The village of Haworth, in Yorkshire, is renowned for the home of the Brontes.

It is also the final resting place of Elizabeth Mary Cove, a young woman whose death shocked onlookers at the time.

Elizabeth, known as Lily Cove, was a parachute stuntwoman. She travelled the country in the early 20th century performing daredevil jumps from hot air balloons. She became known as ‘Leaping Lily.’

Lily was born to Thomas and Annie, who were not married, on November 7, 1885, in Poplar, London.

Annie struggled to raise Lily, and for most of her childhood she was cared for by relatives, as her father was frequently in prison.

At the age of 15, Lily started a job as a nursemaid and servant at a psychiatric hospital for girls.

At 16, she began training as an aeronautical balloonist and by 19 was working for Captain Fred Bidmead. At the time, an aeronaut was someone who ascended in a balloon and parachuted back to the ground.

As part of her act, Lily would remove her skirt, revealing her bloomers — a bold move in Edwardian Britain.

Fred and Lily were invited to take part in the 1906 Haworth Gala.

On Monday 11 June 1906, Lily ascended from a field in Haworth. She had originally planned to fly on Saturday, but a tear in the balloon prevented take-off. Captain Bidmead repaired it on Sunday.

The gala’s secretary, Albert Best, tried to persuade her to cancel the stunt, but Lily was determined to continue.

That Monday, Lily removed her skirt to cheers from the crowd, then climbed onto the trapeze beneath the balloon.
She flew high above the Worth Valley, with her manager and crowds watching below. Something went wrong. The balloon began falling toward Ponden Reservoir. Lily, said to be afraid of water, jumped – but became detached from her parachute and fell to the ground. She hit the earth, breaking both her legs and skull. She died within minutes.

Minnie Hey, the village shroud maker, took care of the body, which lay in the parlour at the Old White Lion pub.

Captain Bidmead brought Lily’s father, Thomas Cove, to Haworth and bought him a black suit for the funeral, held on 14 June 1906.

After a short service at the Old White Lion, a funeral procession led to Haworth’s new cemetery. Mourners lined the road, with many taking time off work to pay their respects.