This grave has one story partly told in the story of Samuel and Susan Scholfield, as Elizabeth is their sister. She was born in 1814 to William and Mary Scholfield, ironmongers who had a shop on North Street (Burnley Road) and Church Street (Rochdale Road, opposite the gates to St. Mary’s) and so grew up …
This story is mostly already told over on the Todmorden and Walsden website, where an entire page is devoted to the Scholfields of Todmorden. Scroll down a spell and you’ll come to Samuel and some of his story. We’ll tell the rest though, because Susan and Martha here are lost in the story there. Samuel …
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, …
We like giving unnamed infants their names back – “also five infants” is a challenge, and we LOVE challenges – but sometimes giving them their names back is a slow process. The register and Sexton’s book for this plot both read “Olga Smith”, who were we to argue? Except they were wrong. Trust Researcher Sally …
Read more “9.40 – Alga Smith, not Olga Smith (unmarked grave)”
Meet William and Sarah, who had a very modern relationship indeed… William Whitehead was born in 1827, the youngest of the three sons of John Whitehead of Todmorden. He and his older brothers George and Henry lived at Hal Ing, where with their father they worked as tinplate workers and metalsmiths. John was smart, and …
Read more “46.52 – William, Sarah and Charles Edward Whitehead”
The story of the Leah family buried here is mostly told through advertisements and notices – sometimes when public records don’t come through these are your best bet for fleshing out the life of an individual. Robert Leah was born around 1803 in Erringden, and we don’t know much more beyond that. When he married …
This stone now lies flat, but the grave it marks is one of the “sweetest” graves at Christ Church. This confectioner, his wife, and two of their sons helped keep the town supplied with biscuits and candies. Abraham Crossley was born in Todmorden in 1832 to Abraham and Esther (Haigh) Crossley. Abraham Sr. was a …
Read more “38.14 – Abraham, Margaret, Esther, Mary, Deborah, William, John and Mary Jane Crossley”
There are many people named Pickles in the yard but these Pickles here hailed from Bradford – and one is actually buried there! James Pickles was born in April 1816 in Haworth, near Bradford, home of course of the Brontës. They weren’t there yet (they were still in Thornton, not too far away) but even …
Read more “46.54 – James, Rachel and Emmanuel Hudson Pickles”
The Taylors were hard to research, quiet-living people, and as such their story is very short. Read to the end though to find out why their stone is flat. John Taylor was born in either Todmorden or Whalley in about 1813 (it would vary on the census later on), to parents we haven’t been able …
Another infant gets their name back; Mary Kay, who died in April 1878 only two weeks old. First, though, her parents. James Kay was born in Rochdale, Hopwood in fact, in 1835. His father John was a tailor and his mother Catherine was a silk hand loom weaver, and he grew up with seven siblings …
Read more “46.63 – Mary, James, Ellen, John and Elizabeth Kay”