This is a grave that makes you stop, look and think, as there are four little brothers buried here. The eldest was only 5 when he died and the youngest just 6 months old.
The parents of these boys were Young Uttley and Ruth (nee Stansfield). Young Uttley was born at Watty Hole in 1860, his father, John, was a carter (one of the occupations Young had later in life). His childhood didn’t last long; in 1871 at the age of ten he was living at Watty Hole with his parents and siblings and was a cotton spinner. He’d left home by 1881 and was living in Cliviger on a farm and was described as a farm servant.
On the 16th February 1883 Young Uttley married Ruth Stansfield at the Unitarian Chapel. Ruth was also born in 1860 and when she married was living at Pex Royd. Like her future husband her childhood was short and at the age of 10 when she was living with her family at Well Street she was working as a throstle spinner. By 1881 she had progressed to being a frame tenter and was living at Pex Royd with her family.
Ruth and Young had their first son, Fielden, in 1883. He was born on the 1st December 1883 at Dobroyd. Fielden’s brother, Frank, was born less than two years later, on the 30th March 1885, also at Dobroyd. The two brothers were joined by their brother Walter, on the 14th April 1886, and all three boys were baptised together at Christ Church on the 5th June 1886.
At the start of 1887 things must have been looking good for Uttley and Ruth, Uttley was working as a carter, they had three small boys and had moved to 17 Waterloo, Shade – but then, on the 6th September 1887 the youngest of these three sons, Walter, aged 16 months died as a result of suffering convulsions whilst he was teething. Only two months later, on the 5th November 1887, their second son, Frank, also passed away. He had been suffering from scarlatina for four weeks and as a result of that also contracted acute desquamative nephritis. He was just 2 and a half.
Ruth was already expecting her 4th child when her two sons died and on the 30th March 1888 their fourth son, Fred, was born at 17 Waterloo. Tragedy was to strike again though, as early in December 1888 their eldest son, Fielden, contracted measles and he died from this and the acute broncho pneumonia that accompanied it on the 13th December 1888. The measles he was suffering from had unfortunately been passed on to his little baby brother and 5 days later, on the 18th December 1888 baby Fred passed away as a result of measles and croup. The funeral for Fielden must have already been arranged for the 18th December as, on the day he died, little Fred and his elder brother, Fielden, were laid to rest together.
Ruth and Young may have decided to leave Todmorden and particularly Waterloo, Shade, after the death of their children, as in the 1891 census they were living in Whalley and Young was working as an Agricultural labourer.
On the 21st April 1891, whilst living at Whalley, Ruth and Young had their fifth son, Edward. Edward was to survive childhood, marry (twice) and have three daughters before he and his parents emigrated to Canada in 1922. Ruth died in Saskatchewan, Canada in 1934 and Young died there in 1943 (this last date we’ve been unable to confirm with any records and have taken it from one of Edward’s descendants’ tree).
Postscript: Ruth Stansfield’s parents were Joseph Stansfield and Sally (nee Stephenson), both of whom are buried at Christ Church. Joseph was buried on the 2nd Feb 1885 and Sally on the 11th March 1876, they’re probably buried with Joseph’s parents but their names aren’t on the stone. Joseph was the son of John Stansfield and Betty (nee Fielden) whose grave is in the private part of the graveyard at W9.4. He was the brother of Sarah Stansfield and Jane Law (nee Stansfield) whose grave is at 47.56, of Ruth Stansfield, the pretty weaver who married John Fielden Jr., and of John Stansfield who is buried at Lumbutts with his wife, Susannah (nee Hargreaves).