Branwell Brontë

Patrick Branwell Brontë (/ˈbrɒnti/, commonly /-teɪ/; 26 June 1817 – 24 September 1848) was an English poet and artist. He was the only son of the Brontë literary family, and brother of the writers Charlotte, Emily, and Anne.

His parents were Patrick Brontë, an Anglican minister, and Maria Branwell Brontë, the daughter of a merchant from Penzance. Known as Branwell, he was born in Thornton, near Bradford, in the West Riding of Yorkshire. In 1820 Branwell and his family moved to Haworth, where his father had been appointed perpetual curate. In 1821, Maria Branwell fell critically ill and died, and Maria's sister Elizabeth Branwell moved in with the family to care for the six young children.

Although Branwell's sisters were sent away to school, Branwell was educated at home, both by his father and later by a series of tutors. He was given a classical education, and earned praise for his poetry and translations from the classics. He showed a keen interest in literature, and along with his sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne, took an active role in the creation of the fantasy worlds of Angria and the Glass Town Confederacy, helping create little books, plays and articles based on their fictional heroes.

As an adult, Branwell attempted a career in poetry, then worked as a portrait painter, then as a private tutor with two local families. However, he succumbed to drug and alcohol addiction, apparently worsened by a failed relationship with a married woman. He died of tuberculosis at the age of 31.