George Hirst was born in 1776 and baptised at Halifax Parish church. His father was called Harold. He married Ruth Burley of Halifax in 1799 at Halifax Parish Church.
They had at least two children:
Sarah was born on 28 January 1803 and baptised on 13 February 1803 at Square Chapel.
Thomas was born on 17 January 1808 and baptised on 31 January 1808 at Square Chapel.
Ruth died in 1820 and was buried at Square Chapel.
George went on to re-marry. In 1827 he married Mary Whiteley who was also a widow. As far as we can tell they didn’t have any children together.
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George worked in the textile industry as a cloth/ stuff/worsted presser. This involved him feeding fabric into a hot/steam press to add the final finish to the cloth before it was made into clothing.
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He lived at 11 Lilly Fold. He was a tenant in the house; his landlord was called Sutcliffe. The house was two stories and 57 square yards with a cellar of 14 square yards.
1850 Ordnance Survey Map showing Lilly Fold. Calderdale Libraries Local Studies Collection
George died in 1846. He is buried at Square Church along with his first wife Ruth, their son Thomas and four of Thomas’s children who died in infancy – Martha, Mary, John and Edward, who was just three months old.
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George’s second wife Mary died in 1849 aged 75 years. She is buried with her first husband John Whiteley and her infant son by John, who was called William and died aged 3 years 3 months.
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Research by Alex Abel and Sarah Rose
Photograph of gravestone made for exhibition