When writing Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë bases the fictional town of Millcote off of the real city of Leeds, England. When Jane first arrives at Millcote, she describes it as “a large manufacturing town” (Jane Eyre, page 82) and talks about the “long chimneys and clouds of smoke” (Jane Eyre, page 82). Leeds was a major manufacturing and textile city in Yorkshire during Charlotte Brontë’s time there. Leeds was also known as a mill town because of its large textile mills, which produced wool and other textiles and played a major role in the city’s economy. The factories and mills created the busy, industrial setting that Brontë describes through Millcote. Even though Millcote is fictional, Brontë used places like Leeds as inspiration for the industrial setting she was going for when writing Jane Eyre. Millcote is described very differently than the quiet countryside around Thornfield, which is a great representation of the contrast within Yorkshire. This makes the setting more realistic because Brontë was writing and describing the setting and environment she was familiar with.
Sources:
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Thornfield Hall: location and characters
Remarkable portraits show what Leeds city centre looked like almost 200 years ago | Leeds Live
Galleries at Leeds Industrial Museum | Leeds Museums and Galleries | Days out and exhibitions
