Many fans of the nineteenth century Bronte novelist sisters Charlotte, Emily and Anne, are only dimly aware of their brother Branwell. He too had work published, but lived a short and unhappy life and failed to achieve the fame of his sisters.
Branwell Bronte was the fourth of six children, born on 26 June 1817, to Maria and Patrick Bronte. The two eldest Bronte children died before adulthood and it was three years after Branwell’s birth that the family moved to the remote Yorkshire village of Haworth.
Childhood of the Bronte Children
The Bronte children led a quiet life at Haworth Parsonage, where their father was clergyman, and often retreated into their own private imaginary world, inventing stories and creating make-believe worlds.
Charlotte and Branwell invented an imaginary world called Angria and wrote books about this land. As a child, Branwell seemed to have a bright future ahead of him and took part in various pursuits including playing the organ at his father’s church, translating odes and doing portrait painting.
Branwell Bronte’s Poetry
Branwell’s short adult life was not to be as happy as his childhood. He failed at several jobs, including a stint working on the Leeds to Manchester railway. He was fired from this position in 1842, following a discrepancy in his book-keeping. His sister Anne then secured him a position at Thorp Green House, near York, where she herself was governess.
Branwell fell in love with the lady of the house, Lydia Robinson, who was 17 years his senior and became obsessed with her. Several of his poems, including Thorp Green and Lydia Gisborne refer to his strong love for his employer. He was eventually dismissed from the house, possibly as a result of his love obsession.
Even after Lydia’s husband died, she refused to marry him and he descended into alcoholism. He became a regular at Haworth’s Black Bull pub and his drinking and gambling worsened.
Death of Branwell Bronte
Branwell died at the age of 31 in September 1848, possibly from typhoid fever. He is buried at the church of St Michael and All Angels in Haworth. Although his poems were published, he came nowhere near the literary success of his sisters and was already seriously ill as the sisters began to achieve literary fame.
The town of Haworth is visited by thousands of tourists each year, but few remember this poet who was greatly overshadowed by his siblings.
A book of poetry featuring the four Bronte siblings is available from Amazon. (In this edition, Branwell is referred to as Patrick, as he sometimes took his father’s name).
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