Charlotte Brontë was born on April 21, 1816, in Thornton, Yorkshire. The third of six children, she spent much of her childhood at her father's parsonage in the village of Haworth. Although their early life in Haworth seemed somewhat austere, Charlotte and her sisters and brother found adventure and happiness exploring the moors near the parsonage and in spirited discussions and writings. Their father, Patrick Brontë, had risen from extreme poverty in Northern Ireland to become an undergraduate at St John's College, Cambridge, and then in 1897 an Anglican priest. He passed his love of learning and vigorous discussion on to his children. ...