When I was in Banagher for their excellent Banagher Bronte Weekend in April 2024 I met lots of lovely local people, several of whom I had already met in Haworth when twenty-six members of their group had visited in March 2024. There was one particular lady, however, whose face was extremely familiar, but, for the life of me, I could not place her, nor recall where we could have possibly met given she lives in Ireland. She hadn't been on the Haworth trip in March and I hadn't met her on my previous visits to Banagher. It was obvious, however, from the way she kept furtively studying me, just as I was furtively studying her, that she too recognised me but could not work out where in heavens name she knew me from either!Eventually, we got talking and both confirmed that we felt we knew each other but had no idea where from. After much discussion and digging around in our memories, we eventually discovered that we had met or, at least seen each other not once, but on several occasions before in England. The lady's name is Eileen Prunty and, of course, with that name, very similar to Patrick Bronte's surname at birth (Brunty or Prunty), before he changed it to Bronte at Cambridge University, many people ask her if she might be related.
Eileen pops over from Tipperary in Ireland to Haworth and Bronte related places as often as she can to join in with the many Bronte themed events taking place. We finally discovered that we had unknowingly been on several events together such as a wonderful weekend in Scarborough in January 2020 to remember the 200th anniversary of Anne Bronte's birth.
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| Bicentenary celebrations for Anne Brontë Scarborough 2020 |
We recalled that we had both attended a talk by Edward Chitham on the Friday evening there and then on the Saturday attended some talks in the Grand Hotel Scarborough where we had been invited to write a word on a pebble that we best felt described Anne.
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The Grand Hotel at the end of Cliff Bridge, formerly known as Spa Bridge completed in 1827. The Brontes would have walked across this bridge.
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The Spa Bridge from South Bay Bridge with the beautiful Esplanade to the left.  |
| The Grand Hotel, once the largest in Europe, was built on the site of Anne’s and the Robinson family’s holiday accommodation called Woods Lodgings. It was to these lodgings Anne would return with Charlotte Brontë and Ellen Nussey and where she died. |
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Photo from the excellent Anne Brontë display in St Mary’s Church, Scarborough.
Woods Lodgings comprised of the large building in the centre of the photo plus the three white cottages to the left. On their final visit Anne, Charlotte and Ellen stayed at No.2 Woods Lodgings which is the middle cottage. |
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| Staircase in The Grand Hotel |
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| At the event held at the Grand Hotel we were invited to write a word or two on a pebble that we felt were appropriate when we think of Anne Bronte |
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| Attendees at the 2020 Scarborough event |
The attendees then all walked down to the beach at South Bay Scarborough where we each threw our pebble into the sea.
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| Walking down with our pebbles to South Bay Beach |
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| Throwing our pebbles into the sea. |
We then walked up to St Mary's Church where Anne is buried, stood by her grave to pay our respects and then attended a service to remember her in the church with an evocative soundscape performance, music, poetry and readings.
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| Standing by Anne Bronte's grave. |
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| Anne Bronte's grave, St Mary's Church, Scarborough |
On leaving the church there was an incredibly beautiful sunset which both Eileen and I recalled, commenting that it was a fitting natural end to a day remembering Anne Bronte.
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| Leaving St Mary's Scarborough |
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| A fitting sunset on Anne Bronte's 200th birthday |
Eileen and I had also both been on at least one walk organised by Dr Michael Stewart from Huddersfield University who is the creator of the excellent Bronte Stones Project. Dr Stewart leads a nine mile walk from the Bronte birthplace of Thornton across the moors to Haworth as part of the Bradford Literature Festival series of Bronte events. On route we pass the four Bronte stones with poems engraved onto them for the three sisters and one for the Bronte family in general. Eileen and I both scrolled through our phone photo library and found pictures of each other at this event in July 2019.
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| The Bradford Literature Festival 2019 programme. |
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| Eileen sitting down in yellow at the Bronte stone dedicated to Emily Bronte. |
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Dr Michael Stewart talking to us about the poem written by Kate Bush about Emily and engraved on the natural rock. Kate Bush shares the same birthday with Emily on 30th July.
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| Heading towards Haworth |
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| Dr Michael Stewart telling us about the Anne stone in Parson's Field. |
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| Dr Michael Stewart at the Anne stone in Parson's field behind the Bronte parsonage. |
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| An excellent series of hand drawn maps and text to accompany the walk to the stones. |
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| Ellen Nussey is buried with other family members |
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The Nussey family grave stands in glorious isolation and so is easy to find. I am intrigued to know why it is located in such a large, open space.
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The Nussey family grave at St Peter's Church, Birstall near Leeds.
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I explained to Eileen that Margaret Wooler, Charlotte Brontë’s head teacher at Roe Head who went on to become her employer when Charlotte returned as a teacher, and also her friend who gave Charlotte away at her wedding to Arthur Bell Nicholls, is also buried somewhere at St Peter’s in Birstall along with her two sisters Eliza and Katherine, both of whom Charlotte knew. At some point in its history a new graveyard was added across the lane from the church and it is in this section where the Wooler sisters rest.
Crossing over to the ‘new’ cemetery from the Nussey grave in the churchyard I explained that the cemetery’s Victorian section is now completely overgrown; allowed to be more of a wildlife area, so we would struggle to find the grave. I had looked before and failed to find it on a previous visit when a Google search did throw up a You Tube video of a gentleman showing where the Wooler grave is. Unfortunately, his film didn’t really show too many ‘landmarks’ to help locate the grave although it did notify us that the headstone is a Celtic cross. So Eileen and I went to spot Celtic crosses. We saw about four and each was in the long grass and overgrowth off the main path.
At this point a lady was walking along with her dog and Eileen asked if she might know where Margaret Wooler’s grave was! She looked blank. I explained who Margaret was and her connection with Charlotte Brontë. Her interest was piqued. I told her it was a Celtic cross. She pointed at the ones we had seen. I mentioned there is a You Tube video. She asked to see this. As she watched it she said, “Oh yes, I know where that is! I walk my dog daily in this graveyard. It’s this way. Come with me”. And off she dashed with Eileen and I in pursuit.
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| A lady called Christina who walks her dog daily in the graveyard and who who took us to the grave of Margaret Wooler. |
She took us directly there and pointed it out, completely overgrown with long grasses, tangled brambles and in amongst the overhanging trees!
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| Margaret Wooler in old age. |
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| Margaret Wooler's grave is the Celtic Cross. Interestingly you can see there is a lightly trampled path to the grave so we were not the first to be there in a while. Other Brontë aficionados must have done their research too! |
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| The Celtic cross headstone of the Wooler sisters' grave in the gloaming. |
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| Margaret Wooler who died on 4th May 1895 |
Eileen and I picked our way gingerly through the undergrowth feeling carefully with each footstep for any hidden plinth that often surrounds the perimeter of a grave. We found one and carefully exposed it, pushing the long grass away with our feet to make sure we didn't trip over it and end up in the same situation as the Wooler sisters! Then we set too clearing the overgrowth of long grasses and thorny brambles. We then had to try and clear off dried on moss from the headstone to be better able to read the engravings. But the moss which had dried onto the lettering of the names is very hard to shift with bare hands as it almost welds itself onto the surface. We used twigs as a tool and eventually managed to expose the names of the three sisters Eliza, Katherine and Margaret Wooler.
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| Extreme taphophilia to be sure. Eileen fearlessly wading through the undergrowth and, on hands and knees , exposing and trying to clean the Wooler sisters' headstone. |
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| Making headway with the undergrowth clearing. |
Giggling in the undergrowth where boney knees don't help!!!
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| Eliza Wooler, Margaret's sister (1808-1884). She was a teacher at Roe Head school but probably left in 1838 to care for her parents. |
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| Margaret Wooler (1792 - 1885) the eldest of eleven children in the Wooler family. Margaret established Roe Head school in 1830 with Charlotte Bronte arriving as a pupil there on 17th January 1831. |
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| Katherine Harriet Wooler (1796 -1884) the middle Wooler sister who taught French and other subjects and was a business partner with her older sister Margaret at Roe Head School. |
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| The dried moss was almost welded onto the headstone and difficult to dig out of the lettering. |
A video to show the names on the gravestone.
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| A job well done. Eileen beside the Wooler grave paying her respects to a very important woman in Charlotte Bronte's life. |
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| Joanne by the Wooler grave. |
On leaving the graveyard, rather pleased with our sleuthing, I told Eileen I would return some time in the future with a bucket of hot soapy water and a scrubbing brush to gently clean the headstone and clear the undergrowth away with my shears. It seems the right thing to do out of respect for the woman, Margaret Wooler, who showed such kindness and support for Charlotte Bronte from the day she arrived at Roe Head school in 1831 aged 14 to the day she died on 31st March 1855 aged 38.
Eileen and I then headed off to see Mary Taylor's grave in Gomersal and the Red House where Charlotte often stayed with the Taylor family.
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Eileen outside St Mary's the Blessed Virgin Church in Gomersal where the Taylor family worshipped and which Charlotte Bronte would have attended when visiting her friend Mary Taylor.
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| Mary Taylor's grave in Gomersal. Her sister Martha is remembered on a floor stone |
by the grave. Martha is buried in Brussels where she died when studying there with her sister Mary.
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| The rear of Red House - Mary Taylor's family home. |
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| A glimpse over a high stone wall of Red House. Once a museum but now closed to the public. |
We also went to High Royd which was the last home Mary Taylor lived in as a spinster in Gomersal. From There we went to visit Roe head School, having obtained permission to go onto the grounds as it is now a special needs school.
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High Royd in Gomersal - the last home of Mary Taylor. It is now a hotel.
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Inside High Royd...the stairs Mary Taylor used to climb.
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Lovely high ceilings in High Royd. This would have been two rooms but the dividing wall has been removed now.
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Sweeping views from the drive at High Royd.
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| Plaque at what was once Roe Head School. |
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| Charlotte Bronte stood in one of these bay windows feeling quite sad and homesick on her first day at Roe Head school. |
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| Eileen in the lovely gardens at Roe Head. |
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| Roe Head School. |
We then went to Clough House Hightown to see the first marital home of Patrick Bronte and Maria Bronte and where their first two children Maria and Elizabeth were born. Our final port of call before returning to Haworth was to visit St Peter's Church in Hartshead where Patrick Bronte held his fourth incumbency. We also spotted Lousy Thorn Farm across the fields from the church where Patrick lodged before he married. It is now in a state of dereliction with some work being done on the building.
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Clough House in Hightown where Maria and Patrick Branwell lived following their wedding in 1812 and where their first two children Maria and Elizabeth were born.
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| Patrick Bronte's fourth incumbency. |
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| Eileen at St Pater's church Hartshead with Hightown. |
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| St Peter's. |
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| Glorious rural views from Patrick's church in Hartshead, a landscape groups of Luddites would have traversed in 1812. |
As they would say in Ireland we most definitely had a ‘mighty’ day. It was great fun being with Eileen who has boundless energy and, like me, is a huge fan of the Brontës! It was a very full day and one neither of us will forget thanks largely to our escapades in the graveyard!
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| Eileen on the steps in front of St Michael's and all Angels Church in Haworth. |
