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 new lessee. On 2 April 1999 Bronte House was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register with the following statement of significance: As at 8 December 2003, Bronte house is of a style not commonly found in Australian Colonial architecture, with its superb siting and substantial garden it is a significant essay in the picturesque. The property has connections with colonial architect Mortimer Lewis and more importantly with Robert Lowe, later created Viscount Sherbrooke. It is especially notable stylistically as an individual mid-Victorian design reflecting a romantic and picturesque interpretation of the medieval past. It is substantially intact