Anne Brontë (,
commonly ; 17 January 1820 – 28 May 1849) was an English novelist and poet, the youngest member of the
Brontë literary family.
Anne Brontë was the daughter of
Maria ( Branwell) and
Patrick Brontë
Patrick Brontë (, commonly ; born Patrick Brunty; 17 March 1777 – 7 June 1861) was an Irish Anglican minister and author who spent most of his adult life in England. He was the father of the writers Charlotte Brontë, Charlotte, Emily Bront ...
, a poor Irish clergyman in the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
. Anne lived most of her life with her family at the parish of
Haworth on the Yorkshire Dales. Otherwise, she attended a boarding school in
Mirfield
Mirfield () is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the A644 road (Great B ...
between 1836 and 1837, and between 1839 and 1845 lived elsewhere working as a governess. In 1846, she published
a book of poems with her sisters and later two novels, initially under the pen name Acton Bell. Her first novel, ''
Agnes Grey'', was published in 1847 at the same time as ''
Wuthering Heights
''Wuthering Heights'' is the only novel by the English author Emily Brontë, initially published in 1847 under her pen name "Ellis Bell". It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the ...
'' by her sister
Emily Brontë
Emily Jane Brontë (, commonly ; 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English writer best known for her 1847 novel, ''Wuthering Heights''. She also co-authored a book of poetry with her sisters Charlotte Brontë, Charlotte and Anne Bront� ...
. Anne's second novel, ''
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall'', was published in 1848. ''The Tenant of Wildfell Hall'' is often considered one of the first
feminist
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...
novels.
Anne died at 29, most likely of
pulmonary tuberculosis. After her death, her sister
Charlotte edited ''Agnes Grey'' to fix issues with its first edition, but prevented republication of ''The Tenant of Wildfell Hall''. As a result, Anne is not as well known as her sisters. Nonetheless, both of her novels are considered classics of
English literature
English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...
.
Family background
Anne's father was
Patrick Brontë
Patrick Brontë (, commonly ; born Patrick Brunty; 17 March 1777 – 7 June 1861) was an Irish Anglican minister and author who spent most of his adult life in England. He was the father of the writers Charlotte Brontë, Charlotte, Emily Bront ...
. Patrick Brontë was born in a two-room cottage in Emdale,
Loughbrickland, County Down, Ireland.
[Fraser, ''The Brontës'', p. 4][Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 3] He was the oldest of ten children born to Hugh Brunty and Eleanor McCrory, poor Irish peasant farmers.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 2] The family surname, ''mac Aedh Ó Proinntigh'', was
Anglicised
Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...
as Prunty or Brunty.
Struggling against poverty, Patrick learned to read and write, and from 1798 taught others. In 1802, at 25, he won a place to study theology at
St. John's College, Cambridge. Here he changed his name, Brunty, to the more distinguished sounding Brontë. In 1807, he was ordained in the priesthood in the Church of England.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 14] He served as a
curate
A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' () of souls of a parish. In this sense, ''curate'' means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy who are as ...
in Essex and then in Wellington, Shropshire. In 1810, he published his first poem, ''Winter Evening Thoughts'', in a local newspaper.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 41] In 1811, he published a collection of moral verse, ''Cottage Poems''.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 43] Also in 1811, he became vicar of St. Peter's Church in
Hartshead, Yorkshire.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 36] In 1812, he was appointed an examiner in Classics at
Woodhouse Grove School, near
Bradford
Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...
. This was a
Wesleyan academy where, at 35, he met his future wife, the headmaster's niece,
Maria Branwell.
Maria Branwell, Anne's mother, was the daughter of Anne Carne, the daughter of a silversmith, and Thomas Branwell, a successful and property-owning grocer and tea merchant in
Penzance
Penzance ( ; ) is a town, civil parish and port in the Penwith district of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is the westernmost major town in Cornwall and is about west-southwest of Plymouth and west-southwest of London. Situated in the ...
.
[Fraser, ''The Brontës'', pp. 12–13] Maria was the eleventh of twelve children and enjoyed the benefits of a prosperous family in a small town. After the death of her parents, Maria went to help her aunt with housekeeping functions at the school. Maria was intelligent and well read,
[Fraser, ''The Brontës'', p. 15] and her strong
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
faith attracted Patrick Brontë, whose own leanings were similar.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 48]
Within three months, on 29 December 1812, though from considerably different backgrounds, Patrick Brontë and Maria Branwell were married.
[Fraser, ''The Brontës'', p. 16] Their first child, Maria (1814–1825), was born after they moved to
Hartshead. In 1815, Patrick was appointed curate of the chapel in Market Street
Thornton, near
Bradford
Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...
. A second daughter, Elizabeth (1815–1825), was born shortly after.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 61] Four more children followed:
Charlotte (1816–1855),
Patrick Branwell (1817–1848),
Emily (1818–1848), and Anne (1820–1849).
Early life
Anne was the youngest of the Brontë children. She was born on 17 January 1820 at the parsonage in Market Street,
Thornton (now known as the
Brontë Birthplace), on the outskirts of
Bradford
Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...
.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 86] Her father, Patrick, was curate there. Anne was baptised there on 25 March 1820. Later Patrick was appointed to the perpetual curacy in Haworth, a small town away. In April 1820 the family moved into the five-roomed Haworth Parsonage.
When Anne was barely a year old her mother, Maria, became ill, probably with
uterine cancer.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', pp. 102–104] Maria Branwell died on 15 September 1821.
[Fraser, ''The Brontës'', p. 28] Patrick tried to remarry, without success.
[Fraser, ''The Brontës'', p. 30] Maria's sister, Elizabeth Branwell, had moved to the parsonage initially for Maria, but spent the rest of her life there raising Maria's children from a sense of duty. She was stern and expected respect, not love.
[Fraser, ''The Brontës'', p. 29] There was little affection between her and the older children. According to tradition Anne was her favourite.
In
Elizabeth Gaskell
Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (''née'' Stevenson; 29 September 1810 – 12 November 1865), often referred to as Mrs Gaskell, was an English novelist, biographer, and short story writer. Her novels offer detailed studies of Victorian era, Victoria ...
's biography of Charlotte, Patrick remembered Anne as precocious. Patrick said that when Anne was four years old he had asked her what a child most wanted and that she had said: "age and experience".
[Fraser, ''The Brontës'', p. 31]
In summer 1824 Patrick sent daughters Maria, Elizabeth, Charlotte, and Emily to Crofton Hall in
Crofton, West Yorkshire, and subsequently to the Clergy Daughter's School at
Cowan Bridge
Cowan Bridge is a village in the English county of Lancashire.
It is south-east of the town of Kirkby Lonsdale where the main A65 road crosses the Leck Beck. It forms part of the civil parish of Burrow-with-Burrow.
Clergy Daughters' School
C ...
in Lancashire.
[Fraser, ''The Brontës'', p. 35] Maria and Elizabeth Brontë died of
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
on 6 May and 15 June 1825 respectively, and Charlotte and Emily were brought home.
The unexpected deaths distressed the family so much that Patrick could not face sending them away again. They were educated at home for the next five years, largely by Elizabeth Branwell and Patrick.
[Fraser, ''The Brontës'', pp. 44–45] The children made little attempt to mix with others outside the parsonage and relied on each other for company. The bleak moors surrounding Haworth became their playground. Anne shared a room with her aunt, Elizabeth. They were close, and she may have influenced Anne's personality and religious beliefs.
[Gérin, ''Anne Brontë'', p. 35]
Education

Anne's studies at home included music and drawing. The Keighley church organist gave piano lessons to Anne and Emily and Branwell, and John Bradley of Keighley gave them art lessons. Each drew with some skill.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 150] Their aunt tried to teach the girls how to run a household, but they inclined more to literature.
[Fraser, ''The Brontës'', p. 45] They read much from their father's well-stocked library. Their reading included the Bible,
Homer
Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...
,
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro (; 15 October 70 BC21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Rome, ancient Roman poet of the Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Augustan period. He composed three of the most fa ...
,
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
,
Milton,
Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...
,
Scott, articles from ''
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine
''Blackwood's Magazine'' was a British magazine and miscellany printed between 1817 and 1980. It was founded by publisher William Blackwood and originally called the ''Edinburgh Monthly Magazine'', but quickly relaunched as ''Blackwood's Edinbu ...
'' and ''
Fraser's Magazine
''Fraser's Magazine for Town and Country'' was a general and literary journal published in London from 1830 to 1882, which initially took a strong Tory line in politics. It was founded by Hugh Fraser and William Maginn in 1830 and loosely direc ...
'' and ''The Edinburgh Review'', and books of history and geography and biography.
[Fraser, ''The Brontës'', pp. 45–48]
Their reading fed their imaginations, and their creativity soared after their father gave Branwell a set of toy soldiers in June 1826. They gave names to the soldiers, or the "Twelves", and developed their characters. This led to the creation of an imaginary world: the African kingdom of "
Angria", which was illustrated with maps and watercolour renderings. The children devised plots about the inhabitants of Angria and its capital city, "Glass Town", later called Verreopolis or Verdopolis.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', pp. 154–155]
Their fantastical worlds and kingdoms gradually acquired characteristics from their historical world, drawing from its sovereigns, armies, heroes, outlaws, fugitives, inns, schools, and publishers. The characters and lands created by the children were given newspapers and magazines and chronicles written in tiny books with writing so small that it was difficult to read without a magnifying glass. These creations and writings were an apprenticeship for their later literary talents.
[Fraser, ''The Brontës'', pp. 48–58]
Juvenilia
Around 1831, when Anne was eleven, she and Emily broke away from Charlotte and Branwell to create and develop their own fantasy world, "
Gondal". Anne and Emily were particularly close, especially after Charlotte left for Roe Head School in January 1831.
[Fraser, ''The Brontës'', pp. 52–53] Charlotte's friend
Ellen Nussey visited Haworth in 1833 and reported that Emily and Anne were "like twins" and "inseparable companions". She described Anne so:
Anne took lessons from Charlotte after Charlotte had returned from Roe Head. Charlotte returned to Roe Head as a teacher on 29 July 1835, accompanied by Emily as a pupil. Emily's tuition was largely financed by Charlotte's teaching. Emily was unable to adapt to life at school and was physically ill from homesickness within a few months. She was withdrawn from school by October and replaced by Anne.
Anne was 15 and it was her first time away from home. She made few friends at Roe Head. She was quiet and hardworking and determined to stay to acquire the education which she would need to support herself.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', pp. 237–238][Fraser, ''The Brontës'', p. 84] She stayed for two years and returned home only during Christmas and summer holidays. She won a good-conduct medal in December 1836. Charlotte's letters almost never mention Anne while Anne was at Roe Head, which might imply that they were not close, but Charlotte was at least concerned about Anne's health. By December 1837 Anne had become seriously ill with
gastritis
Gastritis is the inflammation of the lining of the stomach. It may occur as a short episode or may be of a long duration. There may be no symptoms but, when symptoms are present, the most common is upper abdominal pain (see dyspepsia). Othe ...
and embroiled in religious crisis.
[Fraser, ''The Brontës'', p. 113] A
Moravian minister was called to see her several times during her illness, suggesting her distress was caused, in part, by conflict with the local Anglican clergy. Charlotte wrote to their father and he brought Anne home.
Employment at Blake Hall

A year after leaving the school, and aged 19, Anne was seeking a teaching position. She was the daughter of a poor clergyman and needed to earn money. Her father had no private income and the parsonage would revert to the church on his death. Teaching or working as a governess were among few options for a poor and educated woman. In April 1839 Anne started work as a governess for the Ingham family at Blake Hall, near
Mirfield
Mirfield () is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the A644 road (Great B ...
.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 307]
The children in her charge were spoiled and disobedient.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 308] Anne had great difficulty controlling them and little success in educating them. She was not allowed to punish them, and when she complained about their behaviour she received no support and was criticised for being incapable. The Inghams were dissatisfied with their children's progress and dismissed Anne.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 318] She returned home in 1839 at Christmas. At home also were Charlotte and Emily, who had left their positions, and Branwell. Anne's time at Blake Hall was so traumatic that she reproduced it in almost perfect detail in her novel ''Agnes Grey''.
William Weightman
Anne returned to Haworth and met William Weightman, her father's new curate who had started work in the parish in August 1839.
[Alexander & Smith, '' The Oxford Companion to the Brontës'', p. 531] Weightman was 25 and had obtained a two-year licentiate in theology from the
University of Durham
Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by royal charter in 1837. It was the first recognised university to ...
. He was welcome at the parsonage. Anne's acquaintance with him parallels her writing a number of poems, which may suggest she fell in love with him
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 341][Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 407] although there is disagreement over this possibility.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 344] Little evidence exists beyond a small anecdote of Charlotte's to Ellen Nussey in January 1842.
In ''Agnes Grey'', Agnes' interest in the curate refreshes her interest in poetry. Outside fiction, William Weightman aroused much curiosity. It seems that he was good-looking and engaging, and that his easy humour and kindness towards the sisters made an impression. It is such a character that she portrays in Edward Weston, and that her heroine Agnes Grey finds deeply appealing.
[Gérin, ''Anne Brontë'', p. 138]
Weightman died of cholera in the same year.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 403] Anne expressed her grief for his death in her poem ''I will not mourn thee, lovely one'', in which she called him "our darling".
Governess
From 1840 to 1845 Anne worked at Thorp Green Hall, a comfortable country house near
York
York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
. Here she was governess to the children of the Reverend Edmund Robinson and his wife, Lydia.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 329] The house appeared as Horton Lodge in ''Agnes Grey''. Anne had four pupils: Lydia (15), Elizabeth (13), Mary (12), and Edmund (8).
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 330] She initially had problems similar to those at Blake Hall. Anne missed her home and family. In a diary paper in 1841, she wrote that she did not like her situation and wished to leave it. Her quiet and gentle disposition did not help.
[Gérin, ''Anne Brontë'', p. 135] But Anne was determined and made a success of her position, becoming well-liked by her employers. Her charges, the Robinson girls, became lifelong friends.
Anne spent only five or six weeks a year with her family, during holidays at Christmas and in June. The rest of her time was spent with the Robinsons. She accompanied the Robinsons on annual holidays to
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to:
People
* Scarborough (surname)
* Earl of Scarbrough
Places Australia
* Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth
* Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong
* Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...
. Between 1840 and 1844 Anne spent around five weeks each summer at the coastal town and loved it.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', pp. 358–359] A number of locations in Scarborough were used for her novels. She had opportunities to collect semi-precious stones, considering an interest in geology, at least in her novels, or from personal experience, as something suitable for men and women to be considered as equals.
Anne and her sisters considered setting up a school while she was still working for the Robinsons. Various locations were considered, including the parsonage, but the project never materialised. Anne came home on the death of her aunt in early November 1842 while her sisters were in Brussels.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 404] Elizabeth Branwell left a £350 legacy (equivalent to £ in ) for each of her nieces.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 409]
It was at the Long Plantation at Thorp Green in 1842 that Anne wrote her three-verse poem ''Lines Composed in a Wood on a Windy Day'', which was published in 1846 under the name Acton Bell.
In January 1843 Anne returned to Thorp Green and secured a position for Branwell. He was to tutor Edmund, who was growing too old to be in Anne's care. Branwell did not live in the house as Anne did. Anne's vaunted calm appears to have been the result of hard-fought battles, balancing deeply felt emotions with careful thought, a sense of responsibility and resolute determination.
[Gérin, ''Anne Brontë'', p. 134] All three Brontë sisters worked as governesses or teachers, and all experienced problems controlling their charges, gaining support from their employers, and coping with homesickness, but Anne was the only one who persevered and made a success of her work.
Back at the parsonage

Anne and Branwell taught at Thorp Green for the next three years. Branwell entered into a secret relationship with his employer's wife, Lydia Robinson. When Anne and Branwell returned home for the holidays in June 1845 Anne resigned.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 450] Anne gave no reason, but the reason may have been the relationship between her brother and Mrs Robinson. Branwell was dismissed when his employer found out about the relationship. Anne continued to exchange letters with Elizabeth and Mary Robinson. They came to visit Anne in December 1848.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 574]
Anne took Emily to visit some of the places which Anne had become fond of. A plan to visit
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to:
People
* Scarborough (surname)
* Earl of Scarbrough
Places Australia
* Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth
* Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong
* Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...
fell through, but they went to
York
York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
and saw
York Minster
York Minster, formally the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, is an Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. The minster is the seat of the archbishop of York, the second-highest of ...
.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 451]
A book of poems

The Brontës were at home with their father during the summer of 1845. None had any immediate prospect of employment. Charlotte found Emily's poems, which had been shared only with Anne. Charlotte said that they should be published. Anne showed her own poems to Charlotte, and Charlotte "thought that these verses too had a sweet sincere pathos of their own". The sisters eventually reached an agreement. They told nobody what they were doing. With the money from Elizabeth Branwell they paid for publication of a collection of poems, 21 from Anne and 21 from Emily and 19 from Charlotte.
The book was published under
pen name
A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name.
A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...
s which retained their initials but concealed their sex.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 480] Anne's pseudonym was Acton Bell. ''
Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell'' was available for sale in May 1846. The cost of publication was 31 pounds and 10 shillings, about three-quarters of Anne's salary at Thorp Green. On 7 May 1846 the first three copies were delivered to Haworth Parsonage.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 491] The book achieved three somewhat favourable reviews, but was a commercial failure, with only two copies sold in the first year. Anne nonetheless found a market for her later poetry. The ''Leeds Intelligencer'' and ''Fraser's Magazine'' published her poem ''The Narrow Way'' under her pseudonym in December 1848. Four months earlier, Fraser's Magazine had published her poem ''The Three Guides''.
Novels
''Agnes Grey''
By July 1846 a package containing the manuscripts of each sister's first novel was making the rounds of London publishers. Charlotte had written ''
The Professor'', Emily had written ''
Wuthering Heights
''Wuthering Heights'' is the only novel by the English author Emily Brontë, initially published in 1847 under her pen name "Ellis Bell". It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the ...
'', and Anne had written ''Agnes Grey''.
After some rejections ''Wuthering Heights'' and ''Agnes Grey'' were accepted by the publisher
Thomas Cautley Newby. ''The Professor'' was rejected.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 525] It was not long before Charlotte had completed her second novel, ''
Jane Eyre
''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The firs ...
''. ''Jane Eyre'' was accepted immediately by
Smith, Elder & Co. It was the first published of the sisters' novels, and an immediate and resounding success. Meanwhile, Anne and Emily's novels "lingered in the press". Anne and Emily were obliged to pay fifty pounds to help meet their publishing costs. Their publisher was galvanised by the success of ''Jane Eyre'' and published ''Wuthering Heights'' and ''Agnes Grey'' together in December 1847.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 539] They sold well, but ''Agnes Grey'' was outshone by Emily's more dramatic ''Wuthering Heights''.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 540]
''The Tenant of Wildfell Hall''
Anne's second novel, ''
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall'', was published in the last week of June 1848.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 557]
The novel challenged contemporary social and legal structures. In 1913,
May Sinclair said that the slamming of Helen Huntingdon's bedroom door against her husband reverberated throughout Victorian England.
In the book Helen has left her husband to protect their son from his influence. She supports herself and her son in hiding by painting. She has violated social conventions and English law. Until the
Married Women's Property Act 1870
The Married Women's Property Act 1870 (33 & 34 Vict. c. 93) was an Act of Parliament (United Kingdom), act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that allowed married women to be the legal owners of the money they earned and to inherit property ...
was passed, a married woman had no legal existence independent from her husband and could not own property nor sue for
divorce
Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganising of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the M ...
nor control the custody of her children. Helen's husband had a right to reclaim her and charge her with kidnapping. By subsisting on her own income she was stealing her husband's property since this income was legally his.
Anne stated her intentions in the second edition, published in August 1848. She presented a forceful rebuttal to critics (among them Charlotte) who considered her portrayal of Huntingdon overly graphic and disturbing. Anne "wished to tell the truth". She explained: "When we have to do with vice and vicious characters, I maintain it is better to depict them as they really are than as they would wish to appear."
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 532] Anne also castigated reviewers who speculated on the sex of authors and the perceived appropriateness of their writing. She was
London visit

In July 1848 Anne and Charlotte went to Charlotte's publisher
George Smith in London to dispel the rumour that the "Bell brothers" were one person. Emily refused to go. Anne and Charlotte spent several days with Smith. Many years after Anne's death, he wrote in ''
The Cornhill Magazine
''The Cornhill Magazine'' (1860–1975) was a monthly Victorian magazine and literary journal named after the street address of the founding publisher Smith, Elder & Co. at 65 Cornhill in London.Laurel Brake and Marysa Demoor, ''Dictionar ...
'' his impressions of her:
The increasing popularity of the Bells' works led to renewed interest in ''Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell'', originally published by Aylott and Jones. The remaining print run was bought by Smith and Elder, and reissued under new covers in November 1848. It still sold poorly.
Family tragedies
Branwell's persistent drunkenness disguised the decline of his health and he died on 24 September 1848.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 568] His sudden death shocked the family. He was 31. The cause was recorded as chronic bronchitis
marasmus, but was probably
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
.
The family suffered from coughs and colds during the winter of 1848, and Emily became very ill. She worsened over two months and rejected medical aid until the morning of 19 December. She was very weak and said that "if you will send for a doctor, I will see him now".
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 576] But Emily died at about two o'clock that afternoon, aged 30.
Emily's death deeply affected Anne. Her grief undermined her physical health. Over Christmas Anne had influenza. Her symptoms intensified and in early January her father sent for a
Leeds
Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
physician. The doctor diagnosed advanced
consumption with little hope of recovery. Anne met the news with characteristic determination and self-control.
[
] However, in her letter to Ellen Nussey she expressed her frustrated ambitions:
Unlike Emily, Anne took all the recommended medicines and followed the advice she was given.
[Alexander & Smith, '' The Oxford Companion to the Brontës'', p. 72] She also wrote her last poem, ''A dreadful darkness closes in'', in which she deals with being terminally ill.
[Alexander & Smith, '' The Oxford Companion to the Brontës'', p. 170] Her health fluctuated for months, but she grew thinner and weaker.
Death
Anne seemed somewhat better in February.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 588] She decided to visit Scarborough to see if the change of location and the fresh sea air might benefit her.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 587] Charlotte was initially against the journey, fearing that it would be too stressful, but changed her mind after the doctor's approval and Anne's assurance that it was her last hope.
On 24 May 1849, Anne set off for Scarborough with Charlotte and
Ellen Nussey. They spent a day and night in York en route. Here they escorted Anne in a wheelchair and did some shopping and visited
York Minster
York Minster, formally the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, is an Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. The minster is the seat of the archbishop of York, the second-highest of ...
. It was clear that Anne had little strength left.

On Sunday 27 May, Anne asked Charlotte whether it would be easier to return home and die instead of remaining in Scarborough. A doctor was consulted the next day and said that death was close. Anne received the news quietly. She expressed her love and concern for Ellen and Charlotte, and whispered for Charlotte to "take courage".
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 594] Anne died at about two o'clock in the afternoon on 28 May 1849, aged 29.
Charlotte decided to "lay the flower where it had fallen".
So Anne was buried in Scarborough. The funeral was held on 30 May. Patrick Brontë could not have made the journey if he had wished to. The former schoolmistress at Roe Head, Miss Wooler, was in Scarborough, and she was the only other mourner at Anne's funeral.
[Barker, ''The Brontës'', p. 595] Anne was buried in
St Mary's churchyard, beneath the castle walls and overlooking the bay. Charlotte commissioned a stone to be placed over her grave with the inscription, When Charlotte visited the grave three years later she discovered multiple errors on the headstone and had it refaced, but it was still not free of error, for Anne was 29 when she died, not 28 as written.
In 2011 the
Brontë Society installed a new plaque at Anne Brontë's grave. The original gravestone had become illegible at places and could not be restored. It was left undisturbed while the new plaque was laid horizontally, interpreting the fading words of the original and correcting its error.
In April 2013 the Brontë Society held a dedication and blessing service at the gravesite to mark the installation of the new plaque.
Reputation
After Anne's death, Charlotte addressed issues with the first edition of ''Agnes Grey'' for its republication, but she prevented republication of ''The Tenant of Wildfell Hall''.
[Fraser, ''The Brontës'', p. 387] In 1850, Charlotte wrote that Subsequent critics paid less attention to Anne's work and some dismissed her as "a Brontë without genius".
But since the mid-20th century her life and works have been given better attention. Biographies by
Winifred Gérin (1959), Elizabeth Langland (1989) and Edward Chitham (1991), as well as Juliet Barker's group biography, ''The Brontës'' (1994; revised edition 2000), and work by critics such as
Inga-Stina Ewbank, Marianne Thormählen, Laura C Berry, Jan B Gordon, Mary Summers, and Juliet McMaster has led to acceptance of Anne Brontë as a major literary figure.
[Harrison and Stanford, ''Anne Brontë — Her Life and Work'', стр. 243—245] Sally McDonald of the Brontë Society said in 2013 that in some ways Anne "is now viewed as the most radical of the sisters, writing about tough subjects such as women's need to maintain independence and how alcoholism can tear a family apart."
In 2016
Lucy Mangan
Lucy Mangan (born 1974) is a British journalist and author. She is a columnist, features writer and TV critic for ''The Guardian'' and an opinion writer for '' i'' news.
Early life and education
Mangan was born in 1974 and grew up in Catford, ...
championed Anne Brontë in the BBC's ''Being the Brontës''.
Works
*
*
*
See also
*
List of feminist literature – 1840s
Notes
References
* Alexander, Christine & Smith, Margaret, ''The Oxford Companion to the Brontës'', Oxford University Press, 2006,
*
Barker, Juliet, ''The Brontës'', St. Martin's Pr.,
* Chitham, Edward, ''A Life of Anne Brontë'', Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1991,
* Fraser, Rebeca, ''The Brontës: Charlotte Brontë and her family'', Crown Publishers, 1988,
*
Gérin, Winifred, ''Anne Brontë'', Allen Lane, 1976,
* Harrison, Ada and Stanford, Derek, ''Anne Brontë – Her Life and Work'', Archon Books, 1970 (first published 1959).
Further reading
* Allott, Miriam, ''The Brontës: The Critical Heritage'', 1984
*
Barker, Juliet, ''The Brontës'', 2000 (revised edition)
* Chadwick, Ellis, ''In the Footsteps of the Brontës'', 1982
* Chitham, Edward, ''A Brontë Family Chronology'', 2003
* Chitham, Edward, ''A Life of Anne Brontë'', 1991
*
Eagleton, Terry, ''Myths of Power'', 1975
*
Ellis, Samantha, ''Take Courage: Anne Brontë and the Art of Life'', 2016
*
Gérin, Winifred, ''Anne Brontë: A Biography'', 1959
* Langland, Elizabeth, ''Anne Brontë: The Other One'', 1989
*
Miller, Lucasta, ''The Brontë Myth'', 2001
* Scott, P. J. M., ''Anne Brontë: A New Critical Assessment'', 1983
* Summers, Mary, ''Anne Brontë Educating Parents'', 2003
*
Wise, T. J. and Symington, J. A. (eds.), ''The Brontës: Their Lives, Friendships and Correspondences'', 1932
External links
Anne Brontë's grave in Scarborough, biographical materials and complete poems of Anne Brontë
Anne Brontë – Writer Of Genius biographical materials on Anne and her family
Anne Bronte at Northwestern University information about Anne and Victorian society, critical reception of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
*
a
A Celebration of Women WritersWebsite of the Brontë Society and Brontë Parsonage Museum in HaworthAnne Brontë papers, circa 1840s–1895 held by the Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature,
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress a ...
.
Electronic editions
Anne Brontë eText ArchiveWorks by Anne Brontë in the online library ARHEVE.organd in the fre
ARHEVE app– Audio Poem
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bronte, Anne
1820 births
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Anne
Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...
Burials in North Yorkshire
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