CHECKPOINT 13
Anne Bronte's Grave and St. Mary's Church
Anne Bronte
Although not as well recognised as her sisters Emily and Charlotte (who are buried at Howarth in the Yorkshire Dales), Anne Bronte is well regarded as a literary great. It is said that Scarborough was the inspiration for her books The Tenant Of Wildfell Hall and Agnes Grey. She loved spending time here, so much so that when she fell ill with tuberculosis (or consumption as it was known back then) and it was clear she was deteriorating, she moved here to spend her last days surrounded by the healing properties of the sea and spa waters.
Anne had been a keen rock collector, showing a great interest in geology in previous visits to Scarborough. Along with her sister Charlotte, Anne had visited Filey and Bridlington, as well as other places along the Yorkshire coast, collecting carnelians and agates locally to add to her impressive collection of semi-precious stones and geological curiosities.
In 1849, Anne was staying in a house called Wood Lodgings on St Nicholas Cliff, where the Grand Hotel now lies, when she sadly passed away at only 29 years old. She was buried here, in St Mary’s Church graveyard overlooking the sea.
There is a small acknowledgment to Anne Bronte inside St. Mary’s Church - a copy of the death certificate and other documents are on display.
A grave error
Can you spot the error on Anne Bronte’s gravestone?
The original gravestone states that Anne died aged 28 - a fact that irritated sister Charlotte, and has led to a spooky folklore tale. Apparently the stone mason responsible for the error on her gravestone made reports of being harassed by a ghoul, believed to be that of Anne Bronte for years after her death. Visitors and staff in the Grand Hotel have also mentioned the presence of a female spectre wearing a long red dress, where the Wood Lodgings once stood - as well as books flying off shelves, as if a disgruntled Anne Bronte is trying to pass on a message, or simply persuade people to read a little more?!
In 2011, the Bronte Society commissioned a new plaque correcting this error, which was laid on the floor in front of the grave.
St. Mary's Church
One of the oldest surviving churches in Scarborough. It is believed to have been built in the 1100s by the masons who built the castle, and first occupied by Cistercian monks.
By the 13th Century, the church had doubled in size, and the parish church of St. Mary’s now included two other chapels - Holy Sepulchre (on Eastborough - we passed this on our way to Checkpoint 3) and St Thomas’ chapel on East Sandgate (now used by the Sea Cadets).
During the English Civil War the church was used by parliamentary troops as a base - and throughout the siege of 1645 shells were fired from the church continuously for several days on end. Of course, the troops in the castle fired back, and severely damaged parts of the church. The north aisle and quire were completely destroyed and never rebuilt. Some parts of the church were repaired, using stones from the other 2 churches within the parish - look out for the Gothic style stone pillars from St Thomas' chapel.
You can still see the ruins of the pillars in front of the church which were damaged in the 1645 siege - showing just how vast the building was back then.
Inside the church
It is worth having a look inside the church, as there are several interesting displays - including artists impressions of the church throughout the ages, artefacts from previous occupants, Anne Bronte's death certificate, and some beautiful stained glass windows (replicas of the original medieval ones).
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