The two adults in this grave share something: they’re invisible until 1871.
A strange thing to say, but bear with us. We know that William Henry Greenwood was born at Blackshawhead around 1850; we know Grace Fielden was born around 1846 in Walsden. But until they’re adults, that’s all we know.
In 1871 Grace and her older sister Sally were living together at Water Bridge, near Gauxholme, both working as cotton weavers next to the mill there. The houses at Water Bridge and Water Bridge Mill were next to the Viaduct Inn, later the Mason’s Arms, and have long since disappeared.
In 1871…we don’t know where William Henry Greenwood was beyond simply “Knowl”. On July 6th 1871 he and Grace, both apparently devout Wesleyans, married at Eastwood Independent, and went to live at Water Bridge with Sally (who similarly now is about to disappear from the record).
William and Grace’s first child, Sam, was born in September 1872. At only six months old he died the following year, in March, and was buried here in the non-conformist section of the graveyard. William and Grace had five more children – Fielden, Sam (another son – the name must mean something to at least one of the parents), Sarah Ann, John Arthur, Fred, and Edith Alice. They moved first to Lewis Street and then to Hacking Lane, near Knowlwood Bottom. William was also a cotton weaver and while Grace now stayed home he continued to work.
In 1896 Grace died, rather young considering, and was buried here with little Sam. Two years later there was more sadness for the family as Fred, the youngest son, died aged 18. His death was in the newspapers, as most are, but there seems to have not been an inquest. He was simply very, very sick.
William remarried in 1899 to a widow, Ellen Halstead Stansfield, who also lived in Shade. At this point William and family had moved to Bar Street, nearer to the centre of Todmorden than they had been before (even if only by half a mile). Ellen had been widowed a full ten years ago with her husband, Abraham, dying at the Workhouse (later Stansfield View) at only 32 years old – we don’t know the story, but maybe Ellen had a good reason to be shy of marriage a second time. She brought no children to their marriage but without knowing more about her past, it seems as though she did bring a desire to adopt or foster children. We don’t think William’s youngest child, Edith, coped well with William’s remarriage, since on the 1901 Census she’s living with her older sister Sarah Ann and her husband, William Henry Stansfield. Meanwhile William and Ellen have a one-year-old “visitor” named Willie Townson.
1911 was the same – William and Ellen and an “adopted son” named Leslie Woodhead. There’s also a 58 year old lodger, but we won’t count him as a foster child…
In July 1914 Ellen died, and two weeks later William followed. William is here in this grave, and Ellen IS buried at Christ Church, but we don’t know where she might be. Is she here? We can imagine it…and maybe we can also imagine William’s children leaving her name off the stone. It would be a sad thing but not all stepmothers are loved – even those who clearly are willing to love other people’s children.