The Brontës of Haworth

In one of the loneliest parts of the wild Yorkshire moors lies the village of Haworth.

People say the parsonage at Haworth is haunted by the ghosts of the brilliant, tragic Brontës. Along ancient streets, the ghosts of the three sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne walk among the crowds. Branwell, their brother, still sits silently in the corner of the old pub.

Imagination perhaps, but this is a place of dreams. Lost in a world of windswept loneliness, the Brontës wrote those 19th century stories that we still love to read: Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, are as dramatic today as ever. And for miles around the moors, the grim, grey stones remind us of their novels, which take place in this wild countryside.

But fame came to them late, and this talented family all died young: Branwell, a ruined man; solitary Emily; gentle Anne within months of her success. Charlotte was the only one of the family to get married. Tragically, she died before giving birth to her first child.

In spite of the sadness of their lives, the Brontës have passed on their experience of beauty and passion. In their novels, you can breathe the atmosphere of the moors and feel the powerful personalities of these famous novelists.

Susan Sheerin, Jonathan Seath, Gillian White: Spotlight on Britain; Oxford University Press, 1985, page 66

Do you know any ghost stories about the area where you live? If so, tell them to the class.

Would you spend the night alone in a haunted house? What would you take with you?

Do you believe in ghosts? Why/why not? What about vampires?