On what date was Charlotte Brontë born?

Charlotte Brontë was born on 21 April 1816. She was the third of six children born to Maria Branwell and Patrick Brontë, an Anglican curate, in Thornton, Yorkshire.

The Brontë family later moved to Haworth when Patrick became perpetual curate there. Charlotte’s childhood in the Haworth parsonage shaped her literary imagination, especially through the private stories and miniature books she created with her siblings. Her early experiences at Cowan Bridge also influenced Lowood School in Jane Eyre.

Charlotte became the best-known of the Brontë sisters during her lifetime. Her novel Jane Eyre appeared in 1847 under the name Currer Bell, while Emily used Ellis Bell and Anne used Acton Bell. The sisters adopted ambiguous pen names partly to avoid prejudice against women writers.

Charlotte died on 31 March 1855, shortly before her thirty-ninth birthday. Common mix-ups include confusing her birth date with Emily’s 30 July 1818 or Anne’s 17 January 1820.