her father serving in the indian civil service, brown was born in mussorie, india on 28 september 1918. she attended malvern girls college before she won a scholarship to girton college, cambridge, in 1937 where she studied zoology under sidnie manton. awarded her m.a. in 1944, she studied the for her ph.d. which she received the following year. brown married professor george c. varley in 1955 and died on 18 july 2009.