16.28 – Richard and Martha Ann Chaffer, and Hannah and James Stansfield

Richard is one of those who died elsewhere and is commemorated here; after researching him, we wondered who had loved him enough to bother. Richard was a wheelwright from Knowlwood who was not very good to his wife and children. He married Martha Ann Greenwood in Oldham in 1867, although he was a Tod lad …

10.17 – Edna Eastwood

This post will focus entirely on Edna and her story, which we felt deserved a telling. Edna Eastwood was the daughter of William Eastwood and Mary (maidenly Taylor). In 1911, William was a cotton twister and Edna was a cotton weaver, Edna had three younger sisters called Gertrude, Mabel and Florrie. The only son of …

12.19 – Frank Ashworth

Death of a Volunteer. This magnificent gravestone is Frank Ashworth’s. He was one of the founder members of the Todmorden Company, 2nd Volunteer Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers which was formed in 1877. The newspaper clipping details his grand send off – imagine a funeral like that in the town today. It just wouldn’t happen. From the …

21.41 – Elizabeth Bradbury and Nellie and Charles Martin Saville (previously unmarked)

While checking the TAS transcript we discovered some tumbled sidestones that marked a previously “unmarked” grave. The sexton’s book had already told us that Elizabeth (Stringfellow) Bradbury was here, but no one had recorded Charles Martin and Nellie Saville’s burials here except for on these stones. Nellie was Elizabeth’s daughter. How they all got here …