One of the more impressive plot markers in the yard here, it consists of a full-sized flat ledger with two initials at the base: G on the left side, F on the right. The year for the stones along from it is 1835, so we went looking, and there it was…
The story begins with George Feltham, who was born in Lancashire in 1787. We don’t know his parentage or even his whereabouts until 1814, when he married Susan Bentley at St. Thomas in Heptonstall. Susan was a Heppy lass who was probably born at Earnshaw Water (near Blackshaw Head) in 1789, although at her death her date of birth was estimated around 1792.
We struggled to find information about George and Susan’s children, with only two being verifiable: John, born in 1815, and George, born in 1822. If there were others they never made it as far as being baptised. The couple lived at Doghouse in Todmorden, behind where the railway station is now, although back then it was just houses. Much of Doghouse was demolished to make way for the railway and viaduct later.
Susan died in April 1835 and was buried here. Her death predating the GRO index means we have no information about how she died. She was only 43 by the vicar’s reckoning. In 1841 the two Georges (John had long since moved out) were living at North Street, aka Burnley Road, and both were working as cotton carders. In 1843 George Jr. married Mary Cheetham and the couple moved out, and two years later George Sr. died. He too is buried at Christ Church, and we’d like to assume he’s here with Susan. In an interesting coincidence, both Susan and George are burial number 58 in their year’s burial register.
The G.F. on the base of the stone are his initials as the owner of this plot. Maybe the intention was to engrave names later on and for this to serve as a family grave. But fate intervened. George Jr., who had become a fishmonger, died in 1849 at the age of 25, and his wife had him buried up at Cross Stone which was a little bit posher a location at that point than Christ Church or St. Mary’s.
Their other son John would be buried at Christ Church upon his own death in 1894, at the unusual-for-this-family ripe old age of 79, but his grave appears to be unmarked. Is he also here? That’s a good question…the answer is probably, and probably there are also another seven people here. Yes, another eight inhabitants.
In 1836 John had married Mary Greenwood, and the couple would have twelve children. Twelve! But this dozen was a fragile one. At first things went well, but by the 1850s they began to lose children. Their son John drowned in the canal; then in 1855 they lost three children, Bentley at two and a half and twins James and William shortly after birth. Another unnamed son would be born and die within a day, and an undiscovered sixth child (probably stillborn) too. Mary would have struggled, especially as in 1843 her father had committed suicide. But she and John struggled on, and perhaps didn’t notice (or chose not to see) that their eldest son Greenwood had been badly affected by his brother’s drowning. As time went on this only compounded, and in November 1863 months of suicidal ideation, coupled with his struggles with the seemingly-endless Cotton Famine and the difficulty of remaining a weaver when the cotton available was such poor quality that you spent as much time retying knots as you did weaving, caught up with him. From the November 28th 1863 edition of the Todmorden Advertiser:
Thomas Greenwood called, said he resided in Brook-street, was a weaver, 17 years of age, had known Greenwood Feltham 6 years; Feltham had also been a weaver, and worked at Lor Bros’.; they had been companions; he was in his company last Tuesday night, at first in York-street in a cottage where they sat, which they called a reading-room; he (witness) went in at 5:50 and came out at 7:30, Feltham was there when he went in, and he went out with James Greenwood. In 5 minuntes he (witness) with Howorth Greenwood, James H. Ormerod, John Dewhirst and Wm. Ackroyd followed and joined them, and they all stayed on Todmorden bridge till 7:40. Feltham said “We will take a walk as far as Shade and back.” They all (seven of them) went up the turnpike; when they got above Shae, Feltham said “We will go up here and down th’bank;” they did so, playing and “marlocking” till they got to the iron bridge over the canal. Feltham then said “I will never weave any more ‘Surat’ before that I will commit suicide.” At Shade lock he said “I had a brother drowned here, I will drown myself here too.” James Greenwood said “There is a water-hole there (on the bank by the lock) thou must try there first.” Feltham said “When I do try, I shall try where I can’t get out myself, alive;” he (witness) said “let’s talk about something else before this.” When opposite Pickles’s mill Feltham said “If I do drown myself it will be through my father.” They got as far as “slave’s rest,” when Feltham said “I had thought to do it in this pool, but I will do it in the next.” All of them were going on gently, but Feltham lagged behind; they took no notice of him until he shouted out “Good night to you all;” they looked back and saw his jacket flying in the air, and Feltham diving into the water; it was moonlight, they were about 16 yards before him, opposite Messrs. Fielden’s school-room, Dobroyd. Howorth Greenwood and Wm. Dewhirst each ran for a pole, and got two; they put them into the water and shouted to Feltham, but he went further off, and was jumping about in the water. Dewhirst Ackroyd, and himself went for P.C. Turner, he came with them to the canal, they showed him where he had jumped in, and remained until he was taken out – perhaps an hour and a quarter after.
To an enquiry from the coroner what in their walk up the turnpike they had talked about? Witness said their talk was about “Surat,” that it did not weave well, – none of them liked it.
In answer to a juror about “his father being the cause” the witness said that deceased had said that night that “John Feltham was not his father, if he met him he ‘would peal him two black een.’” Feltham decease looked as right then as he did any time; he (witness) had heard him talk of drowning himself many a time; Feltham had often been off – had been in prison 7 days – and said “he would go again before he would pay a gallows-button off his back.”
John Feltham called, said he was father of deceased, he resided in Myrtle-street, Todmorden, was a labourer in a foundry, aged 48; his son, Greenwood Feltham, was 21 last May, and had lived with him; he (witness) had 5 children living – had had 12 in all, his wife was living; his son Greenwood had run away formerly but not for some time; he had brought his last wages home, which for 9 days were 10s. 4d.; he had found no fault with him, knew they could not earn so much now the work was bad, but had told him he must put up with it. His son had been low-spirited and thought things would never mend, had done all he could to encourage him; had had unpleasant words the last 5 or 6 weeks in consequence of his son beginning again to leave his work; never struck or beat him; his son slept at home last on Sunday night the 15th, and went to his work on Monday morning till breakfast time. Richard Stansfield, foundry-master, promised him work a week or two ago; his mother said when at his breakfast on Monday, “This is a good time, go up to Stansfield’s, and see if he’s ready for thee;” he got his breakfast and never spoke a word; he (witness) did see his son on Monday morning, he had seen Richard Stansfield since he had come to the inquest, who told him that his son had been to him on the Monday morning, that he had said to him he was building a new smithy, and would give him a job when he was ready. Deceased had once been months away from home, that was 2 years since; he begged and pleaded to return, and promised to be a better lad. He (witness) could earn from 12 to 15 shillings per week, could not find his son a trade, thought he had taken it badly. His (witness’s) wife’s father had committed suicide 20 years ago; had seen nothing particularly that would lead him to think his son was not in his right mind, he had not shown anything of it at home; had many times talked of having a trade.
Inspector Heap stated that Greenwood Feltham had told one of his companions that a month before he had been down to the Oldroyd lock, intending to drown himself, he looked around and saw no one, and for that reason he had not done it. [It would appear he wished to be seen in the act.] The other boys if called as witnesses would corroborate Thos. Greenwood’s evidence.
The inquest jury found Greenwood to be of “partially unsound mind” when he died.
Only John Jr., Bentley and Greenwood’s burials are recorded here, probably because the other children were so young when they died or were stillborn that the sexton didn’t record their burials. Perhaps they were unbaptised. In spite of all this, their names can be remembered here now.
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