The Brontës: Wild Genius on the Moors: The Story of a Literary Family

by Juliet Barker

The decision was not entirely simple, however, for Patrick was once more at a crossroads in his life and had to make a decision that would determine his future. Just before he accepted Dewsbury, he had a letter from James Wood, his old tutor at St John’s, offering him the post of chaplain to the governor of Martinique in the West Indies.145 The island, a French colony, had recently been captured by the British, placing virtually all the West Indies under British rule. The appointment of a governor (and his chaplain) was therefore a new one, resulting from military success in the war against Napoleon. The position would offer prestige, excitement (as Martinique was still in the war zone) and an opportunity to be ‘useful’ converting the Negroes and attempting to work towards the abolition of slavery, a cause dear to Evangelical hearts. It is not clear whether Patrick had solicited Wood’s aid in trying to find another post, or whether Wood, remembering his former pupil’s Evangelical commitment, simply thought he would be a suitable man for the job. The letter took some three weeks to find him, which suggests that the latter explanation was the more likely. When Patrick eventually replied at the end of November 1809, it was with two questions: was the post likely to be permanent and would he receive any salary in advance that would enable him to pay for the expense of his voyage? The questions were extremely pertinent and Wood’s answers, which are not known, may have been the ...