With new film and television adaptations of Charlotte Bronte's 'Jane Eyre' and Emily Bronte's 'Wuthering Heights' in production, Peter Riley argues that it was Anne Bronte who could have become the greatest of all the literary sisters.

SHE is the least known of the famous Brontë sisters, but her literary legacy tells us that, had she lived,  she would have eclipsed her siblings  and perhaps gone on to write top class novels for decades.

Alas, Anne Brontë, whose bones lie in St Mary’s churchyard in Scarborough, died when she was only 29 after completing only two novels, ‘Agnes Grey’ and the more popular ‘The Tenant of Wildfell Hall’, both of which were arguably better than the books of  Charlotte and Emily. She shunned the flowery, Victorian prose of the time, writing in a more direct, less romantic style, although her powerful stories were also set in and around the Yorkshire moors. In fact, Anne was an early feminist. Her heroines were strong characters who stuck up for themselves against the rigid social conformity of the time which dictated that men were the masters.

The ‘Tenant of Wildfell Hall’ flew off the shelves when it was published in 1848 and within a matter of weeks had sold out. It could, undoubtedly, have gone on selling large quantities for years but for Charlotte Brontë’s interference. Charlotte, for reasons unexplained (but perhaps an element of jealousy?) refused to give permission for the book to be reprinted following the death of Anne from tuberculosis.

She may be the lesser known of the Brontë sisters, but Anne was the strongest character despite being the last of the six children of the Rev. Patrick Brontë and his wife Maria. Anne was born at number 74 Market Street, Thornton, near Bradford, on January 17, 1820 when her father was the curate of Thornton, but shortly afterwards he was offered the perpetual curacy of Haworth a few miles away.

Within a year of the move to Haworth Maria Brontë died, leaving Patrick to bring up six youngsters with the help of his wife’s sister Elizabeth, who had moved into the parsonage initially to nurse Maria but who stayed for the rest of her life. Although history tells us she was a cold, unemotional woman it seems that she had feelings for Anne with whom she shared a room. Elizabeth’s strong personality and religious beliefs are believed to have influenced Anne, particularly later in life, though even as a child she had a precocious nature and author Elizabeth Gaskell who became a friend of the family wrote in her  biography of Charlotte that when she was four years old Anne, in reply to her father asking her what she most wanted in life, gave the unexpected reply ‘age and experience’.

As the children grew they experienced tragedy when the two eldest Brontë sisters Maria and Elizabeth – named after their mother and aunt - died within weeks of each other of consumption aged 11 and 12 respectively. Although we don’t know their personal feelings on the deaths it seems that the loss played a large part in bringing Charlotte, Emily and Anne closer together and as they grew up they relied on each other for companionship. They devised characters and made up stories together, creating imaginary kingdoms with armies, kings, heroes and outlaws. It was the start of their literary careers though they weren’t yet aware of it.

As they grew older each of the three, plus their brother Branwell, were forced to go out into the big wide world of 19th century Yorkshire to work, with Anne taking a job as governess to a family in Mirfield. Unfortunately, as a 19 year old Anne didn’t have the experience of dealing with people and found the task of trying to control unruly children daunting. When she complained to her employers about the wild abandon of her charges, the parents ignored her protests and blamed her for not being able to control them and abruptly brought her employment to an end. Anne returned to Haworth and later reproduced the drama in detail in her first novel ‘Agnes Grey’.

Anne had a steely side to her character and this helped her find another job as a governess to the children of the Rev. Edmund Robinson in Thorp Green, near York, almost 40 miles away from her family home, a remarkably long way in those days. Although, because of her shy nature, she initially had similar problems with the Robinson children, she showed a determination that surprised many people, making a huge success of the job to the point where she was considered ‘wondrously valued’ by the Robinson clan. She spent five years with the Robinsons and though she experienced homesickness she persevered and was an asset in bringing up and educating the Robinson children whom she even accompanied of their annual five week summer holiday to bracing Scarborough. Those annual visits gave Anne a love of the town and she spent any spare time exploring the area, taking her charges on trips in and around the resort. The group always stayed at the same establishment, Wood’s Lodgings, now the site of the Grand Hotel, with wonderful views over the bay and Scarborough Castle. She fell in love with the castle, enjoying walks through the castle grounds and across the Spa Bridge which lay close to the lodgings.

There was talk among the Brontë sisters of starting their own school and while discussing possible locations, Anne always opted for Scarborough. Unfortunately, nothing even came of this idea but Anne continued to love the area. She even managed to get her brother Branwell a position with the Robinsons as tutor to Edmund Robinson Jnr., it being considered at the time more appropriate for a man to teach a male pupil. Branwell had a passionate affair with Mrs Robinson which lasted more than two years and only came to a sharp conclusion when Mr Robinson discovered the relationship and Branwell was dismissed.

In 1845, during a visit to Haworth, Anne resigned her position, believing her brother’s dismissal and ultimate depression made it impossible for her to continue living at Thorp Green. Back at the Parsonage the Brontë sisters resumed their literary ambitions, producing a book of poems under the pseudonyms Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell which was a commercial failure. However, their novels were a different story and success followed all three sisters, with Charlotte and Emily’s output far more romantically inclined compared with the stark realism of Anne’s work in which she was able to call upon some of her own experiences. Her second novel ‘The Tenant of Wildfell Hall’ was published in June 1848 and was sold out within six weeks.

Unfortunately Anne’s health deteriorated and it was discovered that she was suffering with consumption, the Victorian word for tuberculosis. The illness had reached a stage where it was too late to save her and as she weakened further Anne made it clear that she would like to return to Scarborough as the bracing North Sea air was deemed helpful to those suffering from the disease.

She was accompanied to the resort by Charlotte and a family friend Ellen Nussey and they arrived in Scarborough on Friday, May 25, 1849, taking rooms in Wood’s Lodgings, scene of so many happy memories for Anne.  By Monday, May 29, Anne had deteriorated fast and seeing grief in Charlotte’s eyes as they both realised that the end was close she showed her steely spirit for the last time when she said: ‘Take courage, Charlotte; take courage.’ A few minutes later, at 2pm, Anne Brontë died quietly.

Charlotte decided to have her sister buried in St Mary’s churchyard rather than have her body transported back to Haworth. It was, Charlotte later wrote, her decision to ‘lay the flower where it had fallen’ in the shadow of Scarborough Castle in the churchyard of St Mary’s where she had attended services during her time with the Robinson family. Her Scarborough internment also spared Patrick Bronte, then aged 72, the problem of travelling the long distance from Haworth to Scarborough, a formidable journey in those times.

With her death, the literary world lost a formidable personality and we can only speculate on what other classics she might have produced had nature spared her for another few years.

Copyright © 2010 by Peter Riley. All rights reserved.