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.