Rev Patrick Brontë was born in County Down, Ireland on 17th March 1777.
He was the head of the Brontë family, and father of Charlotte, Branwell, Emily, and Anne.
In 1809, he was curate to the Rev John Buckworth at All Saints, Dewsbury. During his time at Dewsbury, he often rode over to take service at Hartshead to assist the ailing Rev William Hanwell Lucas.
He was offered the living of Hartshead in July 1811, and became Curate at the parish of Hartshead-cum-Clifton [1811-1815].
He lodged with Harriet and Peter Bedford at Thornbush Farm until his marriage to Maria, when the couple rented Clough House.
He was a popular figure in the Hartshead district, and once dived in to save a boy from drowning in the flooded Calder.
In the early hours of April 12th 1812, the morning after the Luddite attack on William Cartwright's mill at Rawfolds, he is said to have seen men burying bodies in the south-east corner of the graveyard at St Peter's Church, and assumed that they were Luddites. It is said that there is a space in the graveyard where nobody wanted to cover over the Luddite graves.
In 1815, he became curate at the Bell Chapel, Thornton, exchanging livings with Rev Thomas Atkinson.
In 1820, he succeeded Rev James Charnock to become Perpetual Curate at Haworth, Stanbury and Oxenhope, at St Michael & All Angels, Haworth, within the Parish of Bradford. A convoy of 7 carts carried the family and their belongings from Thornton to Haworth.
At Haworth, he was continually aware of the potential unrest with the Luddites and other radicals. He kept a loaded pistol at his bedside in case of disturbances in the night. To avoid any danger to the children during the day, he discharged the pistol out of the window at the Parsonage. Bullet holes can still be seen in the tower at Haworth church.
He survived his family and died on 7th June 1861
This & associated entries use material contributed by Kristina Bedford
Page Ref: MMB408
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