41.18 – Murdoch Campbell

Murdoch is an enigma in the graveyard. His common-for-the-time name makes it hard to pin down his origins; he is not mentioned in any official records of the work he did; his cause of death poses nothing but questions. But he’s here, and with a magnificently carved stone, so this is what we know: “This …

37.9 – Ann, John, Amelia and Peter Davies, and Margaret Little

This story is only going to focus on Peter for now – other research on his family may follow. Peter Davies (1790-1876) married Hannah Jackson in 1812 – her headstone can be found at St. Mary’s. Peter’s occupation was a sawyer, like his father before him (also called Peter) and his son (also called Peter, …

22.21 – Richard, Ruth Ann, Bertha, Charles, Harold and Harry Howarth

This small, decaying, but striking black cross marks a sad grave indeed, although an unusual one – even though four small children are here, and their parents did not stay in Todmorden, the parents are also buried here. Richard Newsome Howarth was born in Todmorden in 1865, and on the 1871 census shows with his …

34.28 – Herbert and Elizabeth Mamwell, Lucy Anne Ginley

This grave is linked to 34.27, Stephenson/Fielden/Scholfield. Mary Ann Scholfield (or Schofield, depending on the source) was born Mary Ann Mamwell, to Elizabeth and Emanuel Mamwell. Herbert, buried here aged 8, was also their son. Herbert died aged eight, only 3 days after his older sister, who herself was only 22 years old. Even sadder, …

34.27 – Arthur Stephenson, Albert Edward Fielden, and Mary Ann Scholfield

The two men in this grave, Arthur Stephenson and Albert Edward Fielden, were brothers. They had the same mother but different fathers. Their mother, Alice Ashworth, married Joseph Fielden in 1872 and had three children with him, Emma, James and Albert. Alice’s first husband, Joseph Fielden, died in 1884. In 1888 Alice married again, to Young …

35.1 – John William Yourn

If you walk past without looking closely, you’d think this was just part of the border of the path. But it’s not – it’s someone’s burial marker. We looked closer. John William Yourn was born in 1875. His father, William, was originally from Chacewater in Cornwall, near Truro. His mother Betty was a local girl. …