Charlotte Bronte was born in 1816, the third daughter of Rev. Patrick Bronte and his wife Maria. In 1824 the four eldest Bronte daughters were enrolled as pupils at the Clergy Daughter's School at Cowan Bridge. The following year Maria and Elizabeth, the two eldest daughters, left the school and died. Charlotte and Emily were brought home. In 1831 Charlotte became a pupil at the school at Roe Head, but she left school the following year to teach her sisters at home.
             She returned returns to Roe Head School in 1835 as a governess. For a time her sister Emily attended the same school as a pupil, but became homesick and returned to Haworth. Ann took her place from 1836 to 1837. In 1838, Charlotte left Roe Head School. In 1839 she accepted a position as governess in the Sidgewick family, but left after three months and returned to Haworth. In 1841 she became governess in the White family, but left after nine months. Upon her return to Haworth the three sisters decided to open their own school after the necessary preparations had been completed. In 1842 Charlotte and Emily went to Brussels to complete their studies. After a trip home to Haworth, Charlotte returned alone to Brussels, where she remained until 1844. Upon her return home the sisters embarked upon their project for founding a school, which proved to be a failure. Their advertisements did not elicit a single response from the public. The following year Charlotte discovered Emily's poems, and decided to publish a selection of the poems of all three sisters.
             The Rev. A. B. Nicholls proposed marriage to Charlotte in 1852. The Rev. Mr. Bronte objected violently, and Charlotte though she may have pitied him, was not in love with him and refused him. By 1854 however, Mr. Bronte's opposition to the proposed marriage had weakened, and Charlotte and Nicholls became engaged. Nicholls returned as curate at Haworth, and they were married. Though it seems clear that Charlotte still did n...