The Bronte Sisters in Haworth

 

A sheep guards a moorland path into Haworth, England

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Jane Eyre. Wuthering Heights.

There's no question that the Bronte sisters--Anne, Charlotte, and Emily--were talented. Nor, sadly, is it questioned that they died far too young. As with fans of Jane Austen, Bronte fans can only wonder how many more literary classics the three would have penned had they lived longer.

 

Walking the streets of Haworth

 

An 1850 report by Benjamin Hershal Babbage reports a lack of adequate public privies, excrement in the streets for lack of sewers, and pigsty and slaughterhouse waste lingering for far too long. Drinking water mixed with decomposing matter in an overcrowded graveyard, as well as the other inadequately treated and stored waste matter. Add to that overcrowding, and its easy to see why Babbage reported that the average life expectancy in Haworth was 25.8 years.

Anne died just 29 years old, Emily at 30, and Charlotte, the most prolific of them all, at 38. All lived long lives, at least when compared with the town average. Perhaps the fact that they all spent years away from Haworth, for school or work, helped extend their lives.

 

Haworth's overcrowded graveyard

Had they lived three hundred years earlier, during England's Tudor period, the sisters would never have drank from the local water supply. The Tudors suffered no illusions as to the health of their drinking water. Thus, everyone made and drank only ale, which was sweetened with honey, as sugar had to be brought in from overseas, and was therefore expensive.

But then, Tudor life expectancy was only 35 years. 

Perhaps it's just as well I only drank Diet-Coke during my visit to Haworth ten years ago. It may have been a bit more expensive than tap water, as it's sweetened with rare and exotic sweeteners. Still, safety first, right?

Dragon Dave

Related Links

Babbage Report on Haworth

DCI Banks at Aysgarth

 

Unlike in James Herriot's day, one must now pay to park when visiting Aysgarth Falls. So a visit there must be carefully measured against the cost of parking, as well as the other stops on one's itinerary. My wife and I had quite a long list of places to visit on our drive through the Yorkshire Dales ten years ago, so it's not as if we would have spent the entire day there. 

Still, we might have spent a little more time, and felt more relaxed and at peace, if we hadn't needed to watch the clock.

Plus, we wanted to look around, and see a little of the surroundings too.

In the TV series D.C.I. Banks, based on the novels of Peter Robinson, Detective Alan Banks' investigation takes him to Aysgarth in the final two-part episode "Undertow." I had hoped that the production would feature Aysgarth Falls, and perhaps the village's beautiful church, which we had time to walk up and see, but didn't have time to actually go inside and explore.

Sadly, Banks and his team just investigate a suspect's house.

Aysgarth may seem like an insignificant village, with a population of less than two hundred. But the locals worship in a beautiful church, and can walk the banks of the falls and river at their leisure. Perhaps one day we could visit Aysgarth again, and see more of this shining gem set amid a landscape of astounding natural beauty.

Dragon Dave

James Herriot at Aysgarth Falls

 

Aysgarth Falls, Yorkshire Dales, England

Near the little town of Aysgarth lies Aysgarth Falls, a beautiful place dear to James Alfred Wight (known to us as James Herriot).  After reading about it in his book James Herriot's Yorkshire, I knew we had to visit it. Thankfully, on the day we arrived, the sky was clear, the sun shone down, and we could walk along the rocky side of the river and really enjoy our visit.

James, or Alf as he was known by family and friends, always took time out of each day to walk his dogs. In fact, in The Real James Herriot, his son Jim Wight mentions that Alf played golf at a particular course for many years. But when the club decided to crack down on members who insisted on bringing their dogs with them, he let his membership lapse.

After a long day of Tuberculosis testing in the Dales, James returned home one evening, thinking his day was over, and he could finally relax. "Alf, where's Danny?" his wife Joan (Helen Alderson) asked. So he hopped back into his car, and undertook the twenty-five mile drive back to Aysgarth Falls.

Thankfully, his dog was still there, and waiting patiently for him.

It's hard to believe it'll be ten years this summer since we were there. Perhaps, if we should return to England one day, my wife and I can pay another visit to Aysgarth Falls. 

Dragon Dave

James Herriot and The Lonely War of Captain Willy Schultz Part 2

 

 

In March 1941, Nazi Germany bombed Glasgow, where James Alfred Wight (James Herriot) had grown up. His boss, Donald Sinclair (Siegfried Farnon) gave him leave to visit his parents. While there, his mother slept in one of the few undamaged houses in the neighborhood, leaving James and his father to sleep on the floor beneath the family dining table. According to his son Jim Wight, in his book The Real James Herriot, James was "so infuriated by this affront to his beloved city that he signed up to join the Royal Air Force."

By November 1942, when he was finally called to serve, twenty months had passed. He had married his wife Joan (Helen Alderson), and she was pregnant. James worked hard in his new calling, and was one of a few recruits who flew a single engine Tiger Moth solo after two weeks. Yet a recurring medical issue which had plagued him in his youth struck again. As RAF authorities were keen on their pilots being one hundred percent fit, this cast his prospects of defending England's skies in doubt. 

 

In Will Franz and Sam Glanzman's graphic novel, The Lonely War of Captain Willy Schultz, young Willy had also seen his military career overturned. When his commanding officer was shot by a German soldier, he was accused of murder. Yet the jeep taking him to meet the firing squad hit a landmine, giving him an opportunity to escape certain death.

Here's the remaining preview pages, courtesy of Drew Ford at It's Alive.

Wow! You certainly can't blame Willy for taking any opportunity to stay alive. Still, what an unexpected turn of events!

If you'd like to read more of the graphic novel Drew Ford calls "one of the most controversial World War II stories of all time," follow the link for The Lonely War of Captain Willy Schultz at the end of this post. As for James Herriot...

 

In July 1943, he was sent to an RAF hospital. Sadly, the operation went badly. So he watched his fellow recruits head off to Canada to continue their training, and he was sent to a convalescent home. After that, he was shuffled around in the RAF system. Finally, after two applications, and a year in the military, he received his discharge. 

In November 1943, James Alfred Wight was allowed to reunite with his wife, get to know his new son, and resume his work with Donald Sinclair in their veterinarian practice in Thirsk. He may not have gotten to defend the skies above Britain, but at least he returned home (and without having to don a Nazi uniform).

Dragon Dave

P.S. Many thanks to Drew Ford at It's Alive for sharing this preview with us, and to Jim Wight for writing his biography The Real James Herriot.

Related Links

Order The Lonely War of Captain Willy Schultz