Safeguarding the Brontë legacy

Keighley News recenty had an article on an exhibition that is taking place at Red House, Gomersal - Charlotte Brontë's friend Mary Taylor's family home - Mary Taylor: strong-minded woman and friend of Charlotte Brontë.

Helga Hughes, museum officer at Red House, said: "Mountain climbing in Switzerland, emigrating to New Zealand and setting up a business and teaching in Germany would represent an adventurous life even today - for a woman to do it in the mid 1800s was extraordinary.
"Add to that the writing of three books advocating early feminist views, as well as being a great friend, influence and inspiration to Charlotte Brontë, and we begin to understand why Mary is becoming so admired.
"Born into a woollen cloth merchant's family at Red House, Mary was educated, intelligent and ambitious. Women of her time and social class faced restrictions and inequalities in education and employment and were unequal in the eyes of the law. Mary believed women should take action to win their independence and financial security."
Ann Dinsdale, librarian at the Brontë Parsonage Museum, in Haworth, said Mary and Charlotte had been friends from childhood. They met while both pupils at Roe Head School, near Mirfield, in 1831.
"They were from very different backgrounds but both were very intellectual," she said.
"The Brontës had always loved poetry and the Taylors were very disparaging about poetry but Mary learned to value arts and literature through Charlotte's influence.
"The two of them always kept in touch."
The exhibition - "Mary Taylor: strong-minded woman and friend of Charlotte Brontë" - has been created in partnership with Joan Bellamy, a former lecturer in English literature and founder of the Women in the Humanities research group at the Open University.
Display items include books and artefacts and a croquet set loaned by the Brontë Society.
The exhibition runs until July 8. (Alistair Shand)

A very interesting exhibition well worth a visit if you're in the area. It's been created in partnership with Joan Bellamy, who some years ago published Mary Taylor's amazing biography More Precious Than Rubies, well worth a read wherever you are. Charlotte and Mary kept their correspondence through life but unfortunately Mary Taylor destroyed Charlotte's letters in order not to compromise her. This means that we will never know Charlotte's more 'radical' side.

Also recently the Keighley News reported that,

People in Haworth, Cross Roads and Stanbury have been invited to put forward their views on how they would like their villages to develop in future. (Miran Rahman)

As you can imagine, Haworth people had something to say about the Brontë legacy.

"Patrick Brontë and his family gave us a legacy that we have to safeguard for future generations - this parish plan is part of that." (Miran Rahman)

Fantastic, and it will be hopefully so.

Categories: Art-Exhibitions, Brontëana, Haworth, In the News