Brownlow North was born on January 6th 1810 at Winchester House, Chelsea in London. This was the home of his grandfather, the Bishop of Winchester. He was the only son of the Rev Charles Augustus North, Rector of Alverstoke, Hampshire, and Prebendary of Winchester. Brownlow was grand-nephew of Lord North, the Prime Minister of George III. He was also cousin to the Earl of Guilford, who had no son, and as his uncle had been in a childless marriage for years, on his birth Brownlow was heir to the earldom. Our future evangelist was therefore born into a position of rank and privilege.
Winchester House was knocked down and Oakley Street was built through it.