Bell Chapel, Thornton - Patrick Bronte Preached Here

On my way back from Halifax I stopped off at the village of Thornton here in Yorkshire. Thornton today is best known because of the building, now a ruin shown in the above photograph, which shows a wall of St James' Church, Thornton. This old derelict church being known locally as the Bell Chapel.

It was to St James' Church, Thornton that Patrick Bronte came as a curate in 1815 bringing with him a wife Maria and 1 daughter Maria. Here in Thornton were born the literary sisters Charlotte Bronte (1816–1855), Emily Bronte(1818–1848) and Anne Bronte (1820–1849), and their brother Patrick Branwell Bronte(1817–1848). These four children were born at the Bronte family home of 74, Market Street, Thornton and all were baptised in the Bell Chapel, Thornton.

In the picture in the distance you can see the new church, although in this case new means it was built in the 1870's so the Rev Patrick Bronte would never have seen this church. Patrick Bronte was offered the Perpetual Curacy of Haworth in June 1819, and moved his family to the now famous Haworth parsonage in April 1820.

I photographed the house that is the birthplace of the Bronte sisters in Thornton village, Yorkshire and will post that picture shortly on my Leeds in Yorkshire daily photo blog.