The age old question – why bother doing what we’re doing? We’re so sick of it! Let us give you an example of why. Andrew and Elizabeth Dodd are in what is now, on our new transcript for the school extension graves, row 1 plot 5. It’s the last one before the wall adjoining the …
This grave is in our “unmarked” section of the transcript because it lacks “proper” stones of any kind – when we got here it was in quite a bad way. We fixed up the pottery border and put weed barrier and gravel down and went to go find out who Thomas was. His obituary from …
This vault space is one that had to be entirely rebuilt – from remortaring the bricks to rearranging the squares and adding gravel. It isn’t perfection, but it’s affection. FOCCers care about the graveyard and the people here, and we do our best. It’s better than what this family have had for a very, very …
Read more “V5.10 – Ingham and Ivy Stansfield, and Sarah and Emily May Cunliffe”
James Brearley and George Edward Rodley’s short little lives mean short stories. They were two of Frederick and Mary Ellen (Brearley) Rodley’s eleven children, and they died within two days of each other in November 1869. We also suspect that Mabel Rodley, their sister who died in 1882, is also buried here, but cannot prove …
This stone is a great example of how we can’t always trust a gravestone, or a burial register, or indeed much else, to tell us the truth about someone. From our Facebook page, via researcher Holly: “Been very confused researching this headstone! Normally these things are a valuable tool for giving accurate names and dates. …
Read more “38.8 – Edward and Mary Billington, and Mills, Sarah, Thomas, Jane and John Duckworth”
The patriarch in this grave outlived everyone else buried here despite his difficult and sometimes dangerous job. Young Chaffer certainly didn’t die young (see what we did there?) and his grave is a bit crooked, so enjoy this tilted photo and the story of this family. Young Chaffer was born in 1838 in Todmorden. His …
Read more “42.58 – Mary, Mary Jane, Albert and Young Chaffer, and Ethel Gill”
“I have heard you many a time afore, but you never would speak” – so ended Hannah Stott’s cryptic suicide note. Hannah is buried here with her parents, as she asked. Ogden Dawson and his wife Sarah (Kershaw) Ogden were either native or near-enough-native to Todmorden. Ogden was born in Walsden and Sarah in Littleborough. …
Read more “15.28 – Ogden and Sarah Dawson, and Hannah Stott”
As a counterweight to Thomas Greenwood in row 35, here we have someone who was responsible for helping people into the world, rather than putting them back in the ground at the end. Let’s look at this family. Charles and Mary Maria are the older generation buried in this plot. Charles Stott was born in …
Read more “11.14 – Charles, Mary Maria, John and Harriet Stott”
As of August 2023, Samuel is our first possible murder victim. Is that enough to get your attention? Samuel Butterworth was born in either 1799 or 1800 to Thomas and Sally Butterworth of Nip-Square, Walsden. Because of the dates in which this family lived, there aren’t as many primary sources of information, so we have …
“To Mrs. Dean, with kindest regards from the People’s Warden of Todmorden Church, Jn Barker, May 5th /12” This inscription was inside a copy of Ramshaw’s “Concerning Todmorden Parish” belonging to one of our researchers, and they were curious who Mrs. Dean and John Barker were. Mrs. Dean remains a mystery, but John Barker has …