Brontë Mother’s Day – The Woman Who Put ‘Birth’ into ‘Birthplace’
Speaker: Sharon Wright
Date: Tuesday,10 March, 2026 in-person at 18.30
Maria Branwell Brontë, who gave birth to Charlotte, Emily, Branwell and Anne Brontë, was an educated, well-heeled Cornishwoman who married a penniless curate for love. She moved to Thornton with two little children – and left with six. Hear how this often-overlooked Georgian gentlewoman was the very heart of the Brontë Birthplace in Thornton from Sharon Wright, author of Mother of the Brontës: The Life of Maria Branwell. Sharon reveals how her research throws light on the remarkable woman who put the ‘Birth’ into ‘Birthplace’. This talk will be followed by a book signing.
Sharon Wright is an award-winning journalist, a playwright and the author of The Lost History of the Lady Aeronauts and Mother of the Brontës. She is coauthor with Ann Dinsdale of Let Me In: The Brontës in Bricks and Mortar. Sharon writes for national newspapers and magazines and in 2024 won a correction to the Brontë memorial in Westminster Abbey, which made headlines around the world. She explained why the Brontë sisters’ name deserves to be respected in The Times, The Guardian, The Observer, The New York Times and on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
Tickets: £10
Doors open: 6pm
Talk commences: 6:30pm
Location: Brontë Birthplace, 72 – 74 Market Street, Thornton, BD13 3HF
This talk will take place in person in the Posh Parlour, Marias domain!