Elizabeth Branwell
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Branwell was the aunt of the literary siblings Charlotte Brontë
, Emily Brontë
and Anne Brontë
. Referred to as "Aunt Branwell" she helped raise the children after her sister, Maria Branwell
, died in 1821 and managed the household until her own death in 1842.
where she met her husband, Patrick Brontë
, while Elizabeth most likely moved in with her married sister, Charlotte. This sister was the namesake of Maria's daughter, Charlotte Brontë. Not much is known of Elizabeth's remaining time in Penzance, but she was a member of polite society and she had a private income of £50 which would have allowed her to live comfortably.
, Yorkshire where Patrick was curate. She would have then met her nieces Maria
and Elizabeth
, the later of which was her namesake. Elizabeth helped her sister's family move to Thornton
, Yorkshire where Patrick was offered a larger living. She stayed on with the family for a year and helped with Maria's confinement
with Charlotte, born in 1816. Elizabeth returned to Penzance soon after the family settled in at Thronton. In the summer of 1821 she would be called back to Maria's side, this time in Haworth, Yorkshire, where her sister was suffering from uterian cancer. Maria died on 15 September 1821. Elizabeth decided to stay on, temporarily, to help take care of Maria and Patrick's six children.
, Patrick decided to keep the children at home where he and Elizabeth would oversee their education. Branwell Brontë
, the only boy of the family, especially doted upon "Aunt Branwell" as he craved a mother figure in the wake of the death of his own.
at the time and were notified of their aunt's illness. It was too late however, as Elizabeth died four days later on 25th October 1842. Branwell, rumored to have been Elizabeth's favorite, was devastated. He wrote to a friend "I have now lost the guide and director of all the happy days connected with my childhood." She was buried in the family vault near the remains of her dear sister and two nieces.
Charlotte Brontë
Charlotte Brontë was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood, whose novels are English literature standards...
, Emily Brontë
Emily Brontë
Emily Jane Brontë 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English novelist and poet, best remembered for her only novel, Wuthering Heights, now considered a classic of English literature. Emily was the third eldest of the four surviving Brontë siblings, between the youngest Anne and her brother...
and Anne Brontë
Anne Brontë
Anne Brontë was a British novelist and poet, the youngest member of the Brontë literary family.The daughter of a poor Irish clergyman in the Church of England, Anne Brontë lived most of her life with her family at the parish of Haworth on the Yorkshire moors. For a couple of years she went to a...
. Referred to as "Aunt Branwell" she helped raise the children after her sister, Maria Branwell
Maria Branwell
Maria Branwell was the mother of English writers Emily Brontë, Anne Brontë and Charlotte Brontë, and their brother, the poet and painter Branwell Brontë.-Early life:...
, died in 1821 and managed the household until her own death in 1842.
Early life
Elizabeth was one of twelve children born to Thomas Branwell and Anne Carne in Penzance, Cornwall. The family was very successful in the import trade, and her father owned a brewery, an inn, and the only mansion in the town. The close-knit family was broken up by the death of Thomas in 1808 and of his wife the next year. Maria moved north to YorkshireYorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
where she met her husband, Patrick Brontë
Patrick Brontë
The Reverend Patrick Brontë was an Irish Anglican curate and writer, who spent most of his adult life in England and was the father of the writers Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë, and of Branwell Brontë, his only son....
, while Elizabeth most likely moved in with her married sister, Charlotte. This sister was the namesake of Maria's daughter, Charlotte Brontë. Not much is known of Elizabeth's remaining time in Penzance, but she was a member of polite society and she had a private income of £50 which would have allowed her to live comfortably.
'Aunt Branwell'
Elizabeth visited Maria in 1815 in HartsheadHartshead
Hartshead is a village in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England, west of Dewsbury and near Hartshead Moor.The village has pre-Norman Conquest origins; the Walton Cross dated from the 8th century....
, Yorkshire where Patrick was curate. She would have then met her nieces Maria
Maria Brontë
Maria Brontë was the eldest daughter of Patrick Brontë and Maria Branwell, a part of the Brontë family, and the older sister of Charlotte, Emily and Anne. She was born in Hartshead, Yorkshire.- Early life and education :...
and Elizabeth
Elizabeth Brontë
Elizabeth Bronte was, in Witchblade, the original series, the Bladewielder who immediately preceded Sara Pezzini. A World War II spy, she was killed by Kenneth Irons...
, the later of which was her namesake. Elizabeth helped her sister's family move to Thornton
Thornton
The given name Thornton originates from the Old English, means "settlement walled by strong thorn hedges" or "thorny estate dweller". May refer to:-United Kingdom:*Thornton, Angus*Thornton, Buckinghamshire*Thornton, East Riding of Yorkshire...
, Yorkshire where Patrick was offered a larger living. She stayed on with the family for a year and helped with Maria's confinement
Confinement
Confinement may refer to either* Civil confinement for psychiatric patients* Color confinement, the physical principle explaining the non-observation of color charged particles like free quarks* Solitary confinement, a strict form of imprisonment...
with Charlotte, born in 1816. Elizabeth returned to Penzance soon after the family settled in at Thronton. In the summer of 1821 she would be called back to Maria's side, this time in Haworth, Yorkshire, where her sister was suffering from uterian cancer. Maria died on 15 September 1821. Elizabeth decided to stay on, temporarily, to help take care of Maria and Patrick's six children.
Aunt, mother, friend
When Elizabeth took over the care of her nieces and nephew, the oldest, Maria, was seven years old while the youngest, Anne, was only twenty months. Elizabeth, at 45, was considered a spinster and though she missed the warmth and familiarity of her Cornish homeland, she stayed in the cold and secluded Haworth to help Patrick raise and educate his children. She kept the family on a strict routine and was mostly concerned with running the house and caring for the little ones. When the two eldest girls, Maria and Elizabeth, died from tuberculosis contracted at the Cowan Bridge SchoolCowan Bridge School
Cowan Bridge School refers to the Clergy Daughters' School, a school mainly for the daughters of middle class clergy founded in the 1820s. It was first located in the village of Cowan Bridge in the English county of Lancashire, where it was attended by the Brontë sisters. Two of the sisters,...
, Patrick decided to keep the children at home where he and Elizabeth would oversee their education. Branwell Brontë
Branwell Brontë
Patrick Branwell Brontë was a painter and poet, the only son of the Brontë family, and the brother of the writers Charlotte, Emily, and Anne.-Youth:...
, the only boy of the family, especially doted upon "Aunt Branwell" as he craved a mother figure in the wake of the death of his own.
Influence on Brontës
Elizabeth subscribed to several magazines that the children enjoyed reading as youths. Charlotte remembers "reading them by stealth and with the most exquisite pleasure." Elizabeth also continued to receive her annual income and needed very little money to live upon. As a result she was able to fund many of the Brontë's adventures that would otherwise have proved impossible. She gave the girls money to open a boarding school, though the project failed to attract any pupils. She also paid for Charlotte and Emily's trip to Brussels to study French.Death
Elizabeth unexpectedly fell ill in October of 1842 with a bowel constriction. Charlotte and Emily were in BrusselsBrussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
at the time and were notified of their aunt's illness. It was too late however, as Elizabeth died four days later on 25th October 1842. Branwell, rumored to have been Elizabeth's favorite, was devastated. He wrote to a friend "I have now lost the guide and director of all the happy days connected with my childhood." She was buried in the family vault near the remains of her dear sister and two nieces.