An abundant shower of curates

With some delay we post this information concerning a couple of talks that have been given at the heart of the Brontë country. Ian Emberson, writer and artist well-known by Brontë lovers as the author of several articles, and Catherine Emberson have given a conference with a very shirley-ish name An abundant shower of curates. - Local links with the Brontes.

The talk has been given at the Hebden Bridge Lit. Society (January 12) and in the Todmorden Antiquarian Society, Lancashire (February 7).

EDIT:
We have found more information on this talk in this article published in The Todmorden News

THE title of a fascinating talk to Todmorden Antiquarian Society came from the first paragraph of Charlotte Bronte's book 'Shirley' which depicts emerging industrial life in this area.

‘An Abundant Shower of Curates’ was the talk given by Ian and Catherine Emberson who are well known locally and belong to various societies including the Antiquarian and Bronte Society. While leading a Todmorden walk for the Bronte Society, a chance remark led them to discover some previously unknown documents describing the Bronte family.

Ian began by setting the local scene; assuming we already knew of the Halifax Road shop run by Bronte relatives, the Parker family, and of Branwell Bronte’s employment along our railway line at Luddenden Foot and Sowerby Bridge.

John Fennell was great uncle to the Bronte children and Vicar of Cross Stone Church. The children came to stay at the vicarage in 1829, soon after their mother had died. A surviving letter form 13-year-old Charlotte to her father tells of the poor weather preventing outings and records their reading, their lessons, Branwell’s nature sketches and some copying of Lakeland pictures. Catherine read these excerpts during the evening.

Patrick Bronte had been a young curate with John Fennell in Wellington, Shropshire. John Fennell married Jane Branwell and took up headship of Woodhouse Grove School near Leeds. Meanwhile Patrick Bronte was at nearby Hartshead, together with William Morgan in Bradford, these three clergymen remained

lifelong friends. William Morgan fell in love with Fennell’s daughter Jane. Maria Branwell had come from Cornwall to help at the school run by her Aunt and Uncle; it was there that Patrick Bronte entered a `mazed’ courtship with her. In 1812 there was a double wedding with intricate arrangements of which curate officiated and which curate was married! John Fennell gave away both his daughter and niece and bridesmaids were shared. The romantic sequence sealed further ties of loyalty and family between the three friends all living in West Yorkshire.

Subsequently, John Fennell, abandoned teaching to become a curate in Bradford, then Keighley, then here at Cross Stone. The `new’ church was begun in 1833 whilst Todmorden was expanding with industry. The Bronte family made a second visit to Uncle Fennell at Cross Stone in 1840 when they admired the architecture of the Church. John Fennell remarried Elizabeth Lister in his 60s and had six children. Incidentally, Ian and Catherine have received Emails from Fennell and Lister relatives from all over the world. John Fennell died in 1841, aged 79 years, and his grave is an obscure spot at Cross Stone. Both the church and vicarage are now private residences.

Ian next described the two curate brothers, George and Sutcliffe Sowden, who were sons of a farmer at Hipperholme, tenants of Ann Lister from Shibden Hall. Together these two gentlemen served for 60 years at the Parish of St James in Hebden Bridge. Their friend, Arthur Bell Nicholls, was appointed curate at Haworth Church.

Categories: Talks, Shirley, Brontëana