The Literary Shrines of Yorkshire

suiiiuiiniuiiuiiiiiiiiniliijiiliiiu iv 'y'i}iV'/'yj>f'yivl'iW,'-Ki.î-i-A-;' »S§V:- ';•:>? >-<>, a'\\i^}:'S!:<^^Siy.'/i7fiO'^yfi<P,W.^^r,':'^ ^/k t'^/^ ''.- mî .. .... i-iv*l='-"-V'' Riî^'- Wv.i?i|M;: ,^^^ HllHnHliniEiiiJiHUiliamliaidilll THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES THE LITERARY SHRINES OF YORKSHIRE. Tge Sbia, Bolton Wooa^, Wâpfeaale:. By Permisaion, from Photograph by Mensrs. Frith. THE LITERARY SHRINES OF YORKSHIRE: THE LITERARY PILGRIM IN THE DALES. HV J. A. ERSKINE STUART, F.S.A. Scot., etc., Author of "The Bronte Country" " Everyone who writes a book should either help men to enjoy life, or to endure it." —Samuel Johnson. " My blessings be upon Cadmus the Phcenician or whoever it was that invented books." —Thomas Carlvle. LONDON: LONGMANS, GREEN & CO. 1892. "The country which a great man has inhabited and preferred, during his passage on the earth, has always appeared to me the truest and most speaking relic of himself; a kind of material manifestation of his genius—a mute revelation of a portion of his soul—a living and sensible commentary on his life, actions, and thoughts." —De Lamartine. Bradford : Charles Greening, Printer, Albion Court, Kirkgate. \loSs PREFACE " We must be warmed by the fire of sympath}-, to be brought into right conditions and angles of vision." O trace the footsteps of the great and good, and to point out and describe the scenes which are Hnked with their Hves oj^S^ indissolubly \ij and writings, has become, in these later days, fashionable our very ; and American cousins have almost carried this hero-worship to a pitch which is ridiculous. Still, in proper limits, the desire to preserve the fabric of buildings associated with the great, and to keep free from contamination and destruction, natural scenery rendered immortal by pen and pencil, is a most worthy " pursuit. To stand in the halls of the Wizard of the North," to visit Stratford-upon-Avon, are educative 9C8654 VI. PREFACE. of value for whatever comforts and agencies priceless ; luxuries our modern civilisation can afford us, * * * " We cannot Buy with gold the old associations." Four years ago, I attempted on a small scale to pourtray in words, the scenes associated with the lives and writings of the Brontes. That booklet was received by an indulgent public with so much cordiality, that I have been induced to again enter the lists, but this time on a steed of a more purely local colour, which perhaps may be none the worse for that. That he may carry me to success of even a very modest kind, is all I ask of him, and if I achieve the feat of keeping to do battle my seat, I will retire from the contest ready again on a horse of a like colour, for it is evident to the most cursory observer that in a single volume, it is impossible to exhaust the subject. How to treat this subject satisfactorily, was a puzzle. It would have been possible to treat of literary characters in periods, or to classify them as poets, novelists, etc., but I have determined on taking the watersheds as my guide, so as to lend variety to my discourse, and to give a more purely topographical character to the work. One PREFACE. Vll. rule was clear to me from the beginning, to eschew living writers almost entirely, except in the persons of acknowledged litevati, and to devote almost my entire " attention to the great departed." I am indebted to files of the Leeds Mevcuvy Supplement, and Yovkshive Weekly Post, for much of my information, especially to the Rev. R. V. Taylor's articles on York- shire Novels tvid Novelists, in the latter paper. I am also of indebted to J. W. Walker, Esq., F.S.A., Wakefield, for some notes on Edward Hailstone's collection at Walton Hall, also for some particulars regarding the nomenclature of the Vicar of Wakefield. The places mentioned in this book can easily l)e found on any good map such as W. H. Smith & Co.'s Reduced Ordnance Map, published at 2s., on canvas. E. S. J. A. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. AIREDALE. Charles Kingsley, John Ruskin, and the poet Gray, on Malham— Poetry on Malham, by Wordsworth and John Nicholson—Rylstone, and Wordsworth— Eshton, and Miss Currer—Haworth, and the Brontes —Branwell's claim to the authorship of Wuthering Heiglits—Bingley and the Druids' Altar—Lord Beaconsfield's scene in Sybil at Druids' Altar—The nomenclature of Sybil—Thornton, the birthplace of the Brontes—Bradford, and its literary worthies, John James, Abraham Holroyd, and Ben Preston—The literary club at the George Hotel— Fulneck, and James Montgomery—Woodhouse Grove, and Sir William Atherton, Dr. Laycock— Rawdon, and Charlotte Bronte—Guiseley, and Adelaide Neilson, the actress— at Rawdon with W. E. — Carlyle Forster Leeds and its worthies, Thoresby, Priestley, Edward Baines, Milner, Berkenhout, Dr. Hartley, Alfred Austin, Wemyss Reid, etc.^ " " Temple Newsam, the Templestowe of Ivanhoe—Oulton, and Bentley " " — Ledstone, and Lady Betty Hastings, the Aspasia of Richard " Steele— Fryston, and Lord Houghton, the Mr. Vavasour" of Tancred —Carlyle at Fryston—Fen-ybridge, in Heart of Midlothian —Pontefract, in Shakespeare's Richard II ... ... ... ... Page i CHAPTER H. CALDERDALE. Cliviger, and Harrison Ainsworth's Lancashire Witches—Hebden Bridge, Heptonstall, and the poet Dearden—Dearden's Vale of Caldene, and its denunciations of trade—Wadsworth, Crimsworth, Luddenden Dean, and Ewood Hall, the birthplace of Bishop Farrer, Bishop of St. David's—Luddenden Foot, and Branwell Bronte— Leyland's Bronte Favnly—Sowerby, Haugh End, and Archbishop John Tillotson — Halifa.v, and its connection with Sir Henry Sa\ile, Daniel Defoe, " Bishop Lake (one of the Seven Bishops ") and Sir William Herschell —Laurence Sterne's schooldays at Halifax —Wordsworth's Lncy Gray X. CONTENTS. —Hartshead, and Patrick Bronte—Kirklees, and Charlotte Bronte's Shirley and Jane Eyre—Is Robin Hood a myth ? —Colne Valley, Holmfirth, the birthplace of William Hepworth Dixon, editor of Athenceum—The Holmfirth floods, and Baring Gould's Pennycome- quicks—Huddersfield, and Dearden—George Searle Phillips resident here—Mirfield, and James Montgomery's boyhood—Spen Valley— Bierley, and the 'Richardsons, scientists, and art and book collectors— " " Miss Currer's celebrated library—The Shirley Country of Charlotte Bronte—Oakenshaw, Hunsworth, Rawfolds—Liversedge, Gomersal— Gomersal, and Herbert Knowles—Pollard Hall —Heckmondwike, and —The of Curwen, of Tonic Sol Fa Joseph— Priestley birthplace John — fame Dewsbury Moor, and J. B. Greenwood Charlotte Bronte at Heald's House—The Batley Beck — Priestley born at Fieldhead— John Nelson at Birstall —Oakwell and the Rydings— Sir George Head, and Walter White, on Batley—Fletcher of Madeley, married at Batley Parish Church—Dewsbury, and Patrick Bronte—Thornhill Church, and Earl Strafford—Wakefield, and John Burton, Archbishop Potter, and Dr. Radcliffe, founder of Radcliffe Library, at Oxford—The Bishop of Wakefield—Goldsmith's Vicar of Wakefield—Nomenclature of the work— Shakespeare, and the Battle of Wakefield—Walton, and Charles Waterton, the naturalist—Edward Hailstone, the great art and book collector at Walton Hall ... ... ... Page 35 CHAPTER III. DERWENTDALE. DovEDALE^Pope, on Buckingham's death at Kirkby Moorside — Horace Walpole on Buckingham — Pickering in Rhyme—^Ryedale— Helmsley, and Buckingham—Nunnington, and Annie Keary—Nunning- ton, and Mrs. Macquoid—Malton, and Archdeacon Wrangham—Castle and Lord Carlisle— and Gower— and Howard, — Sittenham, Foston-le-Clay, Sydney Smith Nunburnholme, and F. O. Morris, of ornithological fame Page 80 CHAPTER IV. DONDALE. Wharncliffe and 21ie Dragon of Wantley—Lady Mary Wortley Mon- tague —Edward Wortley Montague and his pretensions to authorship— Sheffield, and James Montgomery, Ebenezer Elliott, and Mrs. Hofland — Sir Walter Scott at Sheffield —Charles Reade's Fut Yourself in His Place—The Dearne, and Thomas Lister—Pope's mother's birthplace— Conisborough and Ivanhoe—Doncaster, and Morley Punshon — Shake- pedive' s Henry IV . ... ... ... ... ... Page 90 CONTENTS. XI. I CHAPTER V. ESKDALE. Danby-in-Cleveland, and the Rev. Canon Atkinson—The Beggar's Bridge and ballads—Ruswarp, and Wilkie Collins's No Name—Whitby, and Marmion—Whitby, in Syhna\t Lovers (Gaskell), Tlte Haven undei' the Hill (Linskill), etc. ... ... ... ... ... Page 103 CHAPTER VI. HULLDALE, Harpham, and St. John of Beverley—Alured of Beverley—Julia Pardee and Humphrey Sandwith, natives of Beverley—Their works— a native of — Hull and its William Mason Bishop Fisher, Beverley — poet, —Joseph Milner, the Church historian Charles Warren, author of 'Ten Thousand a Year, Recorder of Hull—Winestead, and Andrew Marvell, poet, patriot, and philanthropist, the "incorruptible" in an age of corruption ... ... ... ... ... Page 1 11 ' CHAPTER Vn. LUNESDALE. Sedbergh and its celebrated Grammar School—Hartley Coleridge at Sedbergh—Wordsworth at Sedbergh—Sedgwick the geologist Page 119 CHAPTER VHI. NIDDERDALE. Ramsgill, birthplace of Eugene Aram—Knaresborough, and John Nicholson—Knaresborough, in Lytton's Eugene Aram— St. Robert's Cave and Chapel— Scatcherd on Eugene Aram—Tom Hood's poem on Eugene Aram—Marston Moor, by Mackworth Praed ... Page 121 CHAPTER IX. OUSEDALE. Stillington and Sutton-in-the-Forest, and Laurence Sterne—York and its worthies, Alcuin, Sir George Herbert, Beilly Porteous, Dr. George Wallis, Harriet Parr, "John Strange Winter"—York, in Wilkie Collins's No Name, Ainsworth's Guy Fazvkes, Hawley Smart's Frovi Post to Finish, and Sir Walter Scott's Heart of ^Midlothian—Lindley Murray at Holgate—Cawood, and Shakespeare's Henry VIII. Page 131 CHAPTER X. RIBBLESDALE. Giggleswick (Archdeacon Paley, Dean Howson) — Mrs. Linnaeus Banks's Wooers and Winners— HelHfield Peel, and Philip Gilbert Hamerton's Wenderholme ... ... ... ... Page 137 Xll. CONTENTS. CHAPTER XL SWALEDALE. Marske, and the two Archbishops— T/je Lass of Richmond Hill- Richmond churchyard, and Herbert Knowles—Wordsworth on the Hambleton Hills —Coxwold, and Sterne —The author of — Guy Livlnristone at Coxwold Roger Ascham at Kirkby-Wiske ..

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