A thanksgiving service and wreath-laying ceremony was staged yesterday afternoon to mark the 150th anniversary of Charlotte Bront's death.

The poignant event was held at St Michael and All Angels Church, in Haworth, where Charlotte -- author of Jane Eyre -- is laid to rest in the family vault.

The service -- conducted by the Rev Jenny Savage -- included readings, poems, hymns, a soprano, trumpeters and tolling church bells.

The proceedings were timed to coincide with a wreath-laying ceremony at Poets Corner, in Westminster Abbey, organised by Bront Society members.

Earlier a minute's silence was observed at the Bront Parsonage Museum.

Lyn Glading, council secretary of the Bront Society and organiser of the Haworth service, said: "One hundred and fifty years ago on March 31 -- almost unnoticed by the wider world -- English literature lost one of it's most eminent powerful women. We in the Bront Society are so proud to be able to acknowledge and celebrate her life and genius, particularly on this poignant, historic anniversary."

Yesterday's ceremonies were the pinnacle of a series of events staged to mark the anniversary.

The "Currer Bell is Dead" exhibition, charting the final year of Charlotte's life, continues at the museum until the end of this year. Another exhibition, 'Leaving Home', drew to a close yesterday.