Masonic Lodge
I was searching on the internet about Branwell Bronte's masonic background and found interesting information on the weblog of justine-picardie.
John Brown was the Worshipful Master of the Three Graces Masonic Lodge in Haworth where he introduced Branwell Bronte to the lodge and accepted in February 1836 at the age of 19. Later he became secretary of the lodge. Meetings were originally held at the Black Bull but then moved to Lodge Street.
Interesting! I don't recall reading about Masonry being part of Branwell's life, maybe because it was just a little side note in the books I've read (Rebecca's and Mrs. Gaskell's). To bad there isn't a bit more about it all in some of his letters.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenxo J~
I'm currently writing a series of articles about Branwell which will go into quite a bit of detail about Branwells and indeed the rest of the Bronte siblings dealings with and influence of the Haworth freemasons. For the research I was invited to take photographs in the masonic lodge in Haworth and these will on-line over the coming months. The article is here http://www.voiceofthevalleys.net/branwell-alchemist-sorcerer-artist-junkie.html although it will be another couple of articles before it delves deeper into this part of their history.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenian
Everything Branwell was involved in after puberty...or as CB said " when a man " was an attempt to help find him some footing in the world... and failing that, when the drinking became uncontrolled, then everything was used as a means of rehab ...which is one of the reasons I believe Emily insisted neither her father or Branwell would be told about the sister's efforts to publish .
BeantwoordenVerwijderenBecause if they knew,very likely the sisters would be then pressured to use it as a means to " help" him, the hopeless,( as Emily called him ) and it would come to little.
Branwell would be able to drown his self pity at the Bull as always . But the girls would be sitting in the parlor among the ruins of their hopes
Can't one see the sister's editing on a volume of poems would be done and ready to send out, but Branwell had not done his work yet? I can. I can see him not do what was required and/or insist they do something not possible .. like they each have their own volume ! Four books instead of one!
The result would be the same ...the work would stop
Not this time