Some of the people behind Wainsgate’s long tradition of musical excellence – three generations of the Ashworth family, John William Parker, Hird Thomas, John Kitchen and many members of Wainsgate choirs over the years are buried in the graveyard or commemorated at Wainsgate.

There are also people interred at Wainsgate from other musical traditions – Duncan Smethurst, Chris Yates, Max Howarth, and no doubt others we haven’t discovered yet.

(Thanks to Kay Deighton (Marjorie Crowther’s daughter) for providing photographs and other archive material)

Click on the LINKS to find out more…..

Richard ASHWORTH

First secretary of Wainsgate Musical Society, founder of the Ashworth musical dynasty.

Albert Richard ASHWORTH

Organist, choirmaster for over 50 years, composer of hymn tunes.

Raymond ASHWORTH

Choirmaster for 40 years.

The WAINSGATE CHOIR

Winner of the first prize for ‘choirs of from sixteen to twenty five voices’ at the 20th Nonconformist Choir Union Festival at Crystal Palace in 1908.

The 1951 HMV RECORDING

The choir were recorded at Wainsgate and two 78rpm records released by HMV.

John William PARKER

Organist for over 37 years.

George Hall GREENWOOD

Organist for over 20 years and member of the Wainsgate choir.

Hird THOMAS

Organ blower for 46 years.

The WAINSGATE ORGAN

Built and installed in 1891 by Wordsworth & Co. of Leeds.

John KITCHEN

Shoemaker, music teacher, ‘Piano-forte, Harmonium and Music Seller’, composer of hymns, anthems and an oratorio.

The JENKINSONS

Three musical brothers.

OTHER MUSICIANS:

Duncan SMETHURST

Guitarist with legendary ska/rock band Owter Zeds and sound engineer at Hebden Bridge Trades Club.

Chris YATES

Fiddle player with local band Rakish Paddy.

Max HOWARTH

‘Max the Roofer’ – buried with his mandolin.

The ASHWORTH family


Richard ASHWORTH (1822-1892)

Born in Wadsworth, Richard Ashworth lived in Old Town for most of his life, and was at various times a weaver, carter and farmer. He was the first secretary of Wainsgate Musical Society, established in 1843, which formed the basis of the chapel choir, of which he was a member. He married Grace Ingham in 1847, and they had nine children (Sarah, James, William, Edwin, Ann, John, Mary Jane, Albert Richard and Alice).

All were members of the choir, and the total length of service in Wainsgate Choir of these nine brothers and sisters totalled 406 years, with their youngest daughter Alice Ashworth, noted for her rich contralto voice, serving for 63 years from the age of eleven until her death in 1943. James Ashworth played the harmonium, which was installed in 1866, and was Choirmaster prior to his younger brother Albert Richard Ashworth taking over. Richard, Grace and Alice are buried in plot A495.

Six hymn tunes and five-fold Amen by A.R. Ashworth: ‘Take my life, and let it be’, ‘Now, the sowing and the weeping’, ‘Peace, perfect peace’, ‘O love of God’, ‘Yes, God is good’ and ‘Abide with me’.

Albert Richard Ashworth, youngest son of Richard and Grace Ashworth, was organist at Wadsworth from 1891, when the organ was installed, until 1894 when he resigned in order to devote more time to his duties as Choirmaster and was replaced by John William Parker. Prior to the installation of the organ he had played the harmonium. He joined the choir aged twelve, and went on to become Choirmaster for over 50 years.

Under his leadership the choir took first prize at the Halifax Musical Festival 1n 1904, and won first prize for ‘choirs of from sixteen to twenty five voices’ at the 20th Nonconformist Choir Union Festival at Crystal Palace on July 4th 1908.

The choir travelled overnight to compete at Crystal Palace, went straight to the venue to sing, and travelled back to Hebden Bridge that night. The following day most of the choir members turned up to sing at the Sunday morning service at Wainsgate.

In addition to his duties as Choirmaster, he was musical director of numerous operas performed at Wainsgate. He was a Sunday school teacher, school secretary, treasurer of the Funeral Society, member and librarian of the Hebden Bridge Choral and Harmonic Society, conductor of the Co-operative Choir associated with evening classes at Todmorden, and secretary to the Hebden Bridge Liberal Club. He also composed several hymn tunes, whose titles included ‘Boston Hill’, ‘Wainsgate’ and ‘Vernon’.

In 1897 he married Hannah Vernon, who was born in Brereton, Staffordshire, and they had six children (Vernon, Raymond, Harry Norman, Margaret Grace, Gwendolen Mary and Edward), all of whom were members of the choir. Their eldest son Vernon Ashworth was killed in Flanders in 1917, aged 19. Albert and Hannah are buried in plot C664, together with Raymond, Raymond’s wife Agnes Marie (born Agnes Marie Dillon, and known as Nan), Harry Norman and Edward.

Choirmaster A.R. Ashworth is in the front row of the group photograph. The organist, J.W.Parker, is probably on the far right.

Raymond ASHWORTH (1899-1974)

On A.R.Ashworth’s death in 1933, the congregation, unable to contemplate a future for Wainsgate Choir without an Ashworth at the helm, appointed his son Raymond Ashworth as Choirmaster, a position which he held from 1933 to 1974. Raymond and his wife Agnes Marie (Nan) Ashworth (who was born in Newcastle and whose parents were born in Plumstead, south London, and moved to Wadsworth when Agnes was a child) are commemorated with brass plaques on the front of the organ case:

While he was a pupil at Wainsgate Sunday school, Raymond was awarded a Certificate of Merit by The Sunday School Union in 1911, and the framed certificate is displayed at Wainsgate.

Raymond’s day job was as a clerk at Hebden Bridge (later Hebden Royd) Urban District Council. In addition to his leadership of Wainsgate Choir and the Hebden Bridge Over 60s Choir, he was captain of Wadsworth United AFC (undefeated in the 1925/26 season), a stalwart member of Old Town Cricket Club since the end of WW1 (and President of the club from 1950) and the uncredited author of A Short History of the Baptist Church at Wainsgate 1750-1950. Read more about his sporting achievements here:

Raymond apparently had a habit of nipping out of the back door of the choir stalls just before the minister’s sermon began: he would then call in at Old Town Bowling Club for a quick whisky before returning to Wainsgate, hopefully before the sermon ended, to continue conducting the choir.

On 29th October 1950 Wainsgate hosted a Choir Day under the direction of Raymond Ashworth. Although the war had a considerable impact on the choir and congregation, there were now several new and younger members, and as well as the usual mixed choir there was a Ladies’ Choir and a Male Voice Choir, all connected with the chapel and Sunday school.

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On 28th December 1969 the BBC broadcast Songs of Praise from Calder High School. Hymns were sung by people from the Calder valley, with soloist Vernon Ogden and accompanied by a section of the Hebden Bridge Band, organist Arthur Fielding and pianist James Stansfield, and conducted by Raymond Ashworth. The programme was presented by Jimmy Savile, who at the time was an honorary churchwarden of the parish church of St. John the Baptist in the Wilderness, Cragg Vale.

Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile OBE KCSG died on 29th October 2011, aged 84. He was buried in Woodlands Cemetery, Scarborough – his coffin, which was encased in concrete, was buried at an angle of 45 degrees to the horizontal at Savile’s request ‘to enable him to see the sea’.

Shortly after his death, Savile was finally, despite numerous allegations during his lifetime, exposed as a serial rapist and sexual abuser of at least 500 women and vulnerable children, many of them in hospitals, schools and children’s homes where he was a volunteer or visitor. The earliest incident of abuse recorded by the police was in 1955 and his last known offence was in 2009 – the peak period of his abuse is thought to be between 1966 and 1976. The Metropolitan Police said that the scale of sexual abuse allegations reported against Savile was “unprecedented” in Britain.

The headstone on Savile’s grave carried an epitaph that he had chosen himself – ‘It Was Good While It Lasted’. In 2012 the headstone was removed, the inscriptions ground off and the black polished granite broken up and sent to landfill in a skip, leaving his grave unmarked.

* * *

The WAINSGATE CHOIR

‘Sing the Lord, ye voices all,
Magnify His name through all creation,
Celebrate His power and glory,
Let His name resound on high’

From the oratorio ‘The Creation’ by Joseph Haydn (1798)

This photograph of the choir is undated, but the noticeboard says ‘Rev. D.Lindsay, Minister’ – David Lindsay was minister at Wainsgate from 1896 to 1899. Choirmaster A.R.Ashworth is on the far right of the photo. The organist at Wainsgate from 1894 was J.W. Parker, who is possibly far right on the back row.

Choirmaster A.R.Ashworth is seated in the centre: his son Raymond Ashworth is far left on the third row, and another son, Harry Norman Ashworth is at the left on the back row: the young woman directly behind him may be his daughter Gracie. Harry Haigh is far right on the third row and his brother Edward Haigh is far left on the fourth row. Eddison Sunderland third from right on the third row. Far left on the second row is Eva Sutcliffe (who married Edward Haigh in 1929), and the young woman next to her could be her friend Phyllis Arundel. The organist, J.W.Parker, is presumably in the photograph, and is probably in the centre of the back row. The man in the fourth row, third from the left, may be Hird Thomas.
(Thanks to Susan Earnshaw for identifying several people in the photograph).

Choirmaster Raymond Ashworth is front centre, but the names of the other members of the choir are not recorded. If anyone can date the photo or put names to any of the people in it, please let us know.

The chap on the back row, second from the right, looks like Harry Haigh. Fourth row, second and third from left are almost certainly Fielden Hirst and Tommy Jones.

Another photograph of the choir, led by Raymond Ashworth. A framed copy hangs in the Sunday school at Wainsgate, but the date and names of the choir members are not recorded. If anyone can date the photo or put names to any of the people in it, please let us know.

Second from the left standing in the pulpit looks like George Hall Greenwood, and the chap with glasses on the pulpit steps is Fielden Hirst.

The occasion of his retirement was marked by a presentation in the Sunday school room. The presentation coincided with the Operatic Society’s annual performance, and was presided over by Dennis Collinge. It had been agreed at the last church meeting that J. W. Parker should be made an ‘honorary life organist’, and he was presented with a key so he could have free access to the organ at any time. He was also presented with a timepiece, engraved with the inscription:

‘Wainsgate Baptist Church, March 5 1932, presented to Mr J. W. Parker, as a token of appreciation for his services as organist for the past 37 years.’

The timepiece was presented by veteran choirmaster Albert Richard Ashworth, who quoted Charles Lamb in his presentation speech:

‘He has done more than achieve success: he has deserved it’.

James Stansfield (who was also a piano teacher and music teacher at Calder High School) was succeded as organist at Wainsgate in 1948 by Colin Charnley, who in 1949 was replaced by Raymond Nash (who died in 2015, aged 96). George Hall Greenwood was subsequently organist for over twenty years until 1974.

The organist from 1974 is believed to be Alan Littlewood, who died in 2023 aged 86. He is buried at Wainsgate in Plot I893, with his wife Christine and their son Charles Edward Littlewood, who died in 1872 aged just eight months.

George Hall GREENWOOD (1892-1974)

He served in France as a corporal with the Royal Artillery during WW1, and after being demobilised in February 1919 joined R. Sutcliffe & Co, Melbourne Works as a commercial traveller, later becoming sales manager. In April 1919 he married Lilian Hodgson at Nazebottom Baptist Chapel.

Following his retirement in 1968, he wrote a brief history of the English Fustian Manufacturing Co Ltd and his experiences of working there, which is published in The Clothing Industry of Hebden Bridge: selected texts – Edited by Nigel Smith & Diana Monahan (Hebden Bridge Local History Society, 2018).

THE WAINSGATE ORGAN

The magnificent organ at Wainsgate is unusual for a Nonconformist chapel, and reflects the importance of Wainsgate’s musical tradition. It was installed in 1891 and built by Wordsworth & Co. of Leeds (founded in 1866 as Wordsworth & Maskell) at a cost of over £500. A newspaper report of the unveiling of the organ described it as follows:

‘The case is of polished oak, and the front is beautifully picked out with gold embellishments, and presents a very ornate and chaste appearance…….The keys are of the best ivory and ebony, and the names of the stops are engraved on ivory shields inserted in rosewood knobs…….the pipes are of carefully adjusted proportions and finely voiced, being tuned on the system of equal temperament, and have purity as well as sweetness of tone. The metal pipes are of the best spotted metal, and the front pipes of the best Belgian zinc…….the ground tone is full and sweet, and the solo stops are devoid of shrillness, and are beautifully soft imitations of their orchestral prototypes’.

Photos of the organ by Charlie Morrissey and Geoff Matthews

Before the organ was installed, the choir was originally accompanied by stringed instruments, which were replaced by a harmonium, installed in 1866 and played by James Ashworth and his brother Albert Richard Ashworth. The new organ was initially played by Albert Richard Ashworth until 1894 when he resigned in order to devote more time to his duties as Choirmaster and was replaced by John William Parker. The installation of the organ involved remodelling the north end of the chapel to form a large organ loft in a recess between the chapel and the Sunday school, which contained the organ and new choir stalls. The remodelling meant that the minister’s accommodation was largely demolished, and a new manse (‘Cousinville’) was built for Wainsgate by the Mitchell family.

The opening of the new organ in March 1891 was marked by a recital and a musical service. The organist for the recital was Irvine Dearnaley, a renowned organist from Ashton-under-Lyne: his repertoire included his own composition ‘Jerusalem the Golden’, Meyerbeer’s ‘Santa Maria‘ and Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor. The choir was conducted by James Ashworth, with Mrs Carter as solo vocalist. The recital, which lasted about two hours, and was attended by around 230 people, was brought to a close by Rev. George W. Wilkinson pronouncing the benediction. The musical service the following day was also well attended, despite the wet weather, and on this occasion the organ was played by Mr E. R. Dickenson. The choir was conducted by James Ashworth, and the soloists were Miss Ashworth, Mr E. Ashworth, Mr William Ashworth and Mrs Sutcliffe. The recital and service raised around £30 for the organ fund.

* * *

The following recordings are of local organist Ted O’Hare playing the Wainsgate organ in 2020. The organ is regularly tuned, but is in need of repairs and refurbishment (likely to cost in the region of £100,000) to bring it up to concert standard and restore it to its full glory.

More information regarding the detailed specification of the organ can be found in Wainsgate Baptist Chapel West Yorkshire: a History and Guide (Appendix III). See BIBLIOGRAPHY for details.

John KITCHEN (1825-1895)

John Kitchen was the son of Susey and Jonathan Kitchen, a shoemaker from Heptonstall. John initially followed his father’s trade: he married Mary Ann Barrett in 1845 aged 19, and the marriage certificate describes John and his father as cordwainers (a cordwainer is traditionally someone who makes new shoes, as opposed to a cobbler who repairs shoes). Interestingly, both John and his wife signed the marriage certificate with a mark, implying that both were illiterate.

The 1871 census records him as a ‘shoemaker and teacher of music’ living in Foster Mill Lane, in 1881 he was a ‘music seller’ living in Carlton Street, and in 1891 he was a ‘shoemaker and music teacher’ living at 14 Albert Street. John and Mary Ann had no children of their own, but brought up a neice, Phoebe Sutcliffe. John Kitchen died aged 69 on 28th June 1895 at 14 Albert Street, and is buried at Wainsgate (plot B276a) with Mary Ann and Phoebe. His funeral service at Wainsgate was attended by around 200 people.

Their grave is marked by an imposing granite monument which has a brass plaque fixed to the base engraved with text from Psalms 66 : 17-19 and a simple musical accompaniment (presumably written by John Kitchen).

‘I cried unto the Lord with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: but verily God hath heard me: he hath attended to the voice of my prayer’.

John Kitchen was a prolific composer of hymn tunes, anthems and an oratorio ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’, published in 1877, and it is likely that his compositions were performed regularly by the various Wainsgate choirs.

* * *

An advertisement for John Kitchen’s music business included the following quotation from Archbishop Richard Whately (1787-1863):

Archbishop Whately was one day asked if he rose early. “I did once,” replied he, “but I was so proud all the morning, and so sleepy all the afternoon, that I determined never to do it again.”

Richard Whately was an English academic, philosopher, economist, theologian and social reformer (and ancestor of actor Kevin Whately), and also served as a reforming Bishop of Dublin from 1831 to 1863 – once referred to as ‘possibly the strangest archbishop Ireland has ever known’. He was a prolific and combative author and a flamboyant (some would say eccentric) character. He was a supporter of religious liberty, civil rights and freedom of speech, and had a passionate commitment to ending slavery.

We don’t know whether John Kitchen shared Whately’s views on early rising, but he was presumably familiar with his writing.

The JENKINSONS

Three sons of Samuel Jenkinson (1825-1895), master tailor and woollen draper of Commercial Street, Hebden Bridge were all known to have been musically inclined. The eldest, Henry Jenkinson, was the son of Samuel’s first wife Esther Ann (born Crabtree), who died in 1863 aged 37. His half-brothers, Herbert Edward Jenkinson and Ezra Jenkinson were the sons of his second wife Hannah (born Kitchen). Hannah’s brother was John Kitchen – shoemaker, piano dealer, composer and music teacher.

Henry Jenkinson (c1847-1919) was, like his father a tailor, but in the 1881 census he is described as a ‘Tailor & Music Teacher’. He also named his son, born in 1880 Berthold, not a common name for boys born in Hebden Bridge at that time (only two other births of boys named Berthold are recorded for England & Wales in 1880 – both were in London and probably born into Jewish families). Perhaps he was named after the German composer, pianist, conductor, music educator and critic Berthold Damcke (1812-1875), someone his father may have admired.

Henry’s half-brother, Herbert Edward Jenkinson (1870-1940) worked as a fustian cutter and warehouseman, but the 1939 Register describes him as ‘Musician, Retired’. We don’t know what sort of music or instruments he played, but a clue might be in the name of his son, Verdi Jenkinson, born in 1897. An unusual name for a boy born in Hebden Bridge (only two others were recorded in England & Wales in that year), and it seems likely that he was named after the famous Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901), best known for his operas.

Samuel’s youngest son, Ezra Jenkinson (1872-1947), was also a musician, but again we know nothing about his musical life. We know that he lived alone at 4 Tanpits, Hebden Bridge (at the junction of Albert Street and New Road) from 1906 until at least 1939. The 1939 Register records him living there and his occupation is listed as ‘Musician’. Interestingly, the other five dwellings in Tanpits are recorded as being vacant (possibly Tanpits was about to be demolished?).

By 1945 Ezra was resident at Stansfield View – opened in 1878 as Todmorden Workhouse, becoming a Public Assistance Institution in 1930, and finally becoming Stansfield Hospital in 1948, providing care for ‘the mentally handicapped’ as its patients were then known. Ezra died at Stansfield View in 1947, aged 74. He never married and had no known children.

OTHER MUSICIANS:

Duncan Bruce SMETHURST (1957-2019)

Duncan Smethurst was a stalwart of Hebden Bridge Trades Club, where he was involved for over thirty years, working at various times as Sound Engineer and later in the office. He also played guitar with Owter Zeds, the legendary ska/rock band (sounding a bit like Madness, The Specials and UB40, but only ever playing songs they wrote themselves), formed in 1984 and still going strong today.

Duncan was a founder member of the band, who played their first gig at the Ground Floor Project in Hebden Bridge. The band was formed by musicians associated with the Trades Club, and has always been known for doing benefits for worthy causes, starting with the 1984 Miners’ Strike.

Chris YATES (1957-2013)

Coming shortly…..

Malcolm Stanley (Max) HOWARTH (1950-2004)

Coming shortly…..