Reverend Patrick Brontë
Patrick Brontë’s Book on PageVio
Cottage Poems (1810)
Patrick Brontë Biography
Patrick Brontë was an Irish clergyman and author. Patrick Brontë, the father of some of the most beloved authors in English literature, is widely known for his daughters, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë.
Early Life
Patrick Brunty was born on March 17th, 1777, at Drumballyroney and was the eldest of 10 children of Hugh Brunty and Elinor Alice. He changed his name to Patrick Brontë when he became an adult. In 1802, he moved to England and attended St John’s College in Cambridge, where theology.
Curate
After leaving college, Patrick Bronte was ordained into the Church of England in 1806 and served a number of curacies across England, including Wethersfield in Essex; Wellington in Shropshire; Dewsbury in Yorkshire; Hartshead in Yorkshire; and Thornton in Yorkshire. In 1820, he was appointed perpetual curate of Haworth in West Yorkshire, and the Brontë family moved there. During his 41 years at Haworth, Patrick was highly regarded as an evangelical preacher and was assisted by a succession of curates, including Arthur Bell Nicholls, who Charlotte Brontë married.
Wife Maria Branwell
On December 29th, 1812, Patrick married Maria Branwell at Guiseley, Yorkshire. Together they had a son, Patrick Branwell (1817), and five daughters: Maria (1813), Elizabeth (1814), Charlotte (1816), Emily (1818), and Anne (1820). The family moved into Haworth Parsonage in 1820, but sadly Maria Brontë passed away from cancer just one year later, in 1821. Maria’s sister, Elizabeth, moved in to look after the children, remaining at the Parsonage until her death twenty-one years later.
The Renowned Brontës
In 1825, two of his children, Maria and Elizabeth, died from tuberculosis. Maria passed away at the age of 11, while Elizabeth died at the age of 10. Branwell Bronte, the only son of Patrick Bronte, was a writer and a painter. However, Branwell’s life was blighted by alcohol abuse which eventually contributed to his death at the age of 31.
Patrick’s three daughters, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne, would later become some of the most famous literary figures in history. Charlotte wrote the classic novel Jane Eyre, which has been adapted for stage and screen numerous times. Emily wrote the beloved novel Wuthering Heights, which is considered one of the greatest love stories of all time. Anne Bronte wrote two novels, Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Her work is notable for its focus on women’s lives, particularly the struggles of unmarried women and the challenges of living in a patriarchal society.
Emily’s life was tragically cut short in 1848 when she died of tuberculosis at 30. In 1849, Anne, too, succumbed to illness at the age of 29. Charlotte died in 1855 at the age of 38 due to complications from pregnancy.
Patrick outlived all six of his children, and he passed away at the age of 84. The Brontë family home in Haworth is now converted to the Brontë Parsonage Museum, dedicated to the iconic literary family and houses the world’s most extensive collection of artifacts associated with this famous family.