The New Ireland Review Author:Unknown Author Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: ticular sect she conformed. It is much more probable, however, that Alice M'Clory retained her faith, at least internally, during her life-time, although for the... more » reasons already given she found herself utterly unable to practice her religion openly, or to ground her children in its teachings and practice. A strong presumption in favour of this view is afforded by the fact that she preserved her Rosary Beads till her death, and that it is still in the possession of one of her great grandsons, at present living in the parish of Annaclone, Co. Down. The eldest child of Hugh Bronte and Alice M'Clory was born on the 17th of March, 1777, and was named Patrick, partly out of regard for his mother's brother, Patrick M'Clory, and partly out of veneration for Ireland's Patron Saint. It is not improbable that this child may have been baptized in a Catholic Church. The Baptismal Register of Drumballyroney Protestant Church goes no farther back than 1779, and its records subsequent to that date contain the names of six members of the Bronte family, beginning with the second son Hugh. The name given to the eldest child renders it probable that he may have been baptized by the priest, but there is no certainty one way or the other on the matter. This eldest child afterwards became the IRISH FATHER OF CHARLOTTE BRONTE. Patrick Bronte spent the first twenty-five years of his life in County Down, Ireland. At first he worked on his uncle Patrick M'Clory's farm, and it is said that he was brought up a Catholic during this time. He then learned the linen weaving trade in the house of a Presbyterian neighbour, who is said to have instilled into his youthful mind as much knowledge on religious subjects as on the trade of a weaver. He then became a teacher in the school attached to Glascar Hill Pre...« less