Unpublished Bronte story discovered in ‘much-treasured’ book about Johnian poet

An unpublished short story and a poem written by Charlotte Bronte have been found in a precious book featuring a Johnian’s poems, which was previously owned by the writer’s mother, Maria.

Manuscripts by a 17-year old Charlotte Bronte, dating back to 1833, have been found inside a rare book with a Johnian connection which was owned by Maria Bronte, mother to the six Bronte children.

The finding was made in a copy of The Remains of Henry Kirke-White, a biography by Robert Southey about the talented poet Henry Kirke White, a student at St John’s who tragically died from consumption at the age of 21. The book was a treasured possession of the Bronte family, and was owned by Maria Bronte before her marriage to Patrick. As Maria died at a young age, the book was of great sentimental value to her children, and is covered in markings, sketches and annotations by the family. Before Maria’s marriage, the precious book was lost in a shipwreck carrying her possessions, but it was one of the few items that were salvaged. A Latin inscription on an inside page in Patrick’s handwriting reads, “the book of my dearest wife and it was saved from the waves. So then it will always be preserved.”

The unpublished manuscripts written by Charlotte, the author of Jane Eyre, were discovered among the pages of The Remains of Henry Kirke-White, which was recently acquired by the Bronte Society, and according to collections manager at the Bronte museum Ann Dinsdale, is “one of the most significant Bronte items to come to light in many years”. The papers feature a fragment of a short story set in 1833 of 74 lines, and a poem of 77 lines relating to the fantasy world of Angria which Charlotte and her brother Branwell created in childhood, and include caricatures of individuals from their home village Haworth , such as the Rev John Winterbottom, a religious opponent of their father, as well as featuring a public flogging and embezzlement from the Wesleyan chapel. Bronte expert Dr Juliet Barker stated that there is no question about the authenticity of the material, and “to find an unpublished one like this - that we had no knowledge of its existence - is extraordinary”.

After the death in 1861 of Charlotte’s father Patrick Bronte, who studied Theology at St John’s College in 1802, the family sold the book to a collector in the USA, but thanks to £170,000 from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, as well as contributions from the V & A Purchase Grant Fund and the Friends of the National Libraries, the Bronte Society were able to purchase Maria’s book and Charlotte’s manuscripts. The volume is due to go on display in the Bronte Parsonage Museum in Haworth in the New Year.

The poet Henry Kirke White came into residence at St John’s in 1805, and was a friend of Patrick Bronte, and a fellow sizar - a student who receives financial help during their period of study. Many of Kirke White’s verses were rich in religious content, and many of his hymns are still sung, such as Oft in danger, oft in woe. Several of his poems focused on consumption, such as his sonnet To Consumption – the disease that the poet died of in 1806, coupled with the strain of overworking, in his room at St John’s at only 21 years old. He was buried under a flagstone in the now-demolished All Saints Church, opposite the College gates, but was later cremated. A memorial plaque to the poet can be found in St John’s College Chapel.