Frances Mary Richardson Currer collections of Richard Heber which were larger than Currer's. Heber and Currer had a close relationship and Heber was bailed out by Currer when he had financial difficulties. It has been speculated that Currer was a benefactor of the Brontë sisters and this is the reason that Charlotte Brontë chose the nom de plume of "Currer Bell" for her novel "Jane Eyre". It is thought that she gave the Brontë sisters' father £50 to assist them when he became a widower. Currer did donate money to the Clergy Daughter's School that the Brontë sisters attended as well as funding the
Bronte, Ontario list. Although the commercial centre is at Bronte Road and Lakeshore, the South Oakville Centre, (Hopedale Mall) located at Rebecca Street and Third Line Road provides additional retail businesses. Originally an L-shaped strip mall built in 1959 coincident with the development of the surrounding subdivision, it has undergone several expansions by which it has been enclosed with the closing of Seabourne Street between Tansley Drive and Rebecca Street. Founded in 1834, Bronte began as a small fishing village at the mouth of Twelve Mile Creek. The name Bronte was chosen as a tribute to the British Naval hero, Horatio Nelson,