Bray, Charles (1811-1894)

Charles Bray, married to Caroline 'Cara' Hennell, was a ribbon manufacturer in Coventry. Bray's circle of friends welcomed George Eliot in 1841 and Bray became a close friend in the years after. Perhaps one of Bray's draws for Eliot was his philanthropic nature; Bray set up help for out-of-work ribbon workers, along with several other charitable attempts aimed at relieving poverty.

Bray was the owner of the Coventry Herald and Observer, which gave Eliot her first opportunity to publish her writing. Bray himself published several works, along with Philosophy of Necessity, which asserted that the laws of the mind were set. This system appealed to Eliot, who found intellectual stimulus among Bray's circle of friends. She stayed so often with the couple that Rosehill was like a second home to her. 

Bray had an extended affair with Hannah Steane, who bore six children with Bray. It is not certain if Eliot was aware of the Brays’ unusual marital situation. Charles Bray was one of the first Eliot confided in about her relationship with Lewes (though, notably, she did not confide in Cara). For several years after Eliot began living with Lewes, her relationship with the Brays grew distant; they disliked Lewes and the couple never visited Rosehill together, though it had been Eliot’s home-away-from-home for many years. Later, financial setbacks forced the Brays to leave their Rosehill estate and move to more modest housing. Eventually, the Brays reunited with Eliot and they remained fast friends until her death.

George Eliot Archive, edited by Beverley Park Rilett, https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org

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