Parish of Leatherhead - Mary Brown

from the February 2005 magazine

Mary Brown Mary was the wife of the Rt Revd David Brown, Bishop of Guildford from 1972-1982. Her father was a dentist in Carlisle, where Mary was brought up. She read Geography at Bedford College in London, and taught for a short time at Barrow-in-Furness.

She was unhappy there, and embarked upon a missionary course, where she met David, and they married and went out to the Sudan. David was Director of the Episcopal Training College there for 16 years, and Mary brought up her young family of three there in the college compound.

They were eventually driven out of Sudan when civil war broke out, and came back to England, where David was a curate for a while and then became Vicar of Herne Bay. After five years there he was appointed Bishop of Guildford in 1972. On his death in 1982 Mary came to live near friends in Leatherhead. She joined the Mothers' Union branch here, and also became a member of the Third Order of the Society of St Francis.

Eventually, because of ill-health, she went to live at the Clergy Nursing Home at Hindhead for the last few years of her life. She leaves two sons and a daughter, and six grandchildren. May she rest in Christ and rise in glory.

last updated 2 Apr 2005

If you have more photos of Mary or further remembrance to add, please contact Frank Haslam, the editor of these pages.

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