In this section are some of the stories of the families buried in the graveyard, these stories link to the information you can find in Dockroyd Live book.
Contents
Memorial of Mrs Martha Cockshott
Adams
Powell
Powell Family
Thank you to Andy Wade of Men of Worth who has supplied some more information about a family who have members in the graveyard. His story is based on Annie Powell who worked as a nurse at the Morton Banks Hospital in 1916 and 1917, and a volunteer nurse in the second world war. Her husband John William Powell was buried in the graveyard in 1931 with his first wife and his daughter.
Nurse. Voluntary Aid Detachment, St. John Ambulance Brigade.
Early life:
Annie Powell was born Annie Tate at Uttoxeter on the 12th of February 1886. We know little of her very early life.
According to the Red Cross V.A.D. records 25 year old Annie lived at 7 John Street in Oakworth at the time of her service. In 1911 she was at the same address with her husband, John William Powell, a wool sorter originally from Cullingworth, who was 17 years her senior. His daughter Mildred, age 15, was also living there at the time. Annie is documented as being born in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire. They had been married for five years. There is a marriage record for John William Powell marrying Annie Tate in the fourth quarter of 1905 in Keighley.
In attempting to establish her earlier life I have worked backwards. The only Annie Tate of the correct age from Uttoxeter that I can find on the 1901 census was living and working as a domestic servant in Pendleton, Lancashire for a congregational minister named James Neil and his family. In 1891, again the only Annie Tate of the correct age from Uttoxeter was living with a sister called Alice, three years older. The head of the household was George Tate, a single man who was a grocer, his aunt Lois Buckley (widower), cousin Lois Ellie Buckley and nieces Alice and Annie, ages eight and five respectively.
These details match with a BMD birth record for Annie Tate, born in the first quarter of 1886 in Uttoxeter. I have not found a baptism record but have found one for Alice Tate who was baptised in the Anglican faith on 24th September 1882 in Uttoxeter, her parents were Joseph and Mary Jane Tate. I have found an 1861 census record for Joseph Tate who was age six, living with his grandparents George and Lois Elly, and their daughter Jane Elly, presumably Joseph’s mother.
War service:
Annie worked at Morton Banks Hospital during 1916 and 1917 as a nurse, principally undertaking night duties. Although part time, she managed to clock up 1170 hours in those two years.
Post war:
In the 1921 census they were still living at number 7 John Street in Oakworth. John William was aged 52 and was a wool sorter for William Haggas and Son limited; Annie was aged 35 and on home duties; their daughter Mildred was aged 18 and a weaver of cotton goods for Edmund Harrison. Boarding with them at the time was Jane Ellen Kirk aged 28, she was an elementary school teacher at Eastwood School in Keighley.
Annie’s husband John William Powell died in 1931 and was buried at Oakworth Wesleyan Methodist Burial Ground with his seven year old daughter Leilia (who had died in 1901) and his first wife Margaret Ann, who had died aged 26 in 1904. Another man named Maurice Clement Couffinhal of Paris, France, was also buried there in 1951. He was a family friend who had died during a walk lin Haworth. Annie gave up her future place in the family grave for him.was a long-standing friend of Maurice Clement Couffinhal and during a walk around Haworth in 1951 he collapsed with a brain haemorrhage and died. Because it was so expensive to return his body to France, Annie gave up her place booked beside her husband in the family grave so that Maurice could be laid to rest there. Maurice Couffinhal’s father was influential in the significant formation of the Keighley town twinning deal with Poix du Nord.
In the 1939 Register Annie was widowed and living at 7 John Street in Oakworth. She was aged about 53 and on domestic home duties, but she appears to have been working as a nursing auxiliary for the St. John Ambulance Brigade, which may have been as part of the war effort.
Annie married Harry R. Feather in Oakworth in 1948.
Harry died at the age of 81 in 1957.
Annie was living at Granville House, Exley Road when she died aged 77 on the 5th of April 1963 and her probate record shows she left the sum of £2574 17s 0d to Mr. Richard Ogden, painter and decorator.
Information sources:
1861 England Census (father Joseph).
Staffordshire, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1900.
England and Wales, Civil registration Birth Index, 1837-1915.
1891 England Census.
1901 England Census.
1911 England Census.
1921 Census.
England and Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915.
1939 Register.
West Yorkshire, England, Electoral Registers, 1840-1962.
West Yorkshire, Non-Conformist Records, 1646-1985.
England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007.
England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995.
With special thanks to Andrew Heaton of the Dockroyd Graveyard Trust.
Adams
Thank you to Andy Wade of Men of Worth who has given us some information about the Adams family, who are buried in grave 4V, I have included some of the information here. The full story and more information about the Men of Worth Project can be found here. https://menofworth.org.uk/harry-higgins-adams/
Serjeant Harry Higgins Adams
September 11, 2025 by Andy Wade
Serjeant. 168th Siege Battery. Royal Garrison Artillery. Service No: 29836.
Early life:
Harry’s parents were John Alfred Adams and Juliet Helen Adams, née Hemsley, who were married on 7th July 1874 at Richmond Parish Church. Juliet is described as 18 years old but John’s entry described him as ‘of full age’ later records show a gap of twelve years between them.
They were living at Castle Hill in Richmond in the 1881 census and their children were Elizabeth aged six, Emily aged four, William Alfred aged three and Thomas aged just nine months. Their father John was employed as a groom. All of these children had been born at Richmond.
When Harry was born in the second quarter of 1889 they were still living at Richmond and Harry was baptised at the parish church (probably St. Mary the Virgin) on 1st May 1889 by the Curate, Reverend Reginald Wilmot Ware. John’s profession at that time was ‘Driver’ and we assume that he was a carriage driver and he’d been promoted from being a groom.
By the time of the 1891 census the family were all living at Waterloo Street in Richmond. John was working as a groom and the children were William aged thirteen and a hawker’s assistant; Thomas aged ten; Alice aged eight, Ellen aged six, Mary aged four were all of school age and Harry aged two was at home with his mother Juliet who was on home duties.
Two more children were born after Harry, they were James Edward, who was born in Oakworth in the last quarter of 1891 and Julia, who was born at Oakworth in the first quarter of 1894.
This means that the family must have been living in Oakworth since late 1891.
In 1894, 1895 and 1896 they were living in Oakworth as their father John was registered as an elector at 12, Dockroyd for those years. The whole family suffered a tragedy when Juliet died at the age of forty and was buried in Dockroyd Graveyard on 15th October 1895. She is in grave 4V which is not marked with a headstone. Harry the youngest child would have been aged just six at the time of his mother’s death.
The tragic circumstances for the family were doubled when their father John died at the age of 59 in 1897. He was buried in the same grave as his wife Juliet, on 18th August 1897.
Note: The grave was owned by John Adams but John is buried there as John Alfred Adams. Several records verify that this was his full name, but he chose not to use Alfred much of the time.
By 1901 they had moved from Dockroyd to 124, Clough Gate so were still living in Oakworth. Emily, a wool drawer aged 24 was the head of the household, Eleanor was a wool spinner aged 16 as was Mary, aged 14. Harry was aged eleven, James was nine and Julia was aged seven, so they would all have been at school. Their eldest brother William was still living at 12, Dockroyd.
Harry’s sister Alice had moved out before the 1901 census and married Arthur Tomlinson at Kildwick in 1903.
His brother Thomas married Christabel Heseltine Davy at Richmond in 1907, he was a groom at Aske Hall, Richmond.
Harry married Gertrude Janie Pillage at Plymouth, Devon in 1909. At the time Harry was serving with the Royal Garrison Artillery and it’s likely that Harry met Gertrude at Plymouth when he was serving there.
They had three children in all, they were Evelyn Juliet, born on 18th October 1910; Doris Gertrude, born on 20th November 1912; and Ivy Gladys, born on 7th March 1916.
Keighley News, 23rd November 1918, Page 9:
Miss Adams, who resides at Farra Street, Oxenhope, has received official notification that her brother, Sergeant Adams, has died in hospital through illness. Sergeant Adams was married, and was in the Army at the outbreak of war. He was a smart and capable non-commissioned officer.
Keighley News November 30, 1918, page 3:
Mrs Harry Adams, who was residing at her sister’s at 3, Farra Street, Oxenhope, has received information that her husband, Sergeant Harry Adams, of the R.G.A., has died from broncho-pneumonia in France. He leaves a widow and three children. His home was at Plymouth.
Remembrance:
Harry is named on the Oxenhope Great War Memorial in the Parish Church of St. Mary the Virgin. Since he has no apparent connection to Oxenhope we presume that as his sister and possible Gertrude and the children were living in the village after the war, that they requested his name be added to the memorial.