In what year did Patrick Brontë die?

Patrick Brontë died in 1861, six years after the death of his most famous daughter, Charlotte Brontë.

Born Patrick Brunty in County Down, Ireland, in 1777, he studied at St John’s College, Cambridge, and became an Anglican clergyman. He adopted the spelling “Brontë,” possibly in tribute to Admiral Horatio Nelson, who had been made Duke of Bronte by the king of Naples.

In 1820, Patrick became perpetual curate of Haworth, where he spent the rest of his ministry. After his wife, Maria Branwell, died in 1821, he helped raise their six children, including novelists Charlotte, Emily and Anne. His sister-in-law Elizabeth Branwell and household servants also played important roles.

Patrick outlived every one of his children. Charlotte died in 1855, and Patrick died at Haworth on 7 June 1861, aged 84. His long tenure at the Haworth parsonage placed him at the centre of the family’s literary story, although he himself was also a published poet and writer.