When we talk about the Brontë sisters, we usually think of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne. But what about Maria and Elizabeth Brontë, the two sisters who died long before their younger siblings became some of the most famous writers in English literature?

In this episode, we uncover the heartbreaking story of the two eldest Brontë children and explore the short lives of Maria and Elizabeth, whose stories are often forgotten despite the profound impact they had on the family they left behind.

From their time at the infamous Cowan Bridge school, later immortalised in Jane Eyre, to their illnesses and untimely deaths, we look at what happened to Maria and Elizabeth and what traces of their lives remain today.

Their story gives us a glimpse into the realities of childhood, illness and loss in the early nineteenth century, while also helping us understand the experiences that would shape Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë and, ultimately, the literary legacy they left behind.

This episode was originally recorded as a YouTube video back in February 2025 and went on to become the most popular video on my channel. So, I thought it was about time I brought it over into podcast form for those of you who would rather listen than watch.

If you're fascinated by the Brontës, their family history, and the hidden stories behind the literary world they created, I hope you'll enjoy this journey into the lives of the two Brontë sisters who came before them.

Links
YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@brontesistersuk
Watch the full video version: https://youtu.be/9OkAu7zADeQ
Website: www.thebrontesisters.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/brontesistersuk
Instagram: www.instagram.com/brontesistersuk

If you've enjoyed this episode, please consider following the podcast and leaving a review. It really helps more people discover Brontë history and supports the work that goes into researching and creating these episodes.

Thank you for listening, and I'll see you next time for more Brontë adventure.

In this episode, I’m taking you along with me on a slightly different kind of Brontë adventure as I head to Richmond in North Yorkshire to give a talk about Branwell Brontë.

What is it really like to step away from talking to a camera and stand in front of a room full of people? From the nerves beforehand to preparing my flashcards and PowerPoint, and facing the dreaded question-and-answer session at the end, I’m giving you a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into giving one of my Brontë talks.

Afterwards, I sit down for a chat about how the day went, how I felt about the talk, what I’ve learned from speaking to audiences about the Brontës, and whether there might be more Brontë talks in the future.

If you’ve ever wondered what happens behind the scenes when I take my Brontë adventures out into the real world, this episode gives you a little glimpse into a very different side of what I do.

Links
YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@brontesistersuk
Watch the full video version: https://youtu.be/GKPdYNyRB2U
Website: www.thebrontesisters.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/brontesistersuk
Instagram: www.instagram.com/brontesistersuk

If you've enjoyed this episode, please consider following the podcast and leaving a review. It really helps more people discover Brontë history and supports the work that goes into researching and creating these episodes.

Thank you for listening, and I'll see you next time for more Brontë adventure.

In this episode, we investigate one of the most intriguing paintings associated with Charlotte Brontë. Attributed to the Victorian artist Abraham Solomon, this little-known work raises far more questions than it answers. Did Charlotte really sit for the artist? Did she ever know the painting existed? And what documentary evidence survives to support its fascinating story?

Following the trail through Charlotte Brontë's surviving letters, Victorian records and the painting's documented history, we explore what can be proven, what has been suggested over the years and where the evidence simply falls silent. Along the way, we revisit George Richmond's famous portrait of Charlotte and examine why careful research is so important when investigating Brontë history.

Rather than accepting long-held assumptions, we follow the evidence wherever it leads, uncovering a mystery that is every bit as fascinating today as it was more than 170 years ago. Sometimes history gives us clear answers, and sometimes it leaves us with even better questions.

Join me with a brew as we disappear down another Brontë rabbit hole and investigate one of the most mysterious paintings connected with the Brontë family.

Links

YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@brontesistersuk

Watch the full video version: https://youtu.be/Tt7Kx1ULWZ0

Website: www.thebrontesisters.co.uk

Facebook: www.facebook.com/brontesistersuk

Instagram: www.instagram.com/brontesistersuk

If you've enjoyed this episode, please consider following the podcast and leaving a review. It really helps more people discover Brontë history and supports the work that goes into researching and creating these episodes.

Thank you for listening, and I'll see you next time for more Brontë adventure.

In this episode, I'm inviting you to join me for something a little different as we take a relaxed browse through part of my Brontë book collection.

After moving house, I unpacked a box of books and found myself rediscovering old favourites, revisiting trusted reference books, and coming across a few titles that had been patiently waiting on my to-be-read pile. Before I knew it, I was sitting on the floor for far longer than I'd intended, completely absorbed in the stories behind the books themselves.

Together, we'll look through some of the biographies and reference books I return to time and again when researching my videos, a historical novel that genuinely surprised me, and a few books I'm looking forward to reading now that life has become a little calmer.

Whether you're an avid collector, a lifelong Brontë enthusiast, or simply looking for your next great read, I hope this episode gives you a few recommendations and perhaps even inspires you to add another title to your own bookshelves.

I'd also love to hear your own favourite Brontë books after listening. You never know, your recommendation might end up on my ever-growing reading list!

Links

YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@brontesistersuk

Watch the full video version:

https://youtu.be/l6ZguMIKfuc

Website: www.thebrontesisters.co.uk

Facebook: www.facebook.com/brontesistersuk

Instagram: www.instagram.com/brontesistersuk

Bookshop mentioned: Wave of Nostalgia, Haworth

https://waveofnostalgia.co.uk

If you've enjoyed this episode, please consider following the podcast and leaving a review. It really helps more people discover Brontë history and supports the work that goes into researching and creating these episodes.

Thank you for listening, and I'll see you next time for more Brontë adventure.

In this episode, we uncover the forgotten story of Nancy Garrs, the young nursemaid who helped care for the Brontë children long before they became some of England's most celebrated writers. While names like Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë are known around the world, Nancy's remarkable contribution to their early lives has been largely overlooked.

We follow Nancy's story from Thornton to Haworth, visiting her final resting place and exploring the enduring connection she maintained with the Brontë family throughout her life. Her journey takes us from the Brontë Parsonage to the Bradford Workhouse, revealing a life marked by loyalty, hardship, and quiet devotion.

Along the way, we ask whether Nancy's memories offer us a different perspective on Patrick Brontë, what became of the treasured Brontë belongings she carefully preserved, and why the woman who helped raise one of England's most famous literary families almost disappeared from history herself.

Join me with a brew as we rediscover the life of Nancy Garrs and the lasting legacy she left behind.

Links

YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@brontesistersuk

Watch the full video version: https://youtu.be/21CxGy1RD7I

Website: www.thebrontesisters.co.uk

Facebook: www.facebook.com/brontesistersuk

Instagram: www.instagram.com/brontesistersuk

Video mentioned: Aunt Branwell: The Forgotten Woman Behind the Brontës

https://youtu.be/C2M8p3hunDA

If you've enjoyed this episode, please consider following the podcast and leaving a review. It really helps more people discover Brontë history and supports the work that goes into researching and creating these episodes.

Thank you for listening, and I'll see you next time for more Brontë adventure.

In this episode, we step inside the Brontë diaries, or more accurately, the surviving diary papers and journal fragments left behind by Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë. These are not polished memoirs or carefully written accounts of their lives, but scattered pages that have survived the passage of time, offering us rare and deeply personal glimpses into their everyday world.

From Emily and Anne writing in the Parsonage in 1834, to Charlotte's diary entries at Roe Head in 1836, and later reflections from the 1840s, we explore the moments they chose to record. Household routines, the Yorkshire weather, family life, reading, writing, news from the wider world, and even their hopes and predictions for the future all appear within these remarkable fragments.

Taken together, these surviving pages allow us to see the Brontë family not as literary icons, but as ordinary people living their daily lives in Haworth, capturing fleeting moments that would one day become invaluable pieces of literary history.

What do these diary pages reveal about the Brontës, their imaginations, and the lives they never expected future generations to read about?

Links

YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/@brontesistersuk

Watch the full video version: https://youtu.be/lTiHvC2phKI

Website: http://www.thebrontesisters.co.uk

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/brontesistersuk

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/brontesistersuk

Research and presentation: Kate Page

If you've enjoyed this episode, please consider following the podcast and leaving a review. It really helps more people discover Brontë history and supports the work that goes into researching and creating these episodes.

Thank you for listening, and I'll see you next time for more Brontë adventure.

Who was Aunt Branwell, and why do we hear so little about her?

In this episode, I take a closer look at Elizabeth Branwell, the woman who left her home in Penzance, Cornwall, and came to Yorkshire to help her sister's family during a time of crisis. What was intended as a temporary visit became a commitment that lasted more than twenty years.

Often remembered simply as "Aunt Branwell", she was far more than a background figure in the Haworth Parsonage. She cared for the Brontë children after the death of their mother, helped manage the household, supported their education, contributed financially to some of their biggest opportunities, and became a constant presence in their lives.

We'll explore her Cornish upbringing, her arrival in Yorkshire, her influence on Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne Brontë, and the difficult decision that meant she never returned to the life she had once known.

Was she simply a dutiful aunt, or was she one of the most important people in the Brontë story?

I'd love to hear your thoughts after listening.

Links

YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@brontesistersuk

Watch the full video version: https://youtu.be/C2M8p3hunDA

Website: www.thebrontesisters.co.uk

Facebook: www.facebook.com/brontesistersuk

Instagram: www.instagram com/brontesistersuk

Recorded: Kiplin Hall, North Yorkshire – www.kiplinhall.co.uk

Research and presentation: Kate Page

If you've enjoyed this episode, please consider following the podcast and leaving a review. It really helps more people discover Brontë history and supports the work that goes into researching and creating these episodes.

Thank you for listening, and I'll see you next time for more Brontë adventure.

n this episode, we take a closer look at the practical reality of money in the Brontë household and ask what it actually cost to live in Victorian England. Have you ever wondered how much a week’s food or basic household supplies would have cost the Brontës in Haworth?

We explore Patrick Brontë’s income as a clergyman and how the family managed their day to day expenses, from essentials like flour and candles to the wider costs of running a household in the Parsonage.

We also consider how their financial situation changed over time, particularly as Charlotte Brontë’s writing began to bring in income and offer a different kind of security for the family.

Was life in Haworth defined by hardship, careful budgeting, or a quiet resilience that shaped everything they produced?

Links
YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@brontesistersuk
Watch the full video version:


Website: www.thebrontesisters.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/brontesistersuk
Instagram: www.instagram.com/brontesistersuk

If you've enjoyed this episode, please consider following the podcast and leaving a review. It really helps more people discover Brontë history and supports the work that goes into researching and creating these episodes.

Thank you for listening, and I'll see you next time for more Brontë adventure.