A spot of taphophilia - visiting William Smith Williams' Grave, Kensal Green Cemetery, London.

Following a few recent trips to graves, a friend taught me a couple of new words:

'Taphophile': as in the Greek for grave / burial monument (tapho) - philological study of words/language - root also found in cenotaph and epitaph  - and phile meaning lover /enthusiast.

'Taphophile' being a person interested in cemeteries and gravestones.

'Taphophilia' = enthusiasm for cemeteries and graves!

Photo of William Smith Williams on the front cover of his great grandnephew’s excellent biography 'Charlotte Bronte's Devotee'. Philip is the great grandson of William’s brother Richard. 

 Whilst visiting my friend in London, who is also an avid Brontë fan, we decided to nip on the bus from her house to Kensal Green Cemetery to seek out the grave of William Smith Williams. Without his input, Charlotte Brontë’s life would have been very different to the one she lead as it was he who ‘spotted’ Jane Eyre.

The east gate of Kensal Green Cemetery, London.

William Smith Williams was the Reader for the publishers Smith, Elder & Co. and it was to that publisher that Charlotte Brontë sent the manuscript of her first novel ‘The Professor.' 

In July 1847, George Smith, the young publisher of the company bearing his name wandered up to William’s desk at 65 Cornhill, London with a parcel containing Charlotte’s manuscript. It had already been turned down by another publisher so would Smith, Elder & Co. be interested? 

William didn’t have time to read the manuscript at work and so took it home with him to 3 Campden Hill Terrace where his wife and eight children resided. Miraculously he must  have managed to find some quiet time, and, after reading it, with the usual care and respect he was known for, he concluded that this novel, from the pen of an unknown male author he assumed, was not really suitable for publication. However, when he discussed it with George Smith in the office, William Smith Williams determined that the author should be encouraged to write another work for their consideration. Therefore, he wrote to Currer Bell with this recommendation and she replied on 7th August 1847 to say she was approximately only a month away from finishing a novel called ‘Jane Eyre' which she would send on to him. And reader, the rest, as they say, is history!

William apparently stayed up all night to read it. Later, George Smith his boss of the publishing company, would  also become instantly gripped by the novel. In his memoirs George explains that he was supposed to meet a friend at 12 noon one Sunday when, after breakfast, he sat in his study to start reading the manuscript, only to find “the story quickly took me captive.” In the end, unable to put the tale down, he sent a note to his friend via his groom to say he was unable to meet him. By dinner time that evening George had managed to read the whole manuscript.

Jane Eyre was published on 19th October 1847 and over the next four years Charlotte Brontë and William Smith Williams would write and receive approximately two hundred letters to each other. Only one of William’s letters to her has survived; the one he wrote to her after Emily’s death in December 1848. However, William carefully kept her letters to him.

William became Charlotte’s mentor, helping her with her punctuation which she admitted was not a strength of hers! Over the years they developed a close friendship and he supported her through the worst periods of her life when her siblings died one by one. He supported her as a writer but also as a friend. Indeed she also supported him as a friend whenever he needed her advice, encouragement and sympathy. Their friendship was important to each of them. Their letters were their way of keeping in touch.

William died twenty years after Charlotte at his final home in Twickenham on 26th August 1875 of prostatic hypertrophy and senile dementia. 

My friend and I went in search of his grave to pay our respects to someone so important in Charlotte’s life. Online research via 'findagrave' told us the grave was in plot 111 number 18770

Findagrave information on William's plot.

On arriving at Kensal Green Cemetery we spotted a cemetery map divided into numbered plots. The plot 111 we were seeking appeared to be to the left of the steps of the now derelict grade one listed Anglican Chapel. Finding the chapel was easy but then locating the grave is a little like looking for the needle in the proverbial haystack. Nowadays, the older parts of cemeteries are allowed to become natural wildlife areas…basically there are probably no surviving relatives still in the vicinity visiting their forebears’ graves so the grass around isn’t mown frequently . The overgrowth makes it tricky to read the graves and also fairly hazardous to wade through as one can easily trip over the low stone plinths often surrounding a grave.

My friend, Liliana and I had booked on a tour of the cemetery which met at 2p.m. on the Anglican chapel’s steps. I asked our lovely tour guide if William’s grave would be on the tour but it was not. Indeed, she didn’t know who William Smith Williams was until we explained. Now she does and will hopefully refer to his being there to future tourists. However, she asked her husband to go and see if he could locate the grave for us. I showed him a photo of what it looks like to help him to better spot it. Here it is.

William Smith William’s grave

Prior to the tour I had about ten minutes to try and spot the grave but it wasn’t easy as there are no numbered signs advising you that you are in plot 111. You just guess based on the cemetery plan. 

Here is the grave amongst so many others! Easy to spot once you find it but just one of many when initially searching!

Fortunately, our helper found the grave and we were delighted to carefully approach it through the long grass. 

                                              

Look for this large cube shaped grave just on the path to the left of the Anglican chapel’s steps. It has two circles engraved on the side. William’s grave is opposite this and about three rows back. 

Having contacted one of the London and S.E. Brontë group we were told, 'along with the Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery and The General Cemetery Co, we got permission for a new plaque for WSW. David Kelly was the designer and sculptor of the plaque of Cumbrian green slate. This was done with the blessing of the Bronte Society who paid for the plaque. The plaque was unveiled in January 2018'.

The Cumbrian slate plaque as we found it in 2024

                                                  

The plaque when new.

                                                

Philip Hamlyn Williams - the great grandnephew of William Smith Williams - unveiling the memorial plaque to his great grand uncle in January 2018.

Liliana carefully picking her way through the long grass to William Smith William’s grave.

Mission accomplished - Joanne and Liliana paying their respects to William Smith Williams. 

Liliana is the author of a beautiful cycle of poems about Anne Brontë called 'The Third Sister Speaks' available on Amazon and EBay. 

Joanne enjoying reading Liliana’s poems whilst on a visit to the Brontë Parsonage 

Liliana will be publishing a cycle of poems in 2025 about Emily called “Living The Loss” having recently won a poetry competition run by the publisher Cinnamon Press. Well done and very much deserved Liliana!

We were very happy to have found William's grave and grateful to the tour leader's husband for searching it out for us. 

Whilst on the tour we were interested to hear that Anthony Trollope is also buried in the cemetery, but unfortunately we didn't get to see it this time. However, the tour leader did take us past the grave of another great literary giant of the 19th century and a hero of Charlotte's William Makepeace Thackeray.

His grave was totally none-descript and fairly dilapidated. We could quite easily have walked past it and never known he was resting there.

William Makepeace Thackeray's Grave in Kensal Green Cemetery.

Thackeray's House on Young Street in neighbouring Kensington.

Was this the bow window Charlotte went to sit in to chat with the family governess when she visited Thackeray's house in June 1850? She was so painfully shy at this dinner party thrown in her honour that she chose to sit quietly in the bow-window.

In one of his obituaries published in The Athenaeum, for which he had written over many years, they wrote the following:

'In reading the announcement [of his death] many will feel that they have lost the most agreeable and valued friend and a real feeling of sorrow will be felt by a wide literary circle; for in the course of his duties Mr Williams was necessarily brought into the immediate relations with very many of the literary celebrities of his time, and his well-known gentleman-like and engaging manner and obliging disposition endeared him to all who had dealings with him. His literary taste was excellent, and he had great powers of discernment. His judgement and his opinion regarding the works was very highly valued, more especially by young authors.'

I am sure Charlotte Bronte would have agreed wholeheartedly with this description of William Smith Williams had she survived him. She did truly owe this man very much. He was both her mentor and her good friend.

                                                   

 

Back to Lively Banagher, Ireland

Banagher

It has been months since I last posted although I have been doing many Bronte related activities in the meantime! I shall catch up with these in due course. 

Today, however, I wish to take you with me to Banagher, Ireland  following my recent visit there from 19th to 21st April 2024 to take part in, and enjoy, the inaugural Banagher Bronte Group (BBG) weekend. What a lively, informative and fun weekend that turned out to be!

This trip was my third to Banagher, located in the Irish Midlands, and the town to which, as a young boy, Charlotte Bronte's husband, Arthur Bell Nicholls moved in July 1825 with his older brother Allan. The boys went to live with their maternal uncle, the Reverend Alan Bell and his aunt Harriette Lucinda Bell when they were aged just six and nine years old respectively.

 

Arthur Bell Nicholls

Aunt Harriette Lucinda Bell

Arthur's parents, who lived in Killead, Co. Antrim in the north of Ireland, were unable to afford to bring the boys up with the large family they had already produced, and so it was deemed more beneficial for them to be fostered by their mother's brother and his wife. 

Tully Farm Killead, Co. Antrim where Arthur Bell Nicholls lived with his birth parents and siblings prior to moving to Banagher in 1825.

The boys must have been greatly confused to be uprooted from their parents, siblings and family home at such a young age, but, despite this early childhood trauma, they did go on to enjoy a wonderful childhood in a loving and lively family, even receiving an excellent classical education at the Royal School of Banagher adjacent to their home in Cuba Court, with the headmaster being their very own uncle Alan Bell!

                                                          

Cuba Court, Banagher now demolished

Both boys went on to achieve great things, with Arthur receiving a Divinity degree from the prestigious Trinity College, Dublin and Allan becoming the manager of the Grand Canal at Dublin. This canal ran westward from Dublin to the border of County Galway in the east and carried freight, and passengers in large boats. Allan went on to name one of his daughters Charlotte Bronte Nicholls and apparently died a very wealthy man.

          

                  

Trinity College, Dublin Arthur's alma mater.

The campanile at Trinity College, Dublin

                                                                       

 It was also to Banagher that Arthur Bell Nicholls brought his new wife Charlotte Bronte whilst on their 34 day honeymoon in July 1854. The newlyweds arrived on 7th July 1854 and stayed for one week with his loving, fun, cultured and educated family at the imposing Cuba Court house before heading off along the Shannon, which runs through Banagher, to continue on their honeymoon tour. 

They travelled to Killaloe, Limerick, Kilkee, Tarbert, Tralee, Killarney and the Gap of Dunloe, through the Caha Mountains to Glengarriff and Bantry Bay, heading off to Cork via Bandon and on back to Dublin before taking the paddle steamer to Holyhead on Anglesey, Wales and returning home to Haworth on 1st August 1854. It was an epic honeymoon tour!

The route Charlotte and Arthur took on their 1854 honeymoon. (Athlone was a possible stop off point)

If you would like to read more about Charlotte's and Arthur's honeymoon trip through North Wales and Ireland you can read my earlier blog which tells how my Bronte travelling companion and I attempted to travel in the honeymooners' footsteps, as best we could, in August 2022. Here is a link to this blog The honeymoon of Charlotte and Arthur. There are six posts within the blog relating to the newlyweds' one week stay in Banagher. 

You may also be interested to read two excellent books written by two Irish authors, Pauline Clooney and Dr Michael O'Dowd relating to the honeymoon of Charlotte and Arthur both, published in 2021, and which I used to help plan the honeymoon journey through Ireland.

Two excellent books written by Irish authors about the honeymoon of Charlotte and Arthur.

When my friend and I arrived in Banagher for the very first time on a Sunday evening in August 2022, the town looked very quiet and gave the impression that nothing very much would be going on at all! How wrong those first impressions were! Unbeknown to us, we had arrived in a very vibrant town committed to celebrating it's fascinating history and the people who have been resident their over the years. Two famous residents were Charlotte Bronte and Arthur Bell Nicholls. For any Anthony Trollope fans he was resident for a number of years too.

A quiet looking Banagher on a Sunday evening in August 2022

The BBG logo is of Hill House (now Charlotte’s Way B&B) where Arthur Bell Nicholls lived from 1861-1906.

Last year, a group of local Banagher history and Bronte enthusiasts decided it was time to create the Banagher Bronte Group to remember, celebrate and promote the town's Bronte connections. The group is now affiliated to the Bronte Society, similar to other excellent Bronte groups operating worldwide, namely those in London, Brussels, Japan and beyond!                                                   

The Banagher Bronte Group's first event was to remember their local Banagher man Arthur Bell Nicholls on the 117th anniversary of his death on 6th December 1906 by holding a wreath laying at his grave at St Paul's Church Banagher on that date in 2023.

St Paul’s Church, Banagher with the graves of the Bell family in the foreground. Arthur Bell Nicholls’ grave is the cross in the bottom right which he shares with his second wife Mary Anna to whom he was married for 42 years. 

Arthur Bell Nicholls and Mary Anna's grave - a photo taken prior to the current weathering of the headstone.

 The group's next main event was to plan for and deliver their inaugural Banagher Bronte Group weekend to coincide with the birthday of Charlotte Bronte on 21st April 1816. This only took place, however, after the town's St Patrick Day parade on 17th March in which a cast of twenty-two well-attired members of the group dressed up as characters from 1854 related to the Brontes, going on to win the best new entry in the Banagher St Patrick's Day parade.   Here is the trophy they won.

Best newcomer trophy in the Banagher St Patrick’s Day parade awarded to the Banagher Brontë Group. 

Here are some of the cast of twenty-two - click on any photo to enlarge.

 You can see a film of this parade here: Banagher Bronte Group participating in the Banagher St Patrick Day's Parade.

Prior to the inaugural festival, the group also managed to make a pilgrimage to Haworth in March 2024 meeting up with the Bronte Parsonage Principal Curator Ann Dinsdale where they were thrilled to be shown the collection of letters held by the museum and written by Arthur Bell Nicholls to Martha Brown, a long-serving domestic servant in the Parsonage, who spent many months over the years staying with Arthur and his second wife, his cousin Mary Anna Bell, at Hill House Banagher, following the death in 1861 of Patrick Bronte. In total Arthur lived for 45 years in Banagher following his return from Haworth.

Some of the Banagher Brontë Group heading up Main Street for their meeting in the Brontë Parsonage research library.

Standing by Tabitha Aykroyd’s  grave, the Brontës’ loyal servant for thirty years.

Standing on Church Lane Haworth with the school house left and St Michael and All Angels’ Church behind where all of the Brontës, with the exception of Anne, are buried.

 

James Scully, Banagher local historian and founder member of the Banagher Bronte Group studying Arthur Bell Nicholls' letters to Martha Brown with Ann Dinsdale in the Bronte Parsonage research library.

Principal Curator Ann Dinsdale showing the letters of Arthur Bell Nicholls written to Martha Brown.

Arthur’s letters. 

Some of the BBG in the Brontë Parsonage research library. 

BBG member, Dr. Maebh O’ Regan, made a film of the group’s visit to Haworth. They also visited Thornton, Saltaire and York. You can view the film here: Brontë Banagher Group film about their Haworth trip.

So now let's see what we enjoyed at the BBG inaugural Bronte festival.

On 19th April we were treated to the premiere of “An Evening with Charlotte Brontë” a magical evening of music and poetry specially curated by Dr Michael O’Dowd and his wife Christine. The presentation focussed on the poetry, songs and music beloved of the Brontë family, particularly the melodies of Thomas Moore and the poems and ballads of Robbie Burns. The narrative and music were greatly appreciated by the audience who, in true Irish style, enjoyed singing along. It was a truly wonderful and novel start to the weekend, taking place in the warm and welcoming lounge of Corrigan’s - a superb pub in Banagher. 

Christine and Michael O' Dowd who curated a marvellous evening of song, music and poetry enjoyed by the Brontes too!

Christine on vocals and the guitar. Michael the narrator and excellent backing vocalist!

An appreciative audience in the beautifully dressed lounge of Corrigan's Corner Pub.

Corrigan's Corner House, Banagher.

Corrigan Corner House pub.

                        Enjoy this video of one of the songs from the evening

The following day, Saturday 20th April, the audience enjoyed three talks at Crank House. The first was delivered by me and called 'Falling in Love With Arthur'. (The question is, how could you not?!!) I presented the different opinions and feelings people had about Arthur Bell Nicholls showing how their initial negative feelings gradually changed as they got to know him better. Patrick Bronte was vehemently opposed to Charlotte marrying Arthur and Martha Brown once declared she hated him. Even Charlotte was originally disinterested and cool towards Arthur. However, they all eventually changed their minds, with Patrick bequeathing the vast majority of his estate to 'My beloved and esteemed son-in-law The Rev Arthur Bell Nicholls, BA'. and with Martha choosing to return to Ireland with Arthur, following Patrick's death in 1861, to live with him and his second wife Mary Anna (whom he married in 1864) spending months at a time with them over the years at their home Hill House. And, of course, as we all know, Charlotte went on to marry Arthur, falling head over heels in love with him and referring to him as 'my dear boy.'

The crowd gathering for Joanne's talk.

Joanne delivering her talk 'Falling in Love With Arthur.'

Joanne's tee-shirt! Following her talk she hoped all attendees would join her on 'Team Arthur'!!

Joanne's 'Arthur Bell Nicholls' personality and characteristic-traits weighing scale'!!

The positives definitely outweigh the negatives!

Pauline Clooney then delivered her well researched and compelling talk about Charlotte Bronte and her paths to publication, her attitude to a writing life and how, consequently, this attitude illuminates her creative silence from 1852 until her death in March 1855.

Pauline Clooney delivering her talk: Currer Bell's Silent Years 1852-1855.

Dr Maebh O' Regan then treated us to a talk called 'The Art of Branwell Bronte' telling us that from their earliest years the Brontes were passionate about art and were particularly inspired by the wood engravings of Thomas Bewick. She explained that Branwell  showed great promise as a portrait artist but felt his true vocation was in literary composition.

Dr Maebh O'Regan's talk: 'The Art of Branwell Bronte'

In between the talks attendees could admire the work of the Banagher Craft Group who had stitched and embroidered the following Bronte related pieces. Can you recognise who is who?

                                                        

Following the Saturday talks and films at Crank House we wandered up Main Street to admire the  Bronte related art work and photos on display in the shops and pubs.

Here we see some specially commissioned portraits by Jennifer Kenny Phibbs (New York & Shannon Harbour) a previous resident of Banagher and now an artist living in New York. Jennifer produced these in 2023. Arthur is in the centre with Charlotte to the left and his second wife and first cousin Mary Anna to the right.

Arthur in his later years.

On Sunday 21st April, the 208th anniversary of Charlotte's birth, we all met to walk in glorious sunshine to the site of Cuba Court (now demolished) and the remains of the Royal School of Banagher adjacent to the house.

Walking in beautiful sunshine to Cuba Court. 

Standing at the gates to Cuba Court through which Charlotte Bronte and Arthur Bell Nicholls passed on 7th July 1854 when Charlotte was brought to meet Arthur's adoptive family for a week of their thirty-four day honeymoon.



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James Scully read a passage to us from Pauline Clooney's excellent historical novel at the part where Charlotte sees the gates and hopes this may be the way to Arthur's family home. She was to get a rather pleasant surprise at how grand Cuba Court was, dispelling any previous beliefs she had harboured that he was a poor Irish curate from a simple Irish family. 

Here is a video of James reading from Pauline's novel

The site of Cuba Court. The building is of the ruins of the adjacent Royal School of Banagher where Arthur was educated and went on to teach.

                                         

The remains of the Royal School of Banagher, which, with sufficient funding, could be made into an excellent Bronte visitor and study centre akin to the Thornton Bronte Parsonage project.

                                        

Following our Cuba Court walk we attended a service at the Bell's and Arthur's church - St Paul's in Banagher. It is always worth attending a church service when following in the Brontes' footsteps as one can imagine them sitting in the pews listening to the service and joining in with the hymns. Charlotte would have attended this church during her one week stay whilst on honeymoon.

          

The Bell family's stained glass window in which Arthur and all the Bell family are remembered. This window was probably paid for by Arthur's widower Mary Anna. She, however, in true Mary Anna style, does not appear on the window. She has a simple brass plaque on the rear wall.

                                                

The names of Arthur and his adoptive family can be seen on the stained glass memorial window made by the Rev A L Moore  of London who also has stained glass in Ely Cathedral Cambridgeshire.

                                   

The BBG attendees in St Paul's Church of Ireland, Banagher.

Following the church service we went to Hill House, the home of Arthur Bell Nicholls which was gifted to him and her daughter Mary Anna (Arthur's second wife) by his Aunt Harriette. This beautiful house which stands on 'The Hill' at the top of Main Street is now run as an exquisite B&B called Charlotte's Way. So of course, this is always my home whenever I visit Banagher.

                                               

Hill House

                                      

Inside Arthur's home

Beautifully and sympathetically appointed

Once at Hill House / Charlotte's Way we sang happy birthday to Charlotte and enjoyed a slice of Bronte cake with tea in the same room that Arthur had been laid out in on his death. 😱

Bronte cake is named after the town of Bronte in Sicily, just a half mile from Mount Etna. The name means 'Thunder', after one of the cyclops who lived under the volcano. Bronte in Sicily is famous for its green coloured pistachios which are crushed and sprinkled on top of the Bronte cake. It was delicious! 

Tea and cake in Hill House

James with the Bronte cake

Singing happy birthday to Charlotte

The weekend had been wonderful from beginning to end. I returned to Dublin airport and sadly left Ireland behind. More fond memories had been made following in the footsteps of the Brontes. 

A huge well done also to the organisers of the inaugural Banagher Bronte Festival...it was a delight from beginning to end. 

Leaving Ireland

Arriving into Liverpool