This grave was found while on the hunt for the elusive – and now, we think, nonexistent – Baldwin grave…although more of that another time maybe. This wasn’t the only one found during that hunt either.
On the previous transcript, this grave was known about due what appeared to be a sexton’s book entry, although the year and age were both wrong. But the stone was “missing”. Not missing, as it turned out, just mostly covered up by mud and silt and with only the bottom right hand corner exposed. Between the mostly-correct entry and our researchers and group members we pieced together who Ann was.
Ann Howarth Greenwood was born in 1839/1840 in Walsden. Her maiden name was also Greenwood, Howarth being her middle name. In the 1851 census she was living at New Bridge, Todmorden, with her grandmother Sally, who was a washer woman, and Sally’s daughter Sarah. In 1861 the three of them were living at Inchfield Fold and in 1871 she was living with her aunt, Sarah, in Montreal Place. She married Ashton Greenwood, also a cotton weaver, in 1872.
Prior to their marriage Ashton had lived his whole life with his mother, Elizabeth, probably as the main breadwinner as she was widowed by 1861 (maybe even by 1851, her husband Thomas is gone but she still lists herself as married…who knows) and had quite a few children to support. As the younger ones moved out one by one, Ashton stayed on. Good boy!
For most of their married life Ashton and Ann lived in Peel Street. In the 1911 census they state that they didn’t have any children. Ann eventually predeceased her husband in 1914 at the more than decent age of 75.
Ashton outlived his wife and was buried at Christ Church in 1920. We assume that it will have been with his wife but have no proof of this. Since they had no children and Ashton died at Stansfield View, it’s very likely that there was no one left who wanted to go to the expense of updating their gravestone with more costly engraving, so his definite resting place within the graveyard remains unknown.
Interestingly, this stone was originally an upright lancet which at some point was laid flat. We hope that at some point we can get it put upright once more.
Thanks to Sara Titherington-Brown for the additional information about this small, mostly-forgotten family.