George Bagnall (Senior)

George Bagnall was born about 1770 in Rotherham, Yorkshire, the son of Joseph Bagnall and Jane Newton. In the 1841 census he is recorded aged 60, living at Fall Ing, working as a labourer at the Foundry (ref 1270/book 3/folio 15/page 22). He married first Mary (surname unknown), who died in 1799 at Fall Ing, Sandal Magna (buried at St Helen's as "wife of George Bagnell of Fall Ing, Labr."), and second, on 22 December 1799 at St John's, Sandal, Ann Brogden, daughter of Thomas Brogden, who died in August 1833, aged 67.

The gravestone itself survives at St Helen's Church, Sandal, and reads:

"Here lies the body of Thomas Brogden who departed this life the 10th day of September 1795 aged 32 years
Here lieth the remains of ANNE BAGNALL who departed this life .. August 1833 aged 67 years
Here lieth the remains of GEORGE BAGNALL husband of the above
ANNE BAGNALL who departed this life 23rd Feb 1851 aged 70 years also of MARY BRAITHWAITE daughter of the above who departed this life 26 May 1863 aged 68 years"

Read as punctuated prose rather than as separate lines, this is one memorial: "Here lieth the remains of George Bagnall, husband of the above Anne Bagnall, who departed this life 23rd Feb 1851..." - it is George's own death being recorded, not a second "Anne". This is also confirmed by his death being registered with the GRO in Q1 1851, Wakefield (ref 22,533). The stone gives his age as 70, though St Helen's burial register separately records him, of Eastmoor, Wakefield, as aged 80 - a real discrepancy between the two records rather than a copying error, since the stone itself clearly reads 70. "Mary Braithwaite... departed this life 26 May 1863" is George's daughter Mary Ann Bagnall (b. abt 1794) by her married name - her death is separately registered in Q2 1863, Wakefield (GRO ref 9c 13), matching exactly.

Fall Ing

George and his family lived at Fall Ing, on the Calder and Hebble Canal at Wakefield - shown here as it is today.