Cuba Court, now demolished, was built around 1730 for George Fraser former Governor of Cuba. The 1629 Charter of Charles I gave Banagher a Royal Free School which was located here in the 19th century.

Arthur Bell Nicholls grew up in Cuba Court while his uncle Rev. Alan Bell was Headmaster (1821-1839). Bell Nicholls was ordained a clergyman in 1844 and in the following year became assistant in Haworth to the Rev. Patrick Bronte (originally Prunty from Co. Down) whose daughter Charlotte, the English novelist, he married in June 1854.

Part of their honeymoon was spent in Cuba Court. Sadly Charlotte died in March the following year, 1855. She was expecting a child at the time. In addition to Bell Nicholls other famous past students of Cuba Royal School were Sir William Wilde, father of Oscar Wilde, and William Bulfin, author of ‘Rambles in Erin’.

[trx_button type=”square” style=”filled” style_color=”original” size=”medium” align=”left” link=”http://banagher.ie/heritage-culture-banagher/” popup=”no” top=”inherit” bottom=”inherit” left=”inherit” right=”inherit”]Browse More[/trx_button]