21 moments

1. Birth at the Brontë Birthplace

   1816-04-21 · Brontë Birthplace, 72–74 Market Street, Thornton, West Yorkshire, England

   

   Charlotte Brontë was born at the Brontë family’s Thornton residence on Market Street. Coordinates identify the documented birthplace at 72–74 Market Street.

2. Family relocation to Haworth Parsonage

   1820-01-01 · Brontë Parsonage, Haworth, West Yorkshire, England

   

   Charlotte moved with her parents and siblings to Haworth, which became her principal home and the setting in which she developed as a writer.

3. Attendance at Cowan Bridge School

   1824-08-01 · Cowan Bridge School, Cowan Bridge, Lancashire, England

   

   Charlotte was sent with three sisters to the Clergy Daughters’ School, an experience she later drew on in portraying Lowood School in Jane Eyre.

4. Pupil at Roe Head School

   1831-01-17 · Roe Head School, Mirfield, West Yorkshire, England

   

   Charlotte began at Roe Head School, where she formed enduring friendships with Ellen Nussey and Mary Taylor. Coordinates identify the surviving Roe Head building.

5. Return to Haworth to teach her sisters

   1832-01-01 · Brontë Parsonage, Haworth, West Yorkshire, England

   

   After leaving Roe Head, Charlotte returned home and taught Emily and Anne in Haworth.

6. Teaching appointment at Roe Head

   1835-07-29 · Roe Head School, Mirfield, West Yorkshire, England

   

   Charlotte returned to Roe Head as a teacher; the post provided income while she continued writing. Miss W---’s school was Roe Head; coordinates identify the surviving Roe Head building.

7. Governess at Stone Gappe

   1839-05-01 · Stone Gappe, Lothersdale, North Yorkshire, England

   Charlotte began a short and unhappy governess position with the Sidgwick family at Stone Gappe.

8. Student-teacher at the Pensionnat Heger

   1842-01-01 · Pensionnat Heger site, Brussels, Belgium

   

   Charlotte travelled to Brussels with Emily and became a student-teacher at the Hegers’ boarding school, a formative experience for The Professor and Villette. The Pensionnat Heger building on Rue d’Isabelle no longer survives; coordinates are a representative central-Brussels point.

9. First stay in London en route to Belgium

   1842-02-01 · Chapter Coffee House site, Paternoster Row, London, England

   On the journey to Brussels with Emily, Charlotte stopped in London and saw the city for the first time. The former Chapter Coffee House and Paternoster Row were destroyed in the twentieth century; coordinates are an approximate representative point for the documented site.

10. Return from Brussels after Aunt Branwell’s death

    1842-10-01 · Brontë Parsonage, Haworth, West Yorkshire, England

    

    Charlotte and Emily were recalled from Brussels to Haworth after the death of their aunt and household guardian, Elizabeth Branwell.

11. Return alone to teach in Brussels

    1843-01-01 · Pensionnat Heger site, Brussels, Belgium

    

    Charlotte returned alone to the Pensionnat Heger to take up a teaching position. The school building no longer survives; coordinates are a representative central-Brussels point.

12. Return to Haworth from Brussels

    1844-01-01 · Brontë Parsonage, Haworth, West Yorkshire, England

    

    Unable to remain in Brussels, Charlotte returned to Haworth; she later transformed aspects of the experience in The Professor and Villette.

13. Journey to London with Anne

    1848-07-01 · Chapter Coffee House site, Paternoster Row, London, England

    

    Charlotte and Anne travelled to London to establish the separate identities of Currer and Acton Bell with their publisher, Smith, Elder & Co. The account places the journey at the beginning of July 1848. The former coffee house and Paternoster Row no longer survive; coordinates are approximate.

14. Meeting Elizabeth Gaskell at Briery Close

    1850-08-20 · Briery Close, Windermere, Cumbria, England

    

    Charlotte met Elizabeth Gaskell at Briery Close in the Lake District, beginning a consequential friendship that led to Gaskell’s biography of her. Coordinates identify Briery Close; the historic holiday residence is represented by the modern locality.

15. Visit to Elizabeth Gaskell at Plymouth Grove

    1851-06-27 · 84 Plymouth Grove, Manchester, England

    

    Charlotte stayed with the Gaskell family in Manchester after returning from London, strengthening her friendship with Elizabeth Gaskell.

16. Second visit to Plymouth Grove

    1853-04-22 · 84 Plymouth Grove, Manchester, England

    

    Charlotte returned to Plymouth Grove for a week’s visit and attended a Manchester Shakespeare Society performance with Elizabeth Gaskell.

17. Honeymoon in Banagher

    1854-01-01 · Banagher, County Offaly, Ireland

    Following their marriage, Charlotte and Arthur Bell Nicholls took their honeymoon in Banagher, County Offaly. The source establishes the honeymoon location but does not support a more precise date.

18. Third visit to Plymouth Grove

    1854-05-01 · 84 Plymouth Grove, Manchester, England

    

    Charlotte made a final pre-marriage visit to Elizabeth Gaskell in Manchester and discussed her impending marriage. Source supports early May but not a specific day.

19. Marriage to Arthur Bell Nicholls

    1854-06-29 · St Michael and All Angels’ Church, Haworth, West Yorkshire, England

    

    Charlotte married Arthur Bell Nicholls in Haworth Church, with her former Roe Head teacher Margaret Wooler giving her away.

20. Honeymoon letter from Cork

    1854-07-27 · Cork, County Cork, Ireland

    During her Irish honeymoon, Charlotte wrote to Catherine Winkworth from Cork, signing herself C. Nicholls. Coordinates identify Cork city; the surviving catalogue does not specify the exact address.

21. Death at Haworth

    1855-03-31 · Brontë Parsonage, Haworth, West Yorkshire, England

    

    Charlotte died at Haworth while pregnant, aged 38; she was buried in the Brontë family vault at St Michael and All Angels’ Church.