Emily Bronte Inspirational Poem: "To Imagination"
Most Emily Bronte poems are melancholy, yet this one is not, if you take the author's view. Life may be hard and dreary, but the imagination sets us free. Though skeptical of its efficacy, still the poet returns to the land of imagination again and again, and ever finds there joy. This beautiful Emily Bronte poem is ready to entertain. There is no need to download the audio poem. Just click and listen to Emily Bronte's dedication to the imagination. For after all, the author of Wuthering Heights, must have had quite an imagination brewing in her heart and mind. And hear more audio poems at the Audio Poems Library.
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Mad About the Brontës

Mad About the Brontës

For her new book, Jolien Janzing travelled to the English village where the Brontë sisters lived and wrote their novels.

There are some classics which simply never lose their charm. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, for example, or Wuthering Heights by her sister, Emily, which are still being published in no less than twenty-six languages. And it’s not just the Brontë sisters’ books which continue to sell like cookbooks; the Brontë Parsonage Museum in their native town of Haworth continues to welcome a steady stream of visitors. If anyone should doubt, the Brontës are still alive and kicking!

Tales of Glass Town, Angria, and Gondal - A Review

Tales of Glass Town, Angria, and Gondal - A Review

Brontë-wise, Tales of Glass Town, Angria, and Gondal is definitely one of the stellar Brontë releases of the year. Not just for making the juvenilia accessible to all sorts of readers and not just the scholar kind, but also because Christine Alexander is in charge of the edition and if anyone knows anything about juvenilia, then that is Christine Alexander.

Bancrofts from Yorkshire: Woolcombing in Yorkshire - A Dirty Business !

Bancrofts from Yorkshire: Woolcombing in Yorkshire - A Dirty Business !: "Keighley The wool industry has been the predominantly industry in West Yorkshire for hundreds of years, and many of our Bancroft ancestor..."

William Weightman

                                       

 This portrait of William Weightman was drawn by Charlotte in February 1840.

Weightman came to Haworth as assistant curate to Patrick Brontë in August 1839. He very soon became very popular around the parish, being noted as a very charming, cheerful, friendly and kind young man. Patrick admired him and he became a very good friend to Branwell. He did, however, develop the reputation, in some quarters, of being something of a ladies man.

In Feb 1840, about six months after his arrival, Ellen Nussey came to the Parsonage for a three weeks stay. Neither she, nor the Brontë girls had ever received a Valentine card; so it caused quite a stir on the morning of February 14th. when they each received one. Of course, the culprit was the scheming Weightman. In his usual mode of conduct, he had made a bold attempt to add a little sparkle to the girls' lives, and in a vain attempt to disguise his handiwork, had walked the ten miles to Bradford to post them. He had written verses in each of the Valentines; however, only the titles of three of them are known, but these give a general idea of their content: 'Fair Ellen, Fair Ellen', 'Away fond Love' and 'Soul divine'. The girls were not to be fooled by the Bradford post-mark, and soon realised that the chirpy curate was the guilty party. However, being so delighted with that morning's events, the four conspired to write a poem which they promptly returned to Weightman:

There is strong belief that Anne was in love with him, though no evidence exists to show that any relationship occurred between them. Indeed, the only indication that Anne's feelings were reciprocated by Weightman is a reference made by Charlotte in her letter to Ellen Nussey, dated 20 January 1842:

'. . . He sits opposite Anne at church sighing softly and looking out of the corners of his eyes to win her attention - and Anne is so quiet, her look so downcast - they are a picture . . .' 51

Weightman died tragically of cholera on 6 September 1842, aged only 28. Over the following five years Anne wrote a string of love poems that are very difficult to associate with anyone other than him (all are presented in 'The Poems of Anne Brontë' - accessed from 'Main Page').

The Library of an English Bibliophile, Part 1: Brontë first-editions

The Library of an English Bibliophile, Part 1: Brontë first-editions

the 175th Anniversary of Elizabeth Gaskell's birthday

September 29th, 1985, the 175th Anniversary of Elizabeth Gaskell's birth was commemorated in Knutsford, Cheshire, by a literary lunch and other events which led to the formation of the Gaskell Society (Registered Charity No 1098017).

Although the Society has no building as headquarters, its centre is Knutsford, with its many Gaskell associations, as Cranford and Hollingford in Wives and Daughters. Here she spent a happy childhood, was married at the Parish Church and is buried in the three-hundred-year-old Brook Street Chapel's graveyard, with her husband William. Two of her unmarried daughters and a number of her ancestors are also buried there.

The Society hold its AGM in Manchester in March. The Society also holds a special Autumn meeting in September in Knutsford.

read here about the Gaskell Society


The letter you forwarded this morning was from Mrs Gaskell--authoress of "Mary Barton": She said I was not to answer it--but I cannot help doing so. Her note brought the tears to my eyes: she is a good--she is a great woman--proud am I that I can touch a cord of sympathy in souls so noble. In Mrs Gaskell's nature--it mournfully pleases me to fancy a remote affinity to my Sister Emily--. . . ( Charlotte Bronte to W.S. Williams, 17 November 1849)

Branwell Brontë died 162 years ago today

Patrick Branwell Brontë
Born: 26-Jun-1817
Birthplace: Thornton, Yorkshire, England
Died: 24-Sep-1848
Location of death: Haworth, Yorkshire, England
Cause of death: Tuberculosis
Remains: Buried, Church of St. Michael and All Angels, Haworth, Yorkshire, England
Occupation: Poet, Painter

Poet and painter Branwell Brontë

was adored by his sisters

who believed

 he was the brightest

 of the Brontë family

Martha and John Brown

Martha was one of the six daughters of John and Mary Brown of Haworth. John Brown was the village Sexton and, although thirteen years older, he was a close friend of Branwell Brontë . The Browns lived in Sexton's House, which John himself had built on the eastern end of the Church School, shortly after the school was built in 1832. Sexton's House is directly opposite the Church, and about a hundred yards from the Parsonage. The Sexton was responsible for the fabric of the church and the maintenance of the burial ground, where he dug the graves and carved memorials. Most of John Brown's daughters worked at the Parsonage at one time or another, cleaning, washing and running errands, but Martha was the only one to live in.

John Brown

                                    
     John Brown (Oil on Canvas by Branwell Bronte)

In every Lodge there are always some Brethren who play an above average part in Lodge affairs. Indeed the record of some Brethren leads one to the conclusion that but for them, their Lodge would have, of necessity, surrendered its Warrant.
One such Brother was John Brown, initiated into the Lodge in September 1830, he was one of the proposers to apply for a new Warrant and for the Lodge to be reinstated. He was the first Master in 1832 after issue of the new Warrant.
Such was the state of the Lodge that over a period of 20 odd years, that, for whatever reason, he acted as Master on thirteen occasions. John Brown, who died on the 10th August 1855 aged 51 years, was not only one of the Brethren who helped ensure the future of the Lodge but was also closely associated with the Bronte family.
He was the Church sexton for 20 years, his Father before him having served as sexton for 27 years. He and Joseph Redman proposed Branwell Bronte for membership of the Lodge in 1836 and John Brown maintained a close supportive friendship with Branwell until the latter’s death in 1848. Indeed he was with Branwell shortly before his death on the 24th September.
In his book “In the steps of the Brontes” Ernest Raymond writes “John Brown saw, or suspected, that he was about to die and called the family. And when they had all come, he, in his decency, slipped away. He did not go across the lane to his home but into the empty belfry of the Church. Why? Maybe because it was Sunday morning and the bells would be ringing for Morning Prayers; maybe to toll a passing bell; but maybe for neither of these reasons, since it was still only nine 0′ clock; and he did not know how long his friend would live. Let us not intrude upon his retreat, but leave him there”

Often called by Branwell “Old Knave of Trumps”, John Brown continued to maintain a close contact with the Bronte family, particularly the Rev.Patrick Bronte. His daughter Martha had entered into the service of the Brontes in her early teens. Later, on becoming the Curate and before his marriage to Charlotte,. the Rev A.B.Nichols lodged with the Browns in “their little house against the school”

John Brown’s Grand Lodge Certificate dated November 1832 is on display in the Lodge room together with that of Joseph Redman. The Browns’ family grave is in the Churchyard near the Parsonage wall and is signposted as a point of interest for the benefit of the many thousands of visitors to Haworth.
In his 1931 History of Three Graces, of John Brown, Bro W.Feather writes “It will be difficult to find a case comparable with this, of a Brother giving such a record of service to our cause, His talents and ability, no doubt, were a great feature in the successful steering of the Lodge through the first years of its reconstruction, over the rough seas, without quitting the helm of rectitude.

Haworth Church Cottage

Haworth church cottage Here

The cottage is thought to have been built by John Brown sexton and stonemason in the 1830's. John Brown was the Worshipful Master of the Three Graces Masonic Lodge in Haworth where he introduced Branwell Bronte to the lodge.John Brown was also associated in drinking exploits with Branwell. So Branwell Bronte would have been a regular visitor.

Arthur Bell Nicholls lodged in this house for the nine years before his marriage to Charlotte Bronte. It was here he read the book Shirley written by Charlotte Bronte. Roars of laughter and stamping of feet were heard as he read about the character based on himself causing the wife of John Brown to think "he had gone wrong in the head". After Charlotte and Arthur were married they lived at the parsonage.

CHARLOTTE Brontë's hero-worship of the Duke of Wellington

Wellington was to remain an important figure in the Brontë household. A steady flow of newspapers, reviews, books and magazines would provide all the material that was to feed the Brontës’ hero-worship of the Duke of Wellington, later called the ‘Iron Duke’ when he became Prime Minister. The children inherited their father’s thirst for politics and military leaders; Wellington and Napoleon both appear in various guises in their juvenilia. We all know the story of the box of soldiers their father gave Branwell, from which the children would create an entire fictional world, based on military heroes and actions.

Charlotte in particular was obsessive in her adoration of Wellington, which emerges time and again. Her fictional characters Charles and Arthur Wellesley feature prominently in her early Angrian writings. In Brussels she wrote an essay on ‘The Death of Napoleon’, in which she praises Wellington, making his genius superior to Napoleon’s. Throughout her life she would follow her hero's progress, finally seeing him in the flesh when she visited London in 1850.

Although the main reason for Charlotte and Emily's stay in Brussels in 1842 was educational, there can be little doubt that Waterloo, where their hero Wellington had defeated Napoleon, would be in their minds when they crossed the channel to Belgium. We know that Patrick Brontë visited the site. After leaving his daughters at the Pensionnat Heger, he remained in Brussels for about a week longer, seeing the sights of the city, and availed himself of the opportunity of seeing the historic battlefield for himself. He mentioned it in his first sermon after his return to Haworth. A member of the congregation, Benjamin Binns, writing in the Bradford Observer in 1894, recollected Patrick describing in vivid and vigorous language the field of Waterloo which he had visited from Brussels.

CHARLOTTE BRONTË LETTER RETURNS TO HAWORTH

A press release from the Brontë Parsonage Museum
See news
An important and moving letter written by Charlotte Brontë has returned to Haworth and will go on display for the very first time at the Brontë Parsonage Museum.
The letter is dated 18 October 1848 and was written in the brief interval between the death of her brother Branwell on 24 September, and that of her sister Emily on 19 December. This was one of the darkest periods of Charlotte Brontë’s life, and work on her second novel, Shirley, had faltered. ‘My book – alas! is laid aside’, she writes, adding, ‘…both head and hand seem to have lost their cunning; imagination is pale, stagnant, mute – this incapacity chagrins me; sometimes I have a feeling of cankering care on the subject – but I combat it as well as I can – it does no good.’

The black-bordered letter was written to William Smith Williams, the sympathetic reader at her publishers. It was part of the James L. Copley Library, based in California, and was purchased by the Brontë Society at Sotheby’s in New York earlier this year.

The letters written to William Smith Williams are amongst the most significant of all Charlotte’s correspondence. This particular letter has remained in a private collection in America for many years and it is wonderful to be able to make it available for the first time.’ (Ann Dinsdale, Collections Manager)

The letter will go on display at the museum this week until the end of the year.

Brontë Myths

I found an interesting website

giving information

about

Bronte Myths

.

Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 and Patrick Bronte

In 1833 Earl Grey, the Prime Minister, set up a Poor Law Commission to examine the working of the poor Law system in Britain. In their report published in 1834, the Commission made several recommendations to Parliament. As a result, the Poor Law Amendment Act was passed. The act stated that:

(a) no able-bodied person was to receive money or other help from the Poor Law authorities except in a workhouse;

(b) conditions in workhouses were to be made very harsh to discourage people from wanting to receive help;

(c) workhouses were to be built in every parish or, if parishes were too small, in unions of parishes;

(d) ratepayers in each parish or union had to elect a Board of Guardians to supervise the workhouse, to collect the Poor Rate and to send reports to the Central Poor Law Commission;
(e) the three man Central Poor Law Commission would be appointed by the government and would be responsible for supervising the Amendment Act throughout the country.

Patrick Brontë (1777–1861)
Born into poverty in Ireland, he won a scholarship to St John’s College, Cambridge, and was ordained into the Church of England. He was perpetual curate of Haworth in Yorkshire for forty-one years, bringing up four children, founding a school and campaigning for a proper water supply.
Although often portrayed as a somewhat fobidding figure, he was an opponent of capital punishment and the Poor Law Amendment Act, a supporter of limited Catholic emancipation and a writer of poetry.
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