The popular image of the Brontë family — the world-famous novelists Charlotte, Emily and Anne, their impressive father Patrick, and their rather less famous brother Branwell — is one that's indelibly linked to Haworth, the surrounding moors, and Haworth Parsonage itself where the three girls grew up. (Also Branwell.)
The famous parsonage wasn't the original family home, however. After graduating from Cambridge in 1806, the Irish-born clergyman and writer Patrick Brontë had several different postings within the Church of England, living in Essex and Shropshire before eventually ending up in Yorkshire. He became a curate based at the Church of St Peter in Hartshead, near Liversedge, in 1811; and whilst there lived at the chillingly-named Lousy Farm. During this stint he met Maria Branwell, who he fell in love with and married on 29 December, 1812. And Lousy Farm, where they first lived as husband and wife, is now for sale via Auction House West Yorkshire.
The farm is now entirely dilapidated, which is the bad news. The good news, for literary fans looking to snap up a piece of Brontë history, is that it's in the February 5 auction with a guide price of just £380,000, to include the buildings and almost eight acres of land. Considering that this is in the heart of West Yorkshire, between Leeds and Huddersfield, that's a lot of land for the price.
Then again, it's clear that a lot of money — a lot — will have to be spent on the property to return it to any sort of useful state.
There have been suggestions in the past that Lousy Farm — also known over the years as Lousy Thorn Farm, and more recently renamed Thornbush Farm — could become a Brontë-themed visitor centre, and plans for this were reportedly lodged a couple of years ago.
It might be harder than it first seems, however, since the farmhouse is Grade II-listed. On the plus side the site pictures show some evidence of work that has begun. Buyers will have to do their own due diligence to see how far it has come along, and how much more might need doing.
If that doesn't dampen your enthusiasm, we should also note that there's a question as to how long the Brontës spent here; they'd certainly moved on long before the famous writers were born, but Patrick and Maria might only have been in the property for a matter of a few months. Some evidence suggests that not long after their wedding, Patrick and Maria moved to a terraced house in nearby Hightown; the house in question even has a plaque celebrating the birth of the first two Brontë sisters, Maria and Elizabeth, both of whom sadly died before reaching their teens.
Not all sources agree, however, and Historic England's listing does nothing to clear the matter up:
'[Patrick Brontë] met his wife Maria Branwell while living here, and published "Cottage Poems", his first major work. It is possible that Maria and Elizabeth were also born here. There is also a connection to the Luddite riots, with a march to Rawfolds Mill passing the door; an event that Charlotte Bronte used in her novel "Shirley". It is not clear when Patrick left the farm, but it may not have been until his move to Thornton in 1815.'
So there you have it. It's a place where Patrick Brontë definitely lived, for at least a year or so, but nobody really knows how long for. He left in 1815 at the latest, some time before Charlotte (1816), Emily (1818) and Anne Brontë (1820) were born. (And also Branwell Brontë, who was born in 1817.) Still, such is the draw of this most famous of literary families that we're sure there will be plenty of interest. We'll await what happens at the auction eagerly.
Thornbush Farm — aka Lousy Farm — is for sale via Auction House West Yorkshire on February 5. See more details here.
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