MADNESS AT THE MANOR: JANE EYRE/NORTON CONYERS, NORTH YORKSHIRE

There are certain novels which captured my imagination as a child, and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte was one of them.  I remember being horrified at the idea of a madwoman holed up in an attic, in this case Mrs Rochester, first wife of Edward Rochester, the male romantic lead of the story who enters into a liaison with the governess he has hired, the Jane Eyre of the title.  Rochester is the master of Thornfield Hall, where he has shoved his unfortunate wife out of sight on the third floor.

So where did Charlotte get the idea for this grim tale?  Well, in 1839 she paid a visit to a medieval manor house called Norton Conyers near the village of Wath near Ripon North Yorkshire, and while she was there she learned of a mad woman who had allegedly been locked up in the attics the century before Charlotte’s visit.  That the property was the inspiration for Thornfield Hall is borne out by the fact that a blocked staircase connecting the first floor to the attics was discovered in 2004.  Such a staircase was mentioned in Jane Eyre, which seems pretty conclusive proof that Norton Conyers is the real-life Thornfield.

Norton Conyers - geograph.org.uk - 881476. Photo by David Rogers, via Wikimedia Commons

The house and gardens at Norton Conyers are open to visitors, but only on certain days of the year due to ongoing renovation work on the house – the dates can be found on the website.  There is a charge for the house but the gardens are free to visit.  The gardens were laid out in the 18^th century and their features include an orangery, herbaceous borders and an ornamental pond. 

For more information on the Bronte family, follow this link.

Map of the area.