some of her novels, particularly Mary Barton and Ruth, drew strong criticism for their radical views, as well as through the threatened lawsuits over her biography of Charlotte Brontë. Elizabeth died suddenly in 1865. William Gaskell survived his wife by almost two decades, working full-time until six months before his death, aided by his two unmarried daughters. He died of bronchitis in Manchester in 1884, and is buried beside Elizabeth at Brook Street Chapel, Knutsford. Legacy Gaskell's portrait and bust are on display at the new Cross Street Chapel. Gaskell was portrayed by Bill Nighy in the Granada Television mini-series, God's Messengers (1994). Notes Sources Brill B. William Gaskell, 1805–1884 (Manchester Literary and Philosophical Publications; 1984) () Chapple JAV, Pollard A, eds. The Letters of Mrs Gaskell (Mandolin; 1997) () Uglow J. Elizabeth Gaskell: A Habit of Stories (Faber and Faber; 1993) () Further reading Webb RK. 'The Gaskells as Unitarians' in Shattock J (ed). Dickens and Other Victorians (Palgrave Macmillan; 1988) () Head, Geoffrey 'The founders: John Relly Beard and William Gaskell' in Len Smith and others Unitarian to the Core: Unitarian College Manchester, 1854-2004 (Carnegie Publishing, 2004) pp. 30–51 A portrait of William Gaskell as Minister of Cross Street Chapel: in Unitarian History External links A Brief History of Cross Street Chapel Retrieved on 10 December 2016 A photograph of William Gaskell Retrieved on 10 December 2016. 1805 births 1884 deaths Alumni of Harris Manchester College, Oxford Alumni of the University of Glasgow English Unitarian ministers 19th-century English educators English sermon writers English pamphleteers English male poets Christian hymnwriters English hymnwriters 19th-century Christian clergy Deaths from bronchitis English male non-fiction writers 19th-century English musicians Burials in Cheshire People from Warrington Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society