Samuel Hiley, Trustee of Lanebottom Wesleyan Methodist Chapel

The photos below of Trustees of the Lanebottom Wesleyan Methodist Chapel and Sunday School in Walsden appeared in a Centenary Souvenir (1809-1909) book compiled by Sam A. Crossley and Ernest Law.

Samuel Hiley, a great grandfather, along with other family members, were influential members of the Chapel, and Samuel is shown with some of his fellow Trustees.

The next Blog post will give a short history of the church and mention some of the contributions from Samuel and his family.

Harold Hiley from Todmorden

The last Blog post listed the Todmorden men who lost their lives in the First World War. One of them was Harold Hiley.

Harold was born in Todmorden in 1890, the son of John and Mary Ann (nee Graham). Harold, a weaver of Russell Street, Cross Stone, Todmorden married Martha Walker, a Spinner of Knowlwood Road, Walsden on 29th April 1911 at St Peter’s Church, Walsden. They lived at 14 Cannon Street, Shade, Todmorden. Harold was a member of the Hope Lodge of Oddfellows and worked as a weaver at Hollins Mill in Walsden. Harold and Martha had a child, John, who died in infancy.

Harold enlisted with the Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding Regiment) 2nd Battalion in Halifax at Whitsuntide in 1915. He was wounded in France and hospitalised for about 8 months in England before returning to his unit in about June 1918. He was killed in action at Harcourt on the river Sensée, aged 27, on 30th August 1918 and was buried at Vis-en-Artois British Cemetery, Haucourt in northern France. Vis-en-Artois and Haucourt were taken by the Canadian Corps on 27th August 1918. The cemetery was begun immediately afterwards and was used by fighting units and field ambulances until the middle of October. It consisted originally of 430 graves of which 297 were Canadian and 55 belonged to the 2nd Duke of Wellington's Regiment. 

Todmorden Advertiser and Hebden Bridge Newsletter, 20th September 1918.

This content is included courtesy of the British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)
Image © Johnston Press plc. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

Harold is remembered on the Todmorden War Memorial, and on the Memorials of St Aidan’s Church, Oddfellows’ Hall and Roomfield Baptist Church. He is also named on the headstone of the family grave at Cross Stone graveyard in Todmorden.  

Harold Hiley's gravestone in Vis-en-Artois British cemetery in France

 The family grave at Cross Stone, Todmorden

The Todmorden Garden of Remembrance

The memorial to the fallen Todmorden soldiers of the First World War is in the Garden of Remembrance in Centre Vale Park, Todmorden. The park is the former home of the Fielden family, local philanthropists and business people.

Todmorden Garden of Remembrance

These are they who being peaceable citizens of Todmorden at the call of King and country and in defence of their native land left all that was dear to them, endured hardship, faced danger and finally passed out of the sight of man by the path of duty and self sacrifice, giving up their own lives that others might live in freedom.Their name liveth for evermore.

There are 4 Hileys/Highleys commemorated on the memorial: Ernest Jackson Highley, John Henry Highley, Charles William Highley (all brothers), and Harold Hiley. The name of Charles Highley on the 2nd plaque is a mistake.

       
Also commemorated are a number of other men with Hiley connections.

Vicarage Farm and Thomas Hiley's family

The previous Blog tells a story about Hiley ' th' Vicarage, written by John Travis. Travis refers to him as John Hiley but his proper name was Thomas Hiley (or Highley).

He was the illegitimate son of Mary Highley (1761-1820). Mary was the first child of James Highley and Martha (nee Greenwood), 5 x great grandparents.

Thomas married Sally Haigh, the daughter of John Haigh (the younger) of Pastureside, Walsden. John Haigh became a wealthy man and owned a lot of land and property on the moors above Walsden, including Pastureside, Vicarage, Nicklety and Coolam. Thomas and Sally were given the tenancy of John's farm at Vicarage.

The couple had 11 children including Reuben, featured in the Blog post of 7th May 2019 and the subject of John Travis's story 'Mother Wit', and John, known as Hiley i' th' Horsepasture and the subject of a forthcoming Blog post.

The ruins of Vicarage 2018

Foul Clough Road, the road to the Coalpits

Vicarage is in the far distance, near the middle one of the 3 big trees

The ruins of Pastureside Farm, home of John Haigh the younger and his family. 2018

Hiley i' th' Vicarage

The Blog of 7th May 2019 featured an article by John Travis from his 'Notes Historical And Biographical Mainly Of Todmorden And District'. Below is another story from the same book.

More about Hiley i' th' Vicarage and his family, and a photo of what is left of Vicarage today, will follow in the next Blog.