused him to b'
known throughout England as tn
aVatoh nou - " nm York Times