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 House in Sicily, west of Mt. Etna. According to a "Sydney Mail" article in October 1860, the Englishmen of Waverley paid tribute to the famed sea warrior by naming several roads after Nelson, including Nelson Bay, Nelson Road and Trafalgar Road (after the famous Battle of Trafalgar). Over time, Nelson Road became Bronte Road and Trafalgar Road became Trafalgar Street. The name Nelson Bay however survives on all official maps. Colonial Architect Mortimer Lewis bought , most of the beach frontage at Bronte, including the current house's site, at Nelson Bay in 1836. By 1838 he had bought in total, including