Maria Brontë

Maria Brontë (/ˈbrɒnti/, commonly /ˈbrɒnteɪ/; 23 April 1814 – 6 May 1825) was the eldest daughter of Patrick Brontë and Maria Brontë, née Maria Branwell.

She was the elder sister of Elizabeth, Charlotte, Branwell, Emily, and Anne. She was born in Hartshead, Yorkshire, and died at the age of 11.

When Maria was six years old, she was characterised as "grave, thoughtful, and quiet, to a degree far beyond her years". Soon after their mother's death in 1821, Maria and her sisters grew up largely with the company of one another, preferring to stay away from society. Maria often read the many newspapers bought into the household by their father and revealed her findings to her sisters.

Maria was said to have been a precocious child. According to her father, when he asked 10-year-old Maria "what...the best mode of spending time [was]", she answered, "By laying it out in preparation for a happy eternity." He later said that he could speak with Maria on any popular topic of the day as fluently as with an adult, and regretfully recalled her "powerfully intellectual mind". A printer from Thornton also remembered Maria correcting the proofs of one of Mr. Brontë's long poems. According to Charlotte, she was rather serious and silent than otherwise, and Mrs. Gaskell described her as "delicate, unusually clever and thoughtful for her age, gentle, and untidy".

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