Charlotte and Ellen The Brontës' Best Friend

There are few people who don't know the story of Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights, but details of the girls' personal histories are obscured in the mists of time. It is thanks to one woman, Ellen Nussey, that we know what we do of the Brontës' personal lives. First a great friend of Charlotte, it wasn't long before she worked her way into the hearts of the shyer sisters, Emily and Anne. It was Ellen who was bridesmaid to Charlotte despite disapproving of the match, and she who picked up the pieces after Anne's untimely death. It was also Ellen who defied Charlotte's husband and kept the thousands of letters she received from his late wife. After the Brontës' deaths, Ellen became their champion, making sure they would never fade into obscurity. Here Nick Holland does the same for Ellen Nussey.

Nick Holland is the author of In Search of Anne Brontë and Emily Brontë: A Life in 20 Poems.