Engaged at the Parsonage

This is from a recent press release by Diane Kay:

‘Reader I married him. [..] All my confidence is bestowed on him,
all his confidence is bestowed on me. […] To be together is for us to be free.’
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Staff at the Parsonage have seen a rush of engagements recently with earnest chaps going down on one knee at the door to the world famous home of the Brontë family in Haworth to ask for their girl's hand in marriage.

The family home of the Brontës has been a magnet for enthusiasts for many years with visitors enjoying a taste of what life was like in the 1800s for Charlotte, Emily and Anne. The romance created in their books draws courting couples from across the globe wishing to create their own piece of Brontë magic.

One such couple from Oxfordshire chose the Parsonage as the perfect setting for this important romantic gesture. Ben Heather proposed to his girlfriend of three years on the Parsonage steps and thankfully got a positive response!

Holly Simpson said yes on the couple’s third anniversary. Ben chose the Brontë home because of Holly’s interest in their novels through her studies in English, Media and Creative writing at the University of High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire. One of her favourites is Wuthering Heights.

Ben said, “Holly knew nothing at all about it so was very surprised. She started to cry the minute I pulled out the ring. We would like to thank everyone at the Parsonage for their hospitality and kindness, and for the wonderful gift we received on the day.

"I'm very sure we will be back in the future, as the museum will hold a special place in our hearts and memories. No date has been set for the big day as we both still live with our parents and are desperately saving up for a house first, then we will save up and sort out the big day, hopefully in a couple of years.”

Holly is currently finishing her final year at University and writing her dissertation which is on women's writing before, during and after women's emancipation and women's battle to get published. The Brontës were an inspiration.