Charlotte Bronte

In the summer of 1845 Charlotte Bronte travelled to Hathersage to stay with her old schoolfriend Ellen Nussey. Ellen's brother was the Vicar of Hathersage and had recently married. While he was away on honeymoon he had asked his sister to arrange redecoration of the vicarage, and she had invited Charlotte to stay with her for company.

Charlotte's own diaries report many walks over the moors above Hathersage and she frequently visited the Eyres at North Lees Hall. She used a description of the hall as her "Thornfield" in her book Jane Eyre, which was published in 1846. (Thorn is an anagram of North, and a Lee is an open space ie a field. Hence North Lees becomes Thornfield).

During her visit she must have seen the numerous memorials to the Eyre family in the local church and chose their name as the surname for the heroine in her new book.

North Lees Hall, nr Hathersage - one of the many Eyres homes - pictured - was visited by Charlotte Bronte in 1845

Pictured below is a bedroom at North Lees Hall, and below that the elaborate plaster ceiling in the main parlour.

North Lees Hall, Hathersage

The Eyre family must have made a major influence on Charlotte as not only did she describe North Lees Hall (window above) in detail when describing Thornfield Hall, she also used another Eyre home, Moorseats Hall, as the inspiration for her Moor Hall.

North Lees Hall is still in use today - hired out as a holiday cottage, and what a spectacular place it is ! -

Above, the view from the rooftop of North Lees Hall (today)