PG-13 rating for Jane Eyre 2011

PG-13 rating for Jane Eyre 2011

Haworth Church

Visitors to Haworth church could soon be able to visit the crypt where two of the famous Brontë sisters are buried.

The Reverend Peter Mayo-Smith, rector of Haworth, hopes to allow access to the crypt as part of a £1.25 million repair programme at the church.
Mr Mayo-Smith said opening up the crypt could prove a major attraction to fans of the Brontë sisters' writing.
He said: "For people to actually see or feel themselves close to the Brontës would be the most amazing experience."
A plaque in Haworth church is the only sign the Brontës are buried there

Emily Brontë, writer of the torrid love story Wuthering Heights, and Charlotte Brontë, who is perhaps most famous for writing Jane Eyre, are both buried in the crypt under Haworth parish church.
The legendary literary sisters lie alongside other family members who once lived in the nearby parsonage, including their father Patrick and their infamous brother Branwell.

The Reverend Peter Mayo-Smith said the campaign to raise the money needed to repair the church was now underway.
Mr Mayo-Smith said the crypt would need some major work before visitors could be given access.
He explained: "There is a beautiful Victorian arch which at the moment is an absolute mess
"There is a huge oil tank which is redundant and then, on the other side, is where the Brontës are buried."

He said there was huge potential for opening up the crypt so tourists - many of whom come to Haworth from across the world, including from Japan and the United States - could get closer than ever to the final resting place of the two 19th century literary giants.
He said: "Potentially, we don't know yet, we are hoping to be able to see into the crypt where the sisters are buried rather than people just leaving flowers on the marker above."
Mr Mayo-Smith has launched the £1.25 million fundraising campaign, amid hopes that English Heritage might provide half the cash alongside money from Brontë enthusiasts and local businesses.

He said if the big plans for Haworth parish church came to fruition, he hoped they would help boost the economy of the popular tourist village.
He explained: "We want to make sure the church is here for another 150 years.
"If we enhance Haworth church then we can really build something good.
"That will enhance the number of visitors coming into Haworth which has the knock-on effect for all the traders of the village with more income coming into an area which, at times, is struggling."
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Haworth Parish Church

Traders are urging people to support a £1.25 million fundraising project to repair one of the most photographed and visited churches in the world.
They are being rallied to back the project to restore the famous Haworth Parish Church where the Reverend Patrick Bronte, father of the famous Bronte sisters, was in charge until 1861.
The building also houses the crypt where most of the famous literary family is buried. The plight of the church was revealed in yesterday’s Telegraph & Argus.
Mike Hutchinson, chairman of Haworth Village Association, said it was particularly important that help should come from Government sources in these tough financial times.
The project involves repairing the leaking roof, installing a new heating system and re-wiring.
A band of business experts has already volunteered to help steer the fundraising activities by forming a Futures Group. Mr Hutchinson said: “This is an iconic building, a focal point of the village.
“Its importance is crucial to both its religious significance and as a tourist destination. It’s regarded world-wide as the Bronte church.”
Andrew McCarthy, director of the Bronte Parsonage Museum, said: “Haworth’s history and heritage is not simply the Brontes.
“There are other significant aspects of the village’s history and the church has its own heritage as well as its vital connection with the Bronte family. It’s very important the building is taken care of.
“We are supporting the fundraising initiative and despite our own challenges are keen to do anything we can to help.” Haworth Church vicar the Reverend Peter Mayo-Smith said an application had already been made to English Heritage for help.
He said: “We’ll be expected to match fund whatever they may offer. We are among a shortlist of 14 and are hoping to hear the outcome by December.”
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The Ghost of Haworth Station

Haworth Station in the 1880's

Jar Bancroft wrote an article on his blog some time ago about the fatal accident that happened to Binns Bancroft at Haworth Station in 1882, when he was killed by a coal train at Haworth Station.

Was this the end of Binns Bancroft?....maybe not!

Read more, click here

Grafsteen Anne Bronte

De grafsteen van Anne Brontë in Scarborough is niet meer te redden en wordt aan de elementen prijsgegeven. Dat meldt Brontë Society Trustee Stephen Whitehead vandaag via de Brontë Parsonage Blog. De beheerders van de steen besloten van verdere conservering af te zien nadat door deskundigen is vastgesteld dat hij onomkeerbaar is aangetast door de zoute zeelucht en de koude winters.


Zelfs constante behandeling van de grafsteen kan het verval niet meer stoppen. Toen die conclusie afgelopen jaar kwam vast te staan, ontbrandde een brede discussie over hoe te handelen tussen onder andere de dominee van Scarborough, leden van de Brontë Society en bezoekers van het graf. Vervanging door een replica en zelfs het verplaatsten van Anne’s lichaam naar haar oude woonplaats Howarth werden geopperd en afgewezen.

Plaquette
Uiteindelijk is besloten de steen aan de elementen prijs te geven en volgend jaar op het graf een weervastere lijstenen plaquette te plaatsen. Daarop zal naast informatie over Anne, de volledige tekst van de grafsteen te lezen zijn. Inclusief de verkeerde leeftijd van overlijden. Anne was 29 toen ze stierf en niet 28 zoals op de grafsteen is vermeld.

Anne stierf in Scarborough in mei 1849, kort nadat ze samen met zus Charlotte was gearriveerd. De aan tuberculose lijdende schrijfster was naar de kustplaats afgereisd om aan te sterken. Charlotte besloot haar niet te begraven bij de rest van de familie in Haworth, maar ‘to lay the flower where it had fallen’. Het graf op de begraafplaats van St. Mary’s wordt nog steeds door veel bewonderaars bezocht.

Brussel

Sue Lonoff is the editor and translator of Charlotte and Emily Brontë's "Belgian essays" – their French "devoirs" written under the direction of their Brussels teacher M. Heger, who was to be so important to Charlotte's personal and literary development.

Charlotte and Emily reacted very differently to Heger's teaching. Sue Lonoff will compare some of their essays and consider the influence of their Brussels studies on their future writings.

Sue Lonoff is a member of Harvard University's continuing education division. Apart from the Belgian Essays, her Brontë publications include Approaches to Teaching Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights (co-editor), and she has also written on Wilkie Collins and Marguerite Yourcenar.

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.