PREFACE

It is claimed for the following book of some five hundred pages that the larger part of it is an addition of entirely new material to the romantic story of the Brontes. For this result, but very small credit is due to me; and my very hearty acknowledgments must be made, in the first place, to the Rev. Arthur Bell Nicholls, for whose generous surrender of personal inclination I must ever be grateful. It has been with extreme unwillingness that Mr. Nicholls has broken the silence of forty years, and he would not even now have consented to the publication of certain letters concerning his marriage, had he not been aware that these letters were already privately printed and in the hands of not less than eight or ten people. To Miss Ellen Nussey of Gomersall, I have also to render thanks for having placed the many letters in her possession at my disposal, and for having furnished a great deal of interesting information. Without the letters from Charlotte Bronte to Mr. W. S. Williams, which were kindly lent to me by his son and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Thornton Williams, my book would have been the poorer. Sir Wemyss Reid, Mr. J. J. Stead, of Heckmondwike, Mr. Butler Wood, of Bradford, Mr. W. W. Yates, of Dewsbury, Mr. Erskine Stuart, Mr. Buxton Forman, and Mr. Thomas J. Wise are among the many Bronte specialists who have helped me with advice or with the loan of material. Mr. Wise, in particular, has lent me many valuable manuscripts. Finally, I have to thank my friend Dr. Robertson Nicoll for the kindly pressure which has practically compelled me to prepare this little volume amid a multitude of journalistic duties.

CLEMENT K. SHORTER. 198 STRAND, LONDON, September 1_st_, 1896.

CONTENTS

PRELIMINARY CHAPTER I PATRICK BRONTE AND MARIA HIS WIFE CHAPTER II CHILDHOOD CHAPTER III SCHOOL AND GOVERNESS LIFE CHAPTER IV PENSIONNAT HEGER, BRUSSELS CHAPTER V PATRICK BRANWELL BRONTE CHAPTER VI EMILY JANE BRONTE CHAPTER VII ANNE BRONTE CHAPTER VIII ELLEN NUSSEY CHAPTER IX MARY TAYLOR CHAPTER X MARGARET WOOLER CHAPTER XI THE CURATES AT HAWORTH CHAPTER XII CHARLOTTE BRONTE'S LOVERS CHAPTER XIII LITERARY AMBITIONS CHAPTER XIV WILLIAM SMITH WILLIAMS CHAPTER XV WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY CHAPTER XVI LITERARY FRIENDSHIPS CHAPTER XVII ARTHUR BELL NICHOLLS

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

CHARLOTTE BRONTE Frontispiece PATRICK BRANWELL BRONTE facing page 120 FACSIMILE OF PAGE OF EMILY BRONTE'S DIARY facing page 146 FACSIMILE OF TWO PAGES OF EMILY BRONTE'S DIARY facing page 154 ANNE BRONTE facing page 182 MISS ELLEN NUSSEY AS A SCHOOLGIRL ) MISS ELLEN NUSSEY TO-DAY ) facing page 207 THE REV. ARTHUR BELL NICHOLLS facing page 467

A BRONTE CHRONOLOGY

Patrick Bronte born 17 March 1777 Maria Bronte born 1783 Patrick leaves Ireland for Cambridge 1802 Degree of A.B. 1806 Curacy at Wetherfield, Essex 1806 ,, Dewsbury Yorks 1809 ,, Hartshead-cum-Clifton 1811 Publishes 'Cottage Poems' (Halifax) 1811 Married to Maria Branwell 18 Dec. 1812 First Child, Maria, born 1813 Publishes 'The Rural Minstrel' 1813 Elizabeth born 1814 Publishes 'The Cottage in the Wood' 1815 Curacy at Thornton 1816 Charlotte Bronte born at Thornton 21 April 1816 Patrick Branwell Bronte born 1817 Emily Jane Bronte born 1818 'The Maid of Killarney' published 1818 Anne Bronte born 1819 Removal to Incumbency of Haworth February 1820 Mrs. Bronte died 15 September 1821 Maria and Elizabeth Bronte at Cowan Bridge July 1824 Charlotte and Emily ,, ,, September 1824 Leave Cowan Bridge 1825 Maria Bronte died 6 May 1825 Elizabeth Bronte died 15 June 1825 Charlotte Bronte at School, January 1831 Roe Head Leaves Roe Head School 1832 First Visit to Ellen Nussey at The Rydings September 1832 Returns to Roe Head as governess 29 July 1835 Branwell visits London 1835 Emily spends three months at Roe Head, when Anne 1835 takes her place and she returns home Ellen Nussey visits Haworth in Holidays July 1836 Miss Wooler's School removed to Dewsbury Moor 1836 Emily at a School at Halifax for six months 1836 (Miss Patchet of Law Hill) First Proposal of Marriage (Henry Nussey) March 1839 Anne Bronte becomes governess at Blake Hall, April 1839 (Mrs. Ingham's) Charlotte governess at Mrs. Sidgwick's at Stonegappe, 1839 and at Swarcliffe, Harrogate Second Proposal of Marriage (Mr. Price) 1839 Charlotte and Emily at Haworth, 1840 Anne at Blake Hall _Charlotte's second situation as governess with March 1841 Mrs. White_, Upperwood House, Rawdon Charlotte and Emily go to School at Brussels February 1842 Miss Branwell died at Haworth 29 Oct. 1842 Charlotte and Emily return to Haworth Nov. 1842 Charlotte returns to Brussels Jan. 1843 Returns to Haworth Jan. 1844 Anne and Branwell at Thorp Green 1845 Charlotte visits Mary Taylor at Hounsden 1845 Visits Miss Nussey at Brookroyd 1845 Publication of Poems by Currer, 1846 Ellis and Acton Bell _Charlotte Bronte visits Manchester with her father for Aug. 1846 him to see an Oculist_ 'Jane Eyre' published (Smith & Elder) Oct. 1847 'Wuthering Heights' and 'Agnes Grey', (Newby) Dec. 1847 Charlotte and Emily visit London June 1848 'Tenant of Wildfell Hall' 1848 Branwell died 24 Sept. 1848 Emily died 19 Dec. 1848 Anne Bronte died at Scarborough 28 May 1849 'Shirley' published 1849 Visit to London, first meeting with Thackeray Nov. 1849 Visit to London, sits for Portrait to Richmond 1850 Third Offer of Marriage (James Taylor) 1851 Visit to London for Exhibition 1851 'Villette' published 1852 Visit to London 1853 Visit to Manchester to Mrs. Gaskell 1853 Marriage 29 June 1854 Death 31 March 1855 Patrick Bronte died 7 June 1861

PRELIMINARY: MRS. GASKELL

In the whole of English biographical literature there is no book that can compare in widespread interest with the Life of Charlotte Bronte by Mrs. Gaskell. It has held a position of singular popularity for forty years; and while biography after biography has come and gone, it still commands a place side by side with Boswell's Johnson and Lockhart's Scott. As far as mere readers are concerned, it may indeed claim its hundreds as against the tens of intrinsically more important rivals. There are obvious reasons for this success. Mrs. Gaskell was herself a popular novelist, who commanded a very wide audience, and Cranford, at least, has taken a place among the classics of our literature. She brought to bear upon the biography of Charlotte Bronte all those literary gifts which had made the charm of her seven volumes of romance. And these gifts were employed upon a romance of real life, not less fascinating than anything which imagination could have furnished. Charlotte Bronte's success as an author turned the eyes of the world upon her. Thackeray had sent her his Vanity Fair before he knew her name or sex. The precious volume lies before me--

Charlotte Brontë and Her Circle

PREFACE✦

PREFACE