[2] Armitt and Annie went to Paris in 1866 to study French, but the following year their father died without warning and they returned to Great Britain.

[3] The three women spent their spare time attending recitals, art exhibitions, and lectures.

[1] In 1882, Armitt and Mary received a legacy[3] and retired together to Hawkshead; later, after being widowed, Annie joined them.

They continued their cultural interests, talking to artists, writers, and educationalists like Charlotte Mason and Frances Arnold.

Mason, who ran a school for governesses, published the Parents Review, for which Armitt wrote articles.