“Also of five infants” always hurts a little to read, and while four of these infants have their names back, one looks to have never managed to have a name at all… Some of Young Ashworth’s story you will know from that of his parents and sisters at 40.9. He was the second youngest, the …
Read more “38.5 – Young and Ann Ashworth and their children”
Another plot marker discerned, although there are many other unlocated Thorps in this graveyard which raises the question…why here? And who here? The Thorp family hailed from Heath Charnock, between Chorley and Bolton, and most of the children of James and Alice (France) Thorp were born there. The couple had a love of fancy names …
A family who were swept up in the Poor Law Riots, and an emigration that ended in tragedy. Henry Atkinson – the man of the house here – was born in Bowling, Bradford, in 1802. His father was a farmer but Henry was good with his hands and found himself apprenticing to a shoemaker, whose …
Read more “40.40 – William Sager, Henry, Thomas and Rachel Atkinson, and Ellen Horsfall”
This story is dedicated to those who adopt or foster, and to those who work hard to make sure that one generation’s sins don’t carry on to the next. If you’ve read our other stories about the Lord family – John and Sam’s story in particular – then you’ve already heard a little about Sarah …
Read more “41.ii – Abraham and Sarah Ford, Benjamin Elwell, and Hannah Champion”
Some names get remembered because of their manner of death being unusual, or – in this case- spectacularly traumatic for a large part of the town. As with so many of these stories, we start with an offcumden and a local lad or lass. For this story the offcumden is William Livsey, who was born …
Two rows down from his brother John lies Edmund Holt (Jr.) and some of his own family. Edmund Holt was John Holt’s younger brother and so his early life was much the same as John’s – life up at Lumbutts – and also in terms of employment – the Fielden family. While John went down …
Read more “41.i – William, Robert, Sarah and Edmund Holt, and Sarah Ann Ingham”
Poor Eleanor Pennington, who died far from her family and whose story hints at mysteries behind closed doors… Eleanor (sometimes Ellenor) was born Eleanor Royston in 1810 in Leeds, the second daughter (we think) of Luke and Mary (Kay) Royston. Luke was a woollen cloth merchant and Eleanor’s early life was one of relative comfort, …
Sometimes we wonder how many tradesmen in Todmorden weren’t tailors; sometimes we wonder if any of them were native to Todmorden, or if they really were all from “north of the north”. This story will not vary from those seemingly universal conditions! James Tyson Postlethwaite was born in Kirkby Ireleth in 1808, although he would …
Read more “41.4 – William, Sarah, James and Ellen Postlethwaite”
Here are some more members of the Lord family of Canal Street Works fame, but from a slightly lesser known Lord brother: Abraham. The story here starts with his first wife, Emm. It also covers the lives of two of her sons…one to be proud of (or at least not disappointed by), and one to …
Read more “41.12 – Andrew, Emm, Mary Ellen, Sam, Willie and John Lord”
From a tiny village in North Yorkshire to bustling busy Todmorden, this family’s journey was really something. Hammond Geldard Metcalfe was born in 1777 in Carlton, a little ways southwest of Leyburn. The current population is estimated at about 232 people and is also the largest village in Coverdale, so you can only imagine how …
Read more “41.8 – Jane and Hammond Geldard Metcalfe, and James and Alice Stansfield”