Frances Mary Richardson Currer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Frances Mary Richardson Currer
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1807 painting by John James Masquerier
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| Born | 3 March 1785 Eshton, Skipton, Yorkshire, England
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| Died | 28 April 1861 (aged 76) Eshton, Skipton, Yorkshire, England
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| Nationality | British |
| Known for | collecting books |
Frances Mary Richardson Currer (born March 3, 1785 – died April 28, 1861) was a British heiress and a very important book collector. She was known for having one of the best private libraries in her time.
Life of Frances Currer
Frances Mary Richardson Currer was born in 1785. This was soon after her father, Henry Richardson Currer, passed away. Before he died, her father had added "Currer" to his name. This was a rule for him to receive a large inheritance from Sarah Currer. Sarah was the granddaughter of Matthew Wilson, who built Eshton Hall.
Frances later received another inheritance. This included a huge collection of books from her great-grandfather, Richard Richardson. She also inherited the Bierley estate. This land had mining operations, which Frances leased out in 1800.
Frances had hearing problems throughout her life. She passed away at Eshton Hall in 1861.
Frances Currer's Amazing Library
Frances Currer loved books very much. She was a true bibliophile, which means someone who loves and collects books. In 1820, she had a list of all her books made and printed privately. This is called a catalogue.
Later, in 1833, she asked Thomas Hartwell Horne to update her book list. This new version showed all the changes and additions to her library.
A famous writer named Thomas Frognall Dibdin wrote about her library in 1838. He said it was one of the best in the whole country! He thought only three other libraries were bigger. Dibdin even called her the "head of all female book collectors in Europe." He guessed her library had about 20,000 books.
Frances Currer was a supporter of Dibdin's work. She also had a close friendship with another big book collector, Richard Heber. Frances even helped Heber when he had money problems.
Frances Currer: A Generous Supporter
Frances Currer was very generous and gave money to many good causes. She helped the North Bierley chapel. This chapel had been around for a while, but it was officially made a church in 1824, thanks to Frances. She became its patron, meaning she supported it financially.
She paid to make the chapel bigger in the years that followed. It became a chapel of ease, which is a church that serves people who live far from the main parish church. In 1827, she also paid for a house for the vicar, George Stringer Bull.
It is believed that Frances Currer gave £50 to Patrick Brontë in 1821. He was a vicar in Haworth and had just become a widower.
Frances also donated money to the Clergy Daughter's School in Lancashire. The famous Brontë sisters (Charlotte, Emily, and Anne) went to this school in 1824–1825. She also funded the local mechanics institute, which was a place for working people to learn.
Some people think that Frances's kindness inspired Charlotte Brontë. Charlotte might have chosen the pen name "Currer Bell" for her novel Jane Eyre in 1847 because of Frances's good deeds.
A priest named James Bardsley connected Bierley and Haworth. Patrick Brontë wanted Bardsley to work with him in 1833. However, the Archbishop of York did not allow it. Instead, Bardsley became a curate at the Bierley chapel.
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