The eldest Brontë sister, Maria, died at the age of 11. Born in 1814, she was the first child of Patrick and Maria Brontë and the older sister of Charlotte, Branwell, Emily, and Anne.
Maria was sent to the Clergy Daughters’ School at Cowan Bridge in 1824 with her sister Elizabeth. The school’s harsh conditions, including poor food, cold, and inadequate care, severely affected the girls’ health. Maria returned home in a gravely weakened condition and died at Haworth on 6 May 1825, after developing tuberculosis.
Her death had a lasting effect on Charlotte. Maria is widely regarded as one of the inspirations for Helen Burns in Jane Eyre, while Cowan Bridge became the model for Lowood School. Maria’s younger sister Elizabeth also became ill at Cowan Bridge and died later in 1825, aged 10, a tragedy that shaped the surviving Brontë children’s memories and writing.