The Keighley Mechanics Institute Library was, "founded in 1825 with the aim of bringing the Arts and Sciences,' within reach of the most humble' (Duckett. 194.) Despite the institution's name, Bob Duckett asserts that most members were not 'mechanics', with the implication of working class roots, but the upwardly mobile middle classes, people such as "mill owners and business men, with a sprinkling of gentlemen, professionals and clergy (p. 194.)" Its patron was an aristocrat, The Early of Burlington. The Rev. Patrick Bronte was a member from 1833 to 1846. According to Dewhirst (1965), Patrick paid a 5' admission fee, "plus a contribution of twopence per week" which, "entitled hm to the use of the reading- room, library and apparatus, and attendace at lectures and classes (Duckett, p. 195.)" Ducket (2007) and Dewhirst (1965) and Bronte biographer Juliet Barker(2002) challenge the comonly held assumption that the Bronte sisters borrowed or used books from the institute, arguing that despite previous scholars repeating the idea as 'fact' that the evidence is flimsy, circumstantial and based on hearsay. However, the sisters did attend a lecture at the Mechanics Institute in 1840 on, 'The Advantages of Classical Studies' (Duckett, p. 195.) Barker observes that, "only sons could accompany members on a visit to the library, not daughters (Duckett, p. 196.)" Circulating and subscription libraries, as well as private and 'public' (not in the sense of tax payer supported but open to the public) existed in a variety of forms during the Bronte sisters formative period and their adulthood, so despite the powerful myth of their extreme 'isolation', the Brontes and others in their area had multiple avenues to borrow and obtain books. Whether one of those was the Keighley Mechanics Institute Library is a matter of debate, but the known overlap between that library's holdings at the time and their reading interests makes it an intersting collection to consider when cotemplating the literary environment that contributed to the works of the Bronte sistsers.

(For more on this topic, read "Where Did the Brontes Get Their Books?" by librarian and library historian Bob Duckett.)

Keighley Mechanics’ Institute Library Catalogue (1841)

At thebrontes.net, fans, enthusiasts and citizen scholars have amassed a wealth of information related to the Bronte sisters. To access the 1841 library catalog of the Keighley Mechanics Institute Library from 1841 click on the link above.

Subject categories in the 1841 catalogue include:

• Mathematics
• Moral,Natural and Experimental Philosophy
• History and Biography
• Arts, Sciences, Commerce, Etc.
• Geogrpahy, Voyages, ,Travels, Etc.
• Chemistry and Natural History
• Poetry
• Reviews, Magzines etc.
• General Literature and Misc.