The Rev Patrick Brontë lived in the town for a year while serving a curacy before moving to Yorkshire and meeting his future wife there, Maria Branwell. The abolitionist Dr William Withering was born in the town in 1741; he also investigated digitalis, used in the treatment of heart disease. S. Parkes Cadman, who became a prominent preacher in the United States, was born there in 1864. Several members of the pop group T'Pau (including vocalist Carol Decker and keyboardist Michael Chetwood) grew up in Wellington – the latter returning to run a music shop in the town.