Charlotte Bronte of Haworth, Yorkshire, England, authoress of "Jane Eyre" (1847), was married to a Banagher man, Rev. Arthur Bell Nicholls. Shortly before her early death in 1855, she wrote, "No kinder, better husband than mine, it seems to me, can there be in the world. I find my husband the tenderest nurse, the kindest support, the best earthly comfort, that ever woman had." Per "Irish Roots" her married name was Mrs. Bell Nicholls. (Coincidentally, she had earlier written under the pseudonym Currer Bell). Rev. Arthur Bell Nicholls was curate at Haworth but much of his life was spent in Banagher, Co. Offaly, at Cuba Court, his uncle's home there, and for 40 years later he lived at Hill House. The large family of Bells enjoyed a fine social life in Banagher, with dancing and boating trips on the River Shannon. Charlotte admired their cheerful and pleasant lifestyle and was made to feel very welcome at Cuba Court by Arthur's Aunt Bell. Charlotte had the good fortune to visit the splendid mansion (now in ruins) in its heyday in 1854. Rev. Arthur Bell Nicholls had been born in Northern Ireland (as had Charlotte's own father) but he was orphaned early and with his brother brought up and educated by his uncle, Dr. Alan Bell, at the Royal School housed in Cuba Court, Banagher. The school turned out several distinguished men, including Sir William Wilde, father of the famous playwright Oscar Wilde (Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde) of Dublin. Most of the Bell males were scholars at Trinity College in Dublin, as was Arthur. Arthur's brother managed the Birr Canal. The Bells were all well-respected and known for their excellent sense of humor and their "way with dogs." Six years after Charlotte's death, Arthur married one of his cousins, Mary Ann, and they lived at Hill House, Banagher, where he earned a living as a farmer, still treasuring and preserving the items that had belonged to Charlotte. His grave is beside St. Paul's Church with the inscription, "Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away." Hill House still stands and has been being very well-maintained. The Rev. James Adamson Bell, cousin to Arthur, became headmaster at Cuba School after his father's death. The grandson of Dr. Alan Bell, founder of the Royal School, Banagher, was also named Alan Bell. The latter Bell, a distingushed resident magistrate, was brutally murdered in 1920 at the age of 62. He was forced off a Dublin tram and shot by a group of youths after having successfully, in the line of duty, uncovered Sinn Fein funds lodged in various banks under different names. Charlotte Bronte of Haworth, Yorkshire, England, authoress of "Jane Eyre" (1847), was married to a Banagher man, Rev. Arthur Bell Nicholls. Shortly before her early death in 1855, she wrote, "No kinder, better husband than mine, it seems to me, can there be in the world. I find my husband the tenderest nurse, the kindest support, the best earthly comfort, that ever woman had." Per "Irish Roots" her married name was Mrs. Bell Nicholls. (Coincidentally, she had earlier written under the pseudonym Currer Bell). Rev. Arthur Bell Nicholls was curate at Haworth but much of his life was spent in Banagher, Co. Offaly, at Cuba Court, his uncle's home there, and for 40 years later he lived at Hill House. The large family of Bells enjoyed a fine social life in Banagher, with dancing and boating trips on the River Shannon. Charlotte admired their cheerful and pleasant lifestyle and was made to feel very welcome at Cuba Court by Arthur's Aunt Bell. Charlotte had the good fortune to visit the splendid mansion (now in ruins) in its heyday in 1854. Rev. Arthur Bell Nicholls had been born in Northern Ireland (as had Charlotte's own father) but he was orphaned early and with his brother brought up and educated by his uncle, Dr. Alan Bell, at the Royal School housed in Cuba Court, Banagher. The school turned out several distinguished men, including Sir William Wilde, father of the famous playwright Oscar Wilde (Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde) of Dublin. Most of the Bell males were scholars at Trinity College in Dublin, as was Arthur. Arthur's brother managed the Birr Canal. The Bells were all well-respected and known for their excellent sense of humor and their "way with dogs." Six years after Charlotte's death, Arthur married one of his cousins, Mary Ann, and they lived at Hill House, Banagher, where he earned a living as a farmer, still treasuring and preserving the items that had belonged to Charlotte. His grave is beside St. Paul's Church with the inscription, "Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away." Hill House still stands and has been being very well-maintained. The Rev. James Adamson Bell, cousin to Arthur, became headmaster at Cuba School after his father's death. The grandson of Dr. Alan Bell, founder of the Royal School, Banagher, was also named Alan Bell. The latter Bell, a distingushed resident magistrate, was brutally murdered in 1920 at the age of 62. He was forced off a Dublin tram and shot by a group of youths after having successfully, in the line of duty, uncovered Sinn Fein funds lodged in various banks under different names.