The story of Rebecca Morrison- Greenwood.

Rebecca Morrison-Greenwood  (1837-1932) 

The Yorkshire town of Haworth is known worldwide as home to the Bronte family but romantic literature was not its only creation, it also harboured the roots of Rebecca Greenwood, wife of founding College Principal, George Morrison. ww.geelongcollege.vic.edu.au/heritage

In Haworth, with the demise of the Bridgehouse Greenwoods in 1848, the centre of attention became Rebecca’s uncle, William Greenwood Junior (1800-1893) of Old Oxenhope and Old Oxenhope Mill. He was a worsted spinner and manufacturer who had inherited the business of the mill at Old Oxenhope near Haworth in 1848 from his uncle, the brother of Rebecca’s grandfather George. Constructed in about 1800 it was a small-scale mill and one of 34 mills built during a time of massive industrial expansion. It was possibly Rebecca’s uncle however, William Greenwood Junior who, of her other relatives, was to exert the some affect on the family.

Despite his own Baptist convictions, William Greenwood junior became acquainted with the Anglican Perpetual Curate Patrick Bronte (1777-1861), who invited Greenwood’s election to be churchwarden as a vicar’s warden of the Established Church at Haworth in 1843 and 1845. Some people believe he may have been invited to be “people’s warden”, which role was often filled by Non-Conformists in parishes like Haworth where Non-Conformists were in the majority. One story suggests that this was part of Bronte’s attempts to secure funding for the rebuilding of the church tower. The Brontes were visitors to the Greenwood home and William Greenwood is thought to be the Baptist friend Patrick once mentioned as living in Haworth. Sarah Greenwood (1811-1893), Rebecca’s aunt lived with William from about 1854 and a surviving letter from Charlotte Bronte thanks Sarah for lending Charlotte a copy of “The Value of Health” by Mrs Ellis. This would have been in the brief period between 1854 when the book was published and 1855 when Charlotte died. While it is improbable that the teenage Rebecca met the Brontes, the Bronte’s literary success would no doubt have been closely observed as their identities became known to the reading public. Perhaps, a similar romanticism was to help inspire Rebecca’s voyage across the world to marry George Morrison.