Weaste Cemetery

Biographies of people buried between 1900 & 09

John Daniels (1827 - 1900)


John Daniels was employed as a Pointsman on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, stationed at Ordsall Lane Station.

 

He was born in 1827 at Glazebrook in Lancashire. He was the son of Israel and Mary Daniels. Israel was a veteran of Waterloo and the Crimean War and was later the first permanent Station Master at Weaste Railway Station. Israel witnessed the first train passing through Weaste Station immediately after the completion of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway line in 1828. John's older brother Isaac took over from his father as the Station Master at Weaste.

 

John Daniels grew up in Weaste when it was a small village of a few hundred people. He had a good knowledge of mechanics and was known as the "Handyman of the village". He was always ready to assist the inhabitants in time of difficulty. John and his wife Mary had three sons (James, Arthur and Joseph) and two daughters, (Maud and Henrietta). James also worked for the railway company as a Booking Clerk. In 1881 they were living at 9, Mode Wheel Road, Weaste. Later they moved to number 23, Mode Wheel Road.

 

For almost 50 years, John was employed by the L&M Railway (which was to become part of the L&NW Railway Co.), as Pointsman, based in the Pointsman's box outside Ordsall Lane Station. In those early days of the railways, the points had no levers and he had to go out onto the line and work them by hand. In 1892 he fell at work and sustained an injury, which led to his retirement on a pension granted by the company. The residents of Weaste also presented him with a "purse of gold".

 

John was to enjoy his retirement for only 8 years as he died on 25th August 1900 at the age of 73. The funeral took place on Wednesday afternoon, 29th August. His widow Mary was unable to attend due to illness. The mourners included his sons and daughters, his brother Isaac, friends, neighbours and a few of his old railway colleagues. The service was conducted by Rev. W.L. Hugill, Curate of St Luke's Church, Weaste. John was interred in the grave of his son-in-law, (James Holland Livesey, husband of his daughter Maud), in plot F of the Church of England portion of Weaste Cemetery.