Brontes of Haworth

Patrick Brontė: From Dewsbury to Haworth

And Denis should know, after all he's one of the people behind Brontė Dewsbury 200 - a weekend of celebrations in September 2009 marking the town's links with the famous family. He sees this as a chance to put Dewsbury on the literary map after years of being all but ignored, despite playing such an important role in the jigsaw puzzle that is the story of the Brontės. As Denis explains: "Particularly since this started, I've read up quite a lot about the Brontės and very rarely does Dewsbury get a mention. Hopefully in future it will!"

Denis and Graham at Dewsbury Minster

It wasn't long before Patrick Brontė made his mark on Dewsbury, according to Graham. He says there are many tales told about this young curate who certainly lived up to his reputation as "clever and good-hearted, but impetuous and hot-tempered" - as one Dewsbury lawyer described him at the time. Graham says: "There was the occasion when a drunk tried to stop a Sunday School procession and Patrick Brontė unceremoniously threw the drunk into the ditch at the side of the road. There was also another occasion when Patrick was doing his Sunday evening meditation in the old vicarage by the side of the Minster and the church bell ringers decided to have an extra practice. Patrick was so upset about this that he seized his shillelagh [a large stick], dashed up to the belfry and actually drove them out!" And Denis Ripley adds that as well as saving souls, Patrick also saved someone's life: "He was walking along the River Calder and he met a group who were acting silly. One boy pushed another into the river. Now, in spite of the fact that he couldn't swim, he jumped in and saved the boy. It was quite a famous incident."

Patrick Brontė was clearly no shrinking violet, but he was also - even in his early days in Dewsbury - a man of influence who wanted to right any wrongs which took place in the town. Graham explains: "There was a young man called William Nowell who was the victim of a miscarriage of justice. It was claimed by another young man that William had enlisted in the army at Lee Fair - a gathering just outside Dewsbury. William denied this...but he was hauled before the magistrates and flung into prison as a deserter. Patrick was very upset about this so he got together some of the prominent members of the town, credible witnesses, and he wrote to Lord Palmerston, who was Secretary of State for War but who Patrick had known at Cambridge. Palmerston intervened, as well as [social reformer and anti-slave trade supporter] William Wilberforce. Between them the case was reviewed, William Nowell was freed and the chap who'd given the false evidence was transported to the colonies!"

Dewsbury Minster: Where it all started

With that in mind, Denis Ripley says there's a lot taking place on the weekend of 25th-27th September 2009: "We've got three major events. On the Friday night, we've got Val Wiseman, a famous jazz singer and last year's Jazz Singer of the Year. She's an obsessive Brontė fan and she's put together a performance all about the Brontės. On the Saturday, we've got authoress Juliet Barker who's going to be speaking. We're also setting up an exhibition all about Patrick Brontė and the Brontės which is going from the Minster to the library and then permanently into Dewsbury Museum. Then on the Sunday evening Dewsbury Arts Group have put together a programme all about the Brontės - songs, quotes and readings."