James Kershaw (1803-1860)

In the last post we learned how James Kershaw met an untimely death on Mytholmroyd Station.

His great grandson Derrick Kershaw researched the Kershaw and Taylor families in his retirement, visiting record offices, searching through archives, and finding and photographing the places where his ancestors were born, lived and were buried. His research was done well before the days when the availability of computers, together with transcriptions of parish records, baptism, marriage and burial records, and censuses made researching family history a lot easier. Derrick compiled a large file of family photographs, documents, records and reminiscences.

Below is his entry for James Kershaw:

Derrick's photos of his trip to Mytholmroyd:

Mytholmroyd Methodist Graveyard

Mytholmroyd Methodist Church

Grave of James Kershaw and his family

Alfred Highley Innkeeper

A branch of the Yorkshire Highleys lived in Cragg Vale, a small village in Calderdale. Cragg Vale lies on the old turnpike road which ran up Cragg Road from Mytholmroyd to the top of Blackstone Edge.

Alfred was a grandson of John and Mary Highley of Law Hill, Erringden. John was a farmer born in Ovenden, Halifax in 1799, but it has not yet been possible to connect him to the other Hiley families living in Calderdale in the 1700s.

Alfred was baptised on Christmas Day 1870 in St John in the Wilderness church in Cragg Vale. The family were living at Four Gates End, Sowerby and Alfred's father Joseph was the Innkeeper at the Sportsman Inn in Cragg Vale.

Alfred became landlord at the Sportsman Inn and later at the Shoulder of Mutton Inn at Mytholmroyd. The photo shows the Coal Man being paid outside the Inn.

Look out for future Blogs about this branch of the Hileys.

Alfred Highley's Inn at Mytholmroyd