Little Doris’s marker stone was turned upside down before we turned up – now she’s visible again. This was going to be an easy story. Little girl dies young and is buried at Christ Church, grieving Grandfather who was a journeyman stonemason, probably carves a small memorial stone for her. Grandfather dies and is probably …
What more can we say? James Johnson led a low-key life, only appearing in the newspapers when he died, but his reputation lived on. His other appearance in print is on a page of the Todmorden and Hebden Bridge Historical Almanack from 1896. Imagine a page appearing in your local newspaper detailing the names, nicknames, …
Read more “38.36 – James Johnson, aka “Jimmy Johnson Squeesme””
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 …
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, …
Read more “37.9 – Ann, John, Amelia and Peter Davies, and Margaret Little”
In Loving Memory of Fred Ingham, who died February 19th 1915 aged 26 years We didn’t expect to find Fred – he was right near the end of row 7, turned over and detached from any other grave, and he doesn’t exist on the transcript at all. So who was he? Born in Bury in …
This one isn’t a big write up, but there’s a name here which is missing and that we wished to reunite – more on that at the end. The inscription reads: “In loving memory of John Mills of Spring Vale, Walsden, who died March 25th 1885 aged 64 years . Also of James son of …
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 …
Read more “22.21 – Richard, Ruth Ann, Bertha, Charles, Harold and Harry Howarth”
Grace was one of the first graves adopted as part of the FOCCT project and is not untypical in being a single child buried here with no other family members anywhere in the graveyard. Todmorden was a place of industry and people came from afar – some stayed, some left again. Her parents were Francis …
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, …
Read more “34.28 – Herbert and Elizabeth Mamwell, Lucy Anne Ginley”
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 …
Read more “34.27 – Arthur Stephenson, Albert Edward Fielden, and Mary Ann Scholfield”