Love comes late to some of us, and that’s ok. It’s no less wonderful for that! William Culshaw, the senior partner, was born around 1785 in Manchester. His father James was a butcher and sadly that’s the end of our knowledge of William’s life. He became a blacksmith and seemingly never married, although this makes …
Afflictions sore long time I bore, Physicians were in vain, Till God above displayed his love, And eased me of my pain. So reads Sarah Law’s epitaph, and for good reason. Sarah’s origins are unknown thanks to the years in which she got married and the common name of her future husband. She was born …
Generations and generations on one stone – some stories we know, some we don’t, and some we can only guess at. Zechariah Astin was born in Rossendale in 1782, and Betty…unknown last name…was born in Leeds in 1787. These Astins are the famous Astin and Barker Astins, even though they did live at Harley House …
There are five members of the Spencer family in this grave, William, Grace his wife and three of their seven children. We don’t know much about William Spencer; according to the information from the census he was born in 1796 in Stansfield and in his adult life was a farm labourer – that’s all the …
Read more “40.0 – William, Grace, William, Hannah and Grace Spencer”
Thomas Greenwood was one of the children of Robert and Fanny Greenwood who are buried in grave 43.8 with three of his siblings and one of their wives. We’ve heard their stories, but what about his? And why is he here alone? Thomas was baptised at St Mary’s on the 22nd December 1807, and after …
A plot marker with the initials J. D. opened up the story of several Davieses buried here at Christ Church, quite possibly in this very plot. But who was here first? James Davies – our J. D. – was born in Todmorden in 1798. He was a younger brother of Peter Davies at 37.9 and …
A short story about a grave that ended a family line. Abraham Hollinrake was, according to all the family trees on Ancestry, born in 1808 to Abraham and Mary (Heap) Hollinrake of Heptonstall. However, the Abraham buried here has an age on all other public records that tallies with a birth in 1810; and so …
A story that encompasses the church, the school, and the graveyard itself; what more could we want? This grave story is only a half-told one though, because the latter two inhabitants died lately enough that there will be memories out there of them beyond the public record – and we want to hear them! So …
Read more “38.35 – John Thomas, Bertha, Alice and Arthur Cryer”
A regular couple who were surrounded by losses, some their own and some that through chance fell into their laps… Thomas Hardman was born in 1849 at Pexwood, the youngest son and youngest child of David and Sally (Crabtree). David was a steam engine tenter and Thomas grew up familiar with machinery and mechanics, and …
More continuity here for those with an interest in the Freemason’s and later Weaver’s Arms on Blind Lane – maybe you remember William and Martha Jane Sutcliffe under the school’s story? Well this is how they got there (or at least how Martha Jane got there). We have go back a bit though. Let’s start …