COVE

During the Victorian era, beaches and mourning were inevitably connected. With consumption taking loved ones from families, people including the Brontës would bring their sick to beaches in hopes the fresh salty air would heal them. Scarborough Beach was one of these places.  Anne Brontë had many happy memories at Scarborough Beach from when she traveled there as a governess to the Robinson family of Thorp Green Hall, annually spending about five weeks there per trip. When Anne was dying of consumption, her sister Charlotte and friend Ellen Nussey brought her to Scarborough Beach in attempt to heal her and ease her pain. Anne Brontë died there one May 28, 1849 and was buried there in St. Mary's churchyard overlooking the beach she once cherished so dearly.

Pencil drawing of Anne Brontë mourning over her brother Branwell by Emily Brontë, 1848.

This pencil drawing is a depiction of Anne mourning over the death of her brother Branwell in 1848. In the Victorian era, death was followed by extravagant mourning with funeral attire and luxurious decor and burial arrangments. Women were considered to be more invested in the process of mourning and death than men were as they were charged with caring for the sick and planning funerals. At the death of Branwell, the prodigal Brontë sisters were heartbroken. Their creative muse had harshly passed with his demons still haunting him. Anne's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall represented Branwell in the form of Lord Lowborough, a man trying to combat his demons of addiction. Lowborough managed to overcome his addiction, however; while Branwell went "cold-turkey" for a short while, he eventually gave in and died never fullfilling the dream Anne wished for him in her literature. In this depiction of mourning Anne drawn by Emily Brontë, we can see how her angelic hopes for Branwell did not come true, causing her extreme mourning as her beloved brother died with his demons.

Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England In the 19th Century. From Picturesque History Of Yorkshire, Published ca.1900. 

Scarborough Beach in North Yorkshire, England was established as a spa town with a large resort looking over the ocean on the cliffs above. This destination was popular during the Victorian era due to its alleged healing abilities and its beautiful beach. Anne Brontë fell in love with this beach during her time working as a governess for the Robinson family. During their first visit, Anne was infatuated with the sea and returned there for the next five years, staying for about five weeks each time at Wood's Lodgings. Since her death, the Grande Hotel that now stands in the spot of Wood's Lodgings, and a dedicated plaque in her honor hangs there to this day. Her love of this beach extended into her literature as she conveys it in her novel Agnes Grey when Weston proposes to Agnes next to the Scarborough castle. It is often said that the sea was to Anne what the moors were to Emily, her place of escape and inspiration.

Anne's grave in St. Mary's churchyard Yorkshire, England overlooking Scarborough beach, July 3, 2012

Anne Brontë died on May 28th, 1849 at Scarborough Beach in Yorkshire, England when she was only 29 years old. She died of consumption, a sickness that we now know as tuberculosis, the same disease that had killed three of her older sisters Maria, Elizabeth, and Emily and her older brother, Branwell. Her love of Scarborough is why she was buried there when the rest of her family was buried at their home in Haworth. Her soul is put to rest overlooking the beach she loved so dearly in the graveyard at St. Mary's churchyard. Anne's grave is placed right next to the spot where a proposal happens in her first book, Agnes Grey (1847). She resides in a smaller annex at the church instead of the main churchyard and while her grave is at this church, her funeral was held at Christ Church on Vernon Road, which is now broken down. Her funeral was held here due to renovations on St. Mary's at the time.

Pencil drawing of Anne's dog Flossy by Anne Brontë, 1843

Anne Brontë's dog Flossy was given to her by the Robinsons, a family she governed for. Like her sister Emily, Anne was fond of animals, but it was their dogs they cherished the most. Flossy represents Anne's personality as Keeper represents Emily's.  Flossy was a loving, gentle, strong-willed cavalier King Charles spaniel with a personality just like Anne's. Keeper was a fierecly loyal, intelligent, and occasionally aggressive Masstif with a personality just like Emily's. Anne drew two depictions of Flossy that were unfinished due to Flossy's innability to keep still. During Anne's last night in her home before journeying  to Scarborough Beach, she fed Keeper and Flossy. Even in her frail sickly state, she refused to allow anyone to help her take care of these beloved dogs. It is said that as she was in the carriage about to leave her home, she cradled Flossy in her arms throughout the entire first leg of her trip to Scarborough. After her death, Flossy could be seen wandering around the house looking for Anne until 5 years later when Flossy passed away.