The Brontë Family
Emily Bronte
In 1820, Patrick Brontë was appointed as incumbent of Haworth, and arrived in the township with his Cornish-born wife, Maria, and their six children.
On 15 September 1821, Mrs. Brontë died of cancer, and her unmarried sister, Elizabeth Branwell, came to take charge of the running of the parsonage.
. In 1824 the sisters made their first venture into the world outside Haworth, to attend the Clergy Daughters' School at Cowan Bridge, near Kirkby Lonsdale.The school was unspeakably cruel- starving and neglecting the children. The experience provided Charlotte with a model for the infamous Lowood School in her novel Jane Eyre, ended in disaster when her eldest sister, Maria, was sent home to die aged eleven. Ten-year-old Elizabeth was returned home shortly after and dield on arriving home. Both are buried in the churchyard.
Toy soldiers and 'little books'
For the next few years the surviving children remained at home together, creating a rich imaginary world, sparked by their father's gift to Branwell of a set of toy soldiers. Because of the important role education had played in his own life, Patrick encouraged his children in their pursuit of knowledge. Any books that came their way were eagerly devoured, and the children produced their own tiny illustrated books, designed to be small enough for the toy soldiers, with minuscule handwriting to deter the prying eyes of the parsonage adults.
Their father's lack of a private income meant that the sisters needed to acquire the accomplishments that would enable them to earn a living as governesses . To this end, Charlotte was sent to Miss Wooler's school at Roe Head, Mirfield, in 1831. There she met her lifelong friends, Ellen Nussey and Mary Taylor. She eventually returned to the school as a teacher, taking first Emily then Anne as pupils.
Branwell, the only boy of the family, when not receiving lessons from his father, was often left to his own devices. Eventually his brilliant conversation earned him what Elizabeth Gaskell considered 'the undesirable distinction of having his company recommended by the landlord of the Black Bull to any chance traveller who might happen to feel solitary or dull over his liquor.' Branwell took art lessons in Leeds, but a plan to apply to the Royal Academy of Arts in London never came off, and after a short stint as a professional portrait painter in Bradford, Branwell was back in Haworth, in debt.
In 1839, after one brief attempt as a teacher, and suffering from homesickness,Emily was also back at Haworth. Although often unhappy, Anne seems to have been the best able to cope with life as a governess..
Branwell — cause for concern
Branwell was proving to be a cause for concern. He was dismissed in disgrace for "proceedings bad beyond expression"-—allegedly a love affair with his employer's wife.
In an attempt to escape the hated life of a governess, the sisters planned to set up a school of their own at the parsonage. In order to acquire the language skills which would attract pupils and secure the school's success, Charlotte and Emily spent a year studying in Brussels, funded by their aunt. It was Aunt Branwell's death in 1842 which brought the sisters back to Haworth
The sisters had continued to write, and in 1846 Charlotte, Emily and Anne used part of their Aunt Branwell's legacy to finance the publication of their poems, concealing their true identities under the pseudonyms Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell. The poems were but only two copies of the book were sold. Undeterred, the sisters absorbed themselves in their next literary venture--novel writing.
Publishing sensation- who are these mysterious writers?
Charlotte sent her next work, Jane Eyre,. If Poems ranks amongst the great failures in publishing history, then Jane Eyre must count as one of the great successes. Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey had already been accepted by the London publisher. Following the success of Jane Eyre', the publication of two further "Bell" novels fuelled speculation about the gender and identity of the authors.
Rumours began to spread spread so Charlotte and Snne travelled to London in July 1848 and confronted the astonished George Smith in his Cornhill office.
Illness and death Charlotte's pleasure in her new-found success turned out to be shortlived. Branwell, who had increasingly fallen back on alcohol and opium for solace, had been ailing all summer. Tuberculosis was gaining a rapid hold on his abused frame. He died suddenly on Sunday 24 September 1848, aged thirty-one, with the whole family at his death-bed.
While Charlotte was still reeling from the shock of Branwell's death, it became apparent that Emily and Anne were ill. In fact Emily was also dying from tuberculosis, and never left the house again after Branwell's funeral. Refusing to admit she was ill, she dragged herself out of bed every morning and continued to carry out her share of the household chores. Her death came at the age of thirty, three months after her brother's, on 19 December 1848. All Charlotte's concern was now directed towards her last-surviving sister, who seemed unable to shake off her cold. A lung specialist, called in to examine Anne shortly after Emily's death, confirmed Charlotte's worst fear, that she was likely to lose this last, much-loved sister.It was in Scarborough that Anne died, just four days later, on 28 May 1849, aged twenty-nine years.
. Stunned by the tragedies of the past nine months, Charlotte wrote: "A year ago - had a prophet warned me how I should stand in June 1849 - how stripped and bereaved I should have thought - this can never be endured."Charlotte turned to her writing to sustain her through the dark days ahead. Late in her life she married the Reverend Arthur Bell.Nicholls.Though Charlotte had entered the married state with misgivings, she found unexpected happiness with Arthur.
The happiness did not last. Charlotte died on the morning of 31 March 1855, in the early stages of pregnancy, just three weeks before her thirty-ninth birthday.
As the facts of the siters lives began to emerge, the story of the Brontës' lives continues to exert as much fascination as their fiction.
On 15 September 1821, Mrs. Brontë died of cancer, and her unmarried sister, Elizabeth Branwell, came to take charge of the running of the parsonage.
. In 1824 the sisters made their first venture into the world outside Haworth, to attend the Clergy Daughters' School at Cowan Bridge, near Kirkby Lonsdale.The school was unspeakably cruel- starving and neglecting the children. The experience provided Charlotte with a model for the infamous Lowood School in her novel Jane Eyre, ended in disaster when her eldest sister, Maria, was sent home to die aged eleven. Ten-year-old Elizabeth was returned home shortly after and dield on arriving home. Both are buried in the churchyard.
Toy soldiers and 'little books'
For the next few years the surviving children remained at home together, creating a rich imaginary world, sparked by their father's gift to Branwell of a set of toy soldiers. Because of the important role education had played in his own life, Patrick encouraged his children in their pursuit of knowledge. Any books that came their way were eagerly devoured, and the children produced their own tiny illustrated books, designed to be small enough for the toy soldiers, with minuscule handwriting to deter the prying eyes of the parsonage adults.
Their father's lack of a private income meant that the sisters needed to acquire the accomplishments that would enable them to earn a living as governesses . To this end, Charlotte was sent to Miss Wooler's school at Roe Head, Mirfield, in 1831. There she met her lifelong friends, Ellen Nussey and Mary Taylor. She eventually returned to the school as a teacher, taking first Emily then Anne as pupils.
Branwell, the only boy of the family, when not receiving lessons from his father, was often left to his own devices. Eventually his brilliant conversation earned him what Elizabeth Gaskell considered 'the undesirable distinction of having his company recommended by the landlord of the Black Bull to any chance traveller who might happen to feel solitary or dull over his liquor.' Branwell took art lessons in Leeds, but a plan to apply to the Royal Academy of Arts in London never came off, and after a short stint as a professional portrait painter in Bradford, Branwell was back in Haworth, in debt.
In 1839, after one brief attempt as a teacher, and suffering from homesickness,Emily was also back at Haworth. Although often unhappy, Anne seems to have been the best able to cope with life as a governess..
Branwell — cause for concern
Branwell was proving to be a cause for concern. He was dismissed in disgrace for "proceedings bad beyond expression"-—allegedly a love affair with his employer's wife.
In an attempt to escape the hated life of a governess, the sisters planned to set up a school of their own at the parsonage. In order to acquire the language skills which would attract pupils and secure the school's success, Charlotte and Emily spent a year studying in Brussels, funded by their aunt. It was Aunt Branwell's death in 1842 which brought the sisters back to Haworth
The sisters had continued to write, and in 1846 Charlotte, Emily and Anne used part of their Aunt Branwell's legacy to finance the publication of their poems, concealing their true identities under the pseudonyms Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell. The poems were but only two copies of the book were sold. Undeterred, the sisters absorbed themselves in their next literary venture--novel writing.
Publishing sensation- who are these mysterious writers?
Charlotte sent her next work, Jane Eyre,. If Poems ranks amongst the great failures in publishing history, then Jane Eyre must count as one of the great successes. Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey had already been accepted by the London publisher. Following the success of Jane Eyre', the publication of two further "Bell" novels fuelled speculation about the gender and identity of the authors.
Rumours began to spread spread so Charlotte and Snne travelled to London in July 1848 and confronted the astonished George Smith in his Cornhill office.
Illness and death Charlotte's pleasure in her new-found success turned out to be shortlived. Branwell, who had increasingly fallen back on alcohol and opium for solace, had been ailing all summer. Tuberculosis was gaining a rapid hold on his abused frame. He died suddenly on Sunday 24 September 1848, aged thirty-one, with the whole family at his death-bed.
While Charlotte was still reeling from the shock of Branwell's death, it became apparent that Emily and Anne were ill. In fact Emily was also dying from tuberculosis, and never left the house again after Branwell's funeral. Refusing to admit she was ill, she dragged herself out of bed every morning and continued to carry out her share of the household chores. Her death came at the age of thirty, three months after her brother's, on 19 December 1848. All Charlotte's concern was now directed towards her last-surviving sister, who seemed unable to shake off her cold. A lung specialist, called in to examine Anne shortly after Emily's death, confirmed Charlotte's worst fear, that she was likely to lose this last, much-loved sister.It was in Scarborough that Anne died, just four days later, on 28 May 1849, aged twenty-nine years.
. Stunned by the tragedies of the past nine months, Charlotte wrote: "A year ago - had a prophet warned me how I should stand in June 1849 - how stripped and bereaved I should have thought - this can never be endured."Charlotte turned to her writing to sustain her through the dark days ahead. Late in her life she married the Reverend Arthur Bell.Nicholls.Though Charlotte had entered the married state with misgivings, she found unexpected happiness with Arthur.
The happiness did not last. Charlotte died on the morning of 31 March 1855, in the early stages of pregnancy, just three weeks before her thirty-ninth birthday.
As the facts of the siters lives began to emerge, the story of the Brontës' lives continues to exert as much fascination as their fiction.