Grave - Anne Lister (3rd April 1791 to 22nd September 1840)

Have you watched the two series of Gentleman Jack? They’re based on the extensive diaries of wealthy business entrepreneur Anne Lister who was dubbed "the first modern lesbian". Here I am at Halifax Minster where she was buried after her early death in 1840 aged 49.

She was from a fairly affluent family of landowners in Calderdale of West Yorkshire and though she had interests in landscaping, mining, railways, and canals she’s probably know for her bold outward lesbianism. She pursued girls from her schooldays up to her last meaningful relationship with Ann Walker (they married in Holy Trinity Church in York which is now known in Britain as the birthplace of lesbian marriage.)

Her Gentleman Jack nickname was rude as in the early 1800's lesbians kept quiet about their feelings but Anne didn’t. In the television drama Anne was played by Suranne Jones who is attractive and feminine but Anne was masculine in appearance, unattractive than ugly, bore developed muscles and dressed only in black (as gentlemen did in that era.) Sexually frank parts of her 7720 pages of diaries were written in code and it took a historian six years to decrypt them.

Anne lived at the magnificent Shibden Hall but was 35 before inheriting the estate upon her uncle's death. Another decade passed before she gained full financial control after her dad and aunt’s deaths. The estate comprised properties in town, shares in the canal and railway industries, coal pit mines and stone quarries. Income from these fuelled her three interests - lesbian affairs, the renovation of Shibden Hall and European travel. She was exceedingly wealthy as was her partner Anne Walker inherited a fortune. They lived together at the grand Shibden Hall until Anne’s death. While there Anne added a waterfall, lake, renovated the hall generally, added a Gothic tower (was her private library) and even had a tunnel dug so staff could move around without disturbing her.

Age 49 she was travelling across Europe with her wife (their marriage wasn’t officially recognised) when she died suddenly of a fever. Her body was brought back to Halifax and she was lowered into the Lister family grave in Halifax Minster church.

While travelling around Calderdale I decided to visit the church before the light faded and here are some photos. There’s little to see - no bold, beautiful, weather-beaten, towering family grave in the grounds (on which admiring lesbians could leave trinkets.) Historians have calculated her resting place under an aisle. When her uncle James died Anne scribbled in her diary, “Our burying place is in the south chapel, at the west end, next to the constable's pew.” Burial records show constable’s pew was at the rear of the pews in the south aisle of the nave. A stone floor was laid in approximately 1879 so there’s nothing to see now. Thankfully Anne’s broken tombstone was rediscovered from under a floor in 2000.

This visit was a little disappointing as I love to see good old grave stone. This church was built in the fifteen century (on a site where a church had stood since 1120) and though it's a beauty it's ringed by modern buildings. It looks across to blandness itself - a Matalan store. Preserving churches is merit-worthy but little thought seems to be given to preserving their surroundings. Photos of this church are taken craftily and block out modernity (such as the nearby big car park to accommodate the day trippers.) Anne was buried here under one of the nave floors and thousands of feet have walked over her. It reminded me of visiting the church where the Bronte family are buried (you pretty much walk over the Bronte crypt.)

The sun was dropping behind a hill and it was time to go. I did a salute and left.