Herd-farm near Harewood, The residence of Richard Leak, Esq., was one of Bramwell's favourite places, when he was m this circuit. At the hospitable mansion of that respected gentleman, our ministers were accustomed, once in two weeks, to remain all night, after having preached at Allwoodley Gates. The situation is most delightful. Placed on a gentle eminence, the house is, at a small distance, nearly encircled on three of its sides by a fine wood, that gradually rises to a proud elevation above it. Penetrating into the depths of its most umbrageous retreats, Mr Bramwell poured forth the feelings of his heart in loud and fervent supplications before the God of heaven. The tones of his strong and mellifluous voice reverberated through all the dells and glades; while the wild inmates of the wood were scared at "sounds unknown before." But they were the sounds of thanksgiving as well as those of entreaty. He has frequently been engaged there for four hours together, till some branch of the family, loath to disturb his devotions, has ventured into his beloved solitude, and invited him to partake of the prepared repast. Always gentle and obliging, he complied with the request; though the heavenly abstraction of his mind at such seasons seemed to say, '' I have meat to eat that ye know not of!" His voice was the clue by which they could generally discover the part which he had chosen for retirement; because when not engaged in prayer, which act he reverently performed on his bended knees, his meditations could be indistinctly heard, for they were the utterance of the heart expressed aloud while he walked along the winding paths in the wood, almost every corner of which, being bounded by streams, was favourable to echo.
From, ‘Memoir of the Life and Ministry of William Bramwell, by James Sigston, published in 1836, p177-9.