This plot marker has only initials, and only one set of them. Initials on plot markers can either be those of the person buried there or those of the plot’s owner (in one instance here, both initials are on the stone) and in this case the V gives us a pretty good clue as to …
Emma’s backstory is told in the story of her parents, sisters and niece – but we thought for the sake of the medium read not becoming a long one that we would separate the stories out. Emma Pickup, as she was before marriage, was born in Newchurch, Bacup, in 1858. She had lived in Todmorden …
The relationships in this grave are complex, and figuring them out was complicated by the blended family unit that these people formed over decades. We’ve done our best here but there are still some questions. The Eastwoods here are Grace and Susan, but there’s a third Eastwood sister not named on this stone; Ellen, the …
Read more “56.43 – Grace Eastwood, Betty, Susan and James Dawson, and William Albert Clewer”
All records spell it Akroyd, their grave reads Ackroyd. Rather than waste time arguing about it let’s find out more about the people in this grave. One, at least, has a great number of records behind him, because he rose through the ranks of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. But was he as respectable as …
A lot of people are remembered on this stone, although they aren’t all buried here – at least one is at rest over the pond. Abraham Crossley, the patriarch of this grave, might be a familiar name to you already. Fast forward and he was one of the two men killed when a fireplace they …
Read more “56.44 – Abraham, Susan and John Crossley, and Susan, Mary, Sutcliffe and Willie Mitchell”
This is another of our graves that was missed last time around, and that is linked to other graves within the yard. Who were these people? Elizabeth Ann Helliwell was born in 1863 to William and Hannah (Normington) Helliwell of Square, Walsden. Her baptism at St. Peter’s was on September 24th of that year and …
These Lords were Shade through and through, and this grave spans 68 years of burials, those of a couple and three of their daughters. Moses was born in 1824 to Charles and Sally (Stott) Lord of Walsden. He was one of seven children whose parents were cotton workers and who almost all became cotton workers, …
Read more “56.46 – Jane, Sarah Hannah, Moses, Annie, and Jane Lord”
Ann is the graveyard’s oldest resident. Not because of when she was born but because of her age when she died; not only is she our oldest, but she’s our only centenarian, having died at the impressive age of 104. There are many people buried in this grave and at V11.8 whose lives were very …
John and Betty rest here, and hopefully they are resting. The end of John’s life in particular held a particular sort of embarrassing heartache. John Forrester was born around 1805 on the Lancashire side of Todmorden, as was his future wife Betty Ratcliffe. We know nothing of their lives prior to their marriage apart from …
This stone posed a few questions, not least about the date of Mary’s death. But Betty turned out to be a mystery all her own as well… Mary was born around 1801. That’s all we can say with any certainty up until 1841. The following is pure supposition. Mary’s surname at birth was Lord. This …