Two great novels clashed in a battle of words at the Bronte Parsonage Museum in Haworth last night.

Which of the classic best-sellers, Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights or her sister Charlotte's Jane Eyre, was the best?

The judges were 40 invited guests, including members of the Bronte Society, and the organisers were the BBC's The Big Read team.

And the result, after two hours of cut and thrust debate and of readings from the two novels in rooms where the sisters learned their craft, was, to many people's surprise, Jane Eyre.

The vote was close, as Bronte Parsonage Museum manager Alan Bentley was quick to point out after a vote on a show of hands.

He declined to give the exact figures, coyly revealing: "There was very little in it".

Both books are in The Big Read's final list of 21, following a nationwide vote which attracted 140,000 people invited to select their favourite novel from 100.

As they were rivals in life, the two sisters continue to rival each other in the affections of readers, said Mr Bentley, whose choice was Wuthering Heights.

"Charlotte liked celebrity although she was not quite sure she liked it when she got it.

"Emily was much more of a private person and was the one who wanted to keep their original pseudonyms. She was annoyed when Charlotte got her way to publicise the names.

"I think Charlotte would have been chuffed to win because there was sibling rivalry and they could rub each other up the wrong way.

"They both wanted to be good writers and Charlotte would have read her work to her sisters.

"I think it's wonderful that both novels still have the same immediacy and relevance as they did when they were written."

He called on Yorkshire folk to support the county's great authors and vote to ensure one of the novels came out the winner.

Bronte Parsonage Museum curator Rachel Terry said it was right that both novels should be on the nation's favourite list.

"They both have a resonance today speaking very strongly of people's feelings just as they did when they were written 150 years ago," she said.

The BBC had billed the challenge as a light-hearted debate on the merits of both books.

The novels - both published in 1847 - will be presented on television later this month by celebrity advocates as part of the series of seven weekly programmes fronted by Clive Anderson.

Jane Eyre will be promoted by TV presenter Lorraine Kelly and Wuthering Heights by impressionist Alistair McGowan.

Liz Thornton, the BBC's learning project manager for Yorkshire and Humberside, said Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre were two great Yorkshire exports and deserved the support of Yorkshire people.

The Big Read had stimulated an interest in reading nationwide and encouraged people to get involved in a variety of reading-related events from quizzes to setting up reading groups and book swaps.

l Viewers can vote for the best-loved novels in the Top 21 by either telephoning 0901 522 90000, voting online at www.bbc.uk/bigread or through interactive TV.

Actress Angela Crow is pictured reading one of the novels at the Haworth event.