LEADING Brontë Parsonage Museum figures have leapt to the defence of a controversial new book about the literary sisters.

The volume, entitled Charlotte Brontë: A Life by Claire Harman, has already featured in the national press for its detailing of some of the family's more bizarre eccentricities.

These include an incident in which Emily Brontë punched a pet dog, a child hurling a stone at an unpopular Charlotte Brontë and Patrick Brontë routinely carrying a loaded pistol!

But Ann Dinsdale, the collections manager at Haworth's parsonage, said there is an important context to many of the book's less flattering portrayals, which is clearly explained by its author.

"I'm about a third of the way through the book and, yes, it does emphasise the fact the Brontë family was quite eccentric," she said.

"But the book also contains plenty of perceptive observations about the relationship between the different members of the family and their development as writers.

"It is a good book, written in a very engaging style, and we did spend a lot of time with the author, Claire Harman. She came here to use our research facilities.

"Her book contains some very well-known stories about the Brontës. For example, Patrick Brontë carried a pistol because this was a period of history when there was a lot of unrest, and Luddite rioters often targeted members of the clergy.

"We do know Emily beat her dog on one occasion for some misdemeanour, but apart from that she did actually love animals intensely – more than she liked people."

Commenting on the book's recounting of the Brontës' indifferent record as teachers, she said: "It's true that none of them were cut out to be teachers.

"But then that is because they themselves were incredibly studious and intent on getting an education. They therefore could not understand more 'normal' children, who just wanted to mess about.

"The Brontës were strong minded and very unusual people, and that is how they are depicted in this book."

The biography, which comes out two months before the 200th anniversary year of Charlotte Brontë's birth, has been well-received by reviewers.

Ms Harman is the award-winning biographer of Sylvia Townsend Warner, Fanny Burney and Robert Louis Stevenson, and is also the author of the best-selling Jane's Fame: How Jane Austen Conquered The World.

Charlotte Bronte: A Life is available in hardback from today, and is published by Viking.