The Unitarian Church in Todmorden

There are Hileys/Highleys buried in most of the graveyards of the churches around Todmorden and Walsden. There is just one Hiley family grave in the Unitarian Church in Todmorden.

The Unitarian church, with its tall spire, overlooks the town and can be seen for miles around. The Todmorden Unitarians built their first chapel in 1823. One of their prominent members was John Fielden, 'Honest John', a local mill owner, social reformer and later Radical M.P. for Oldham. John is buried in the churchyard.

In 1865, the building of a new church was started and this was built in memory of John Fielden and paid for by his 3 sons, Joshua, John (junior) and Samuel. Money was no object to these brothers. Joshua and Samuel are also buried in the churchyard. The cost of the church on Honey Hole Road was over £35000, well over £3m in today's money.

The Unitarian church in Todmorden

David Hiley, his wife Ellen (nee Stansfield), his daughter Annie and her husband Frank Gibson, are all buried in the single Hiley grave in the churchyard. David was a direct descendant of Mark Highley who married Mary Law in Cross Stone church in 1754. 

David's father was John Hiley who met his end in a disastrous boiler explosion in Todmorden in 1875. A Blogpost about this incident is in the pipeline.

The Hiley grave in the Unitarian churchyard

David Hiley lived to the age of 93. Of all the Hiley/Highley members currently recorded in the family tree, where we know the years of birth and death, he is the longest lived.

If you know of Hileys who have survived to a more advanced age, please get in touch!

The Chartist meeting in 1842 at Basin Stones, Walsden

The Blogpost of 14th May 2019 featured a short biography of Charles Hiley (1822-1899). The following is an excerpt from Charles's obituary in The Todmorden Advertiser and Hebden Bridge Newsletter on 30th March 1899.

This content is included courtesy of the British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnespaperarchive.co.uk)

Image © THE BRITSH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 

Alfred Walter Bayes (1832-1909) was born in Lumbutts near Todmorden and became a pupil teacher at his father's school in Lumbutts. A W Bayes moved to London to advance his artistic career, exhibited at the Royal Academy, and became a notable painter and engraver. One of his most famous paintings (shown below) is of the Chartists meeting in 1842 at Basin Stones on the moorland hills high above Walsden.

Chartism, the first true working-class movement in Britain, was named after the People's Charter, which set out six political demands: universal suffrage, equal electoral districts, vote by secret ballot, annually elected Parliaments, payment for MPs and abolition of property qualifications for MPs. 

The strength of Chartism was reflected in public meetings which were attended by huge numbers of people. Among the speakers were John Fielden, the Todmorden industrialist and M.P., Feargus O'Connor, editor of the Leeds Chartist newspaper and Ernest Jones, the poet and novelist.

Perhaps Charles Hiley was one of those who attended this meeting at Basin Stones.

A Chartist meeting at Basin Stones, Todmorden, 1842, by A W Bayes