A quick heads up for an online talk I will be giving via the Society of Genealogists on 25 April 2026. Don’t switch off at this point if you’re not a member – it is open to anyone.
If you follow this blog, or any of my online social media accounts, you will know I live in an area packed with Brontë history, and I’m a frequent visitor to Haworth and other Brontë linked sites.
Well, I’m delighted that I’ve been asked to give an online talk all about exploring Brontë Connections for Family History.
Here’s the blurb about it, to give you some idea of what I’ll be covering:
The latest film adaptation of Emily Brontë’s dark, Gothic literary classic, Wuthering Heights, has triggered a fresh wave of Brontë-mania. A new generation of tourists are descending on the village of Haworth, keen to find out more about these world-famous sisters, and wanting to carve out their own slice of Brontë magic. But family historians can also channel into the Brontë family’s lives and literature, seeking their own Brontë connections and research inspiration. Jane’s talk will give you some ideas of how, and where to look.
I’d love to see you there, as I’m immensely proud of where I come from, my area’s Brontë links, all things Brontë, and I might even let you in on my quest to find my links to this amazing literary family!
You never know, as a result you may have ideas and inspiration to see how your family history might be connected.
I’ve been immersed in Brontë history since my many childhood family visits to Haworth – mum, dad, my brother and I all crammed into my auntie and uncle’s little orange mini. These visits created so many happy family memories, and continue to do so as I’ve regularly visited the village ever since. I’ve explored the surrounding moors, with the highlight being my walks to Top Withens, with its association with Emily Brontë’s dark and tortured novel, Wuthering Heights. If you’d to ask me my all-time favourite novel, without hesitation I would say it was this one.
Me on a 2013 walk to Top Withens – photos by Chris Roberts
The parsonage holds such a special significance that not only do I feel compelled to take a photograph of it each visit, I’ve even stitched it.
My cross stitch picture of the Haworth parsonage – photo by Jane Roberts
I thought I’d seen everything Brontë-linked in my Haworth visits. But today, totally unexpectedly, I came across an absolute gem.
After my usual visit to the church of St Michael and All Angels, where Patrick Brontë (father of Charlotte, Emily and Anne) was vicar from 1820-1861, back on Main Street I spied a new café, Haworth Old Post Office. Nestled next to the church it seemed the perfect place for a sit down in the – all to rare this summer – sun with a coffee, watching the world go by.
St Michael and All Angels Church, Haworth – photo by Jane Roberts
There was a real sense of being surrounded by Haworth history. Fronting onto Main Street, the old stocks were adjacent to our table.
The old stocks were moved from the side of the Black Bull to their current position in 1909 – photo by Jane Roberts
Just the other side of the church steps was the Black Bull pub. This millstone grit inn at the top of the steeply-cobbled hill of Main Street is a place intrinsically linked to (Patrick) Branwell Brontë, the wayward brother of Charlotte, Emily and Anne.
The Black Bull, Haworth – photo by Jane Roberts
But, as I discovered, Haworth Old Post Office has its own unique place in Brontë literary history. It was the Post Office during the time the famous literary sisters lived in Haworth, and from then up until its sale in 2022 it was owned by generations of the Hartley family.
As I discovered, the building has close associations with the Brontë family too. Branwell Brontë was reputed to have used the upstairs back room as a refuge to sleep off the excesses of his sessions of over-indulgence, waiting for Emily to light a candle in a parsonage window to signal the coast was clear for him to avoid his father and sneak back home.
Haworth Parsonage, 13 September 2024 – photo by Jane Roberts
But even more significantly, it was from this Post Office that the sisters posted their manuscripts to their London publishers, writing under their Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell writing pseudonyms. It was to here that their literary correspondence – and any related payments – were sent for them to pick up. And, amazingly, the old mellowed wooden counter in the café, stripped back and lovingly returned to its original state, is the very same Post Office counter at which the Brontë sisters stood almost 180 years ago.
It even has the original drawer where those precious manuscripts would have been placed prior to collection and onward transportation to their publishing house destinations: manuscripts which would ultimately contribute towards transforming the literary world, and eventually the place of female writers in it. What’s more, the café owners have an immense appreciation for the history of the building and are only too willing to share it, as I found out when I asked if I could have a look and take a photo.
The original counter coin drawer in The Old Haworth Post Office – photo by Jane Roberts
Earlier this year, whilst on an Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (AGRA) visit to the Leeds Library, I had the immense privilege of handling a 1st edition of Charlotte Brontë’s posthumously-published novel, The Professor. Completed in 1846 it was her first novel. Rejected by many publishing houses in her lifetime, I now wonder was this a manuscript sent from Haworth Old Post Office?
Me touching history. And yes, I’ve even got a Brontë-inspired handbag!
You really can picture the trailblazing sisters standing before the counter, clutching their precious manuscripts, entrusting them to the postmaster and hoping against hope that the tales they had weaved, and poetry they had crafted, would be recognised as worthy of publication.
The place is a must for those on the Brontë heritage trail. And even if you’ve absolutely zero interest in the Brontë sisters (a rarity), the café serves a superb cappuccino and mocha coffee along with some fantastic food.
My coffee is on its way – photo by Chris Roberts
For more about the Haworth Old Post Office, their website is here.
I’ll leave you with a final couple of images from the café’s specially designed bookmark with the words from their Blue Plaque, and some of the building’s history as a Post Office.
Past To Present Genealogy 