17.16 – James and Hannah Lather, Samuel and Elizabeth Greenlees

This stone is slightly unusual in that it starts with those buried more recently, rather than the first few into the plot. Chronologically, we need to start with James and Hannah Lather. James Lather was born in Derbyshire in 1844, two years after his future wife Hannah Dean. He was from Spondon and she was …

37.7 – Annie Maria Smith

Annie was born in late 1855 in Mortimer, Berkshire. Her life was rather short and so there’s little to tell, but like so many others here, she is another single child whose parents came to Todmorden and then left again; the story of how she got here is more detailed than anything we could say …

37A.28 – Albert, Bertha, Young and Lydia Sutcliffe

“Gone to be with Christ, which is far better” This stone remember three children of Young and Lydia (Jeffs) Sutcliffe – Albert, Bertha, and an unnamed infant daughter. But who were Young and Lydia? Young was born in December 1834 to John and Betty (Greenwood) Sutcliffe up in Heptonstall. He was one of 11 children …

37.27 – Lydia, George, Grace, Hannah, William and Hannah Lingard Marshall

Another one of our eroded stones that needed Ancestry’s help to decipher. Also another suicide contained within. Before we start, a word about holly. Holly is our least favourite plant in the graveyard. Not even ivy is capable of causing such damage. Ivy might crack stones, but holly erases everything it touches. Something to do …