Life of Charlotte Brontë | Page 6

little
children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."-- MATTHEW
xviii. 3.
HERE ALSO LIE THE REMAINS OF PATRICK BRANWELL
BRONTE, WHO DIED SEPT. 24TH, 1848, AGED 3O YEARS; AND
OF EMILY JANE BRONTE, WHO DIED DEC. 19TH, 1848, AGED
29 YEARS, SON AND DAUGHTER OF THE REV. P. BRONTE,
INCUMBENT.
THIS STONE IS ALSO DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF ANNE
BRONTE, {1} YOUNGEST DAUGHTER OF THE REV. P.
BRONTE, A.B. SHE DIED, AGED 27 YEARS, MAY 28TH, 1849,
AND WAS BURIED AT THE OLD CHURCH, SCARBORO.'
At the upper part of this tablet ample space is allowed between the lines
of the inscription; when the first memorials were written down, the
survivors, in their fond affection, thought little of the margin and verge
they were leaving for those who were still living. But as one dead
member of the household follows another fast to the grave, the lines are
pressed together, and the letters become small and cramped. After the
record of Anne's death, there is room for no other.
But one more of that generation--the last of that nursery of six little
motherless children--was yet to follow, before the survivor, the
childless and widowed father, found his rest. On another tablet, below
the first, the following record has been added to that mournful list:-
ADJOINING LIE THE REMAINS OF CHARLOTTE, WIFE OF THE
REV. ARTHUR BELL NICHOLLS, A.B., AND DAUGHTER OF
THE REV. P. BRONTE, A.B., INCUMBENT SHE DIED MARCH
31ST, 1855, IN THE 39TH YEAR OF HER AGE. {2}
This tablet, which corrects the error in the former tablet as to the age of
Anne Bronte, bears the following inscription in Roman letters; the
initials, however, being in old English.
In Memory of Maria, wife of the Rev. P. Bronte, A.B., Minister of
Haworth, She died Sept. 15th, 1821, in the 39th year of her age. Also,
of Maria, their daughter, who died May 6th, 1825, in the 12th year of
her age. Also, of Elizabeth, their daughter, who died June 15th, 1825,
in the 11th year of her age. Also, of Patrick Branwell, their son, who

died Sept. 24th, 1848, aged 31 years. Also, of Emily Jane, their
daughter, who died Dec. 19th, 1848, aged 30 years. Also, of Anne, their
daughter, who died May 28th, 1849, aged 29 years. She was buried at
the Old Church, Scarborough. Also, of Charlotte, their daughter, wife
of the Rev. A. B. Nicholls, B.A. She died March 31st, 1855, in the 39th
year of her age. "The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the
law, but thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ."--1 Cor. xv. 56, 57.

CHAPTER II

For a right understanding of the life of my dear friend, Charlotte Bronte,
it appears to me more necessary in her case than in most others, that the
reader should be made acquainted with the peculiar forms of population
and society amidst which her earliest years were passed, and from
which both her own and her sisters' first impressions of human life
must have been received. I shall endeavour, therefore, before
proceeding further with my work, to present some idea of the character
of the people of Haworth, and the surrounding districts.
Even an inhabitant of the neighbouring county of Lancaster is struck by
the peculiar force of character which the Yorkshiremen display. This
makes them interesting as a race; while, at the same time, as individuals,
the remarkable degree of self- sufficiency they possess gives them an
air of independence rather apt to repel a stranger. I use this expression
"self-sufficiency" in the largest sense. Conscious of the strong sagacity
and the dogged power of will which seem almost the birthright of the
natives of the West Riding, each man relies upon himself, and seeks no
help at the hands of his neighbour. From rarely requiring the assistance
of others, he comes to doubt the power of bestowing it: from the
general success of his efforts, he grows to depend upon them, and to
over-esteem his own energy and power. He belongs to that keen, yet
short-sighted class, who consider suspicion of all whose honesty is not
proved as a sign of wisdom. The practical qualities of a man are held in
great respect; but the want of faith in strangers and untried modes of
action, extends itself even to the manner in which the virtues are

regarded; and if they produce no immediate and tangible result, they
are rather put aside as unfit for this busy, striving world; especially if
they are more of a passive than an active character. The affections are
strong and their foundations lie deep: but they are not--such affections
seldom are--wide-spreading; nor do they show themselves on the
surface.