Weaste Cemetery

Biographies of people buried between 1960 & 69

James Henry Kilvert (1878 - 1961)


James Henry Kilvert had a troubled childhood and at 15-years-of-age attended the Swinton Industrial Schools. He later became an Engineer/Stoker at the Royal Deaf and Dumb School in Old Trafford, Manchester.


He was born on 8th July 1878 at 12 Gorton Place, West Gorton, Manchester. He was the son on Ralph Ratcliffe Kilvert (born 1844 in Salford), who was a warehouseman, and Sarah (nee Lord) Kilvert (born 1845 in Cadishead, Lancashire), who were married in 1867 at Manchester Cathedral. Sarah was the daughter of Samuel Lord of Oldham Road, Manchester, who was a Fustian Cutter. James Henry was the sixth of eight children, who were: Ralph Ratcliffe jnr (born 1869 in Salford and died in 1871 in Salford aged 2); Elizabeth Lord (born 1870 in Manchester and married in 1889 to Robert Ogden); Sarah Alice (born 1874 in Cadishead and died 1886 in Prestwich aged 14); Catherine (born 1874 in Prestwich, Manchester and married in 1896 to Samuel Tucker); Christopher (born and died in 1877 in Cadishead aged 6 weeks); Thomas Campbell (born 1880 in Ardwick, Manchester and died in Carmarthen, Wales in 1967, aged 87); and Samuel Lord (born and died in 1887 in Manchester, aged 8 weeks).


In 1877, (the year before James Henry was born) a tragic event occurred. When James Henry's older brother Christopher was only 6 weeks old, his mother, who was already worse for drink, took him with her to the local pub in Cadishead, and he died. A police enquiry lead to the prosecution of Sarah Kilvert, who was found guilty of manslaughter and served a one month sentence with hard labour at Manchester Prison.


The 1881 census shows the family lived in Gorton, Manchester. Ralph was aged 38, Sarah was aged 36, Elizabeth was 10, Sarah Alice was 8, Catherine was 6, James Henry was 2 and Thomas was 0. In 1886 tragedy struck again when young Sarah Alice died aged 14. The following year, 1887, further tragedies occurred when James Henry's mother Sarah Lord died in the second quarter aged 43 and new born Samuel Lord, died in the third quarter aged 8 weeks.


In 1891 James Henry was a 12-year-old scholar in Stretford, near Manchester. His father Ralph and brother Thomas were lodgers in Lad Lane, Manchester. In 1893 James Henry was admitted to the Swinton Industrial Schools. Two years later in 1895, his father Ralph Ratcliffe Kilvert, died in Manchester, aged 50. In 1911 James Henry was a border at 87 Coral Street, Chorlton-upon-Medlock, aged 33 and an Engineer.


On 1st January 1927, 48-year-old James Henry married 26-year-old Jessie Peters at St Clement's Church, Salford. Jessie was the daughter of Emily Peters of 22 Ruby Street, Salford. They had a daughter, Grace Florence, who was baptised on 27th November 1927 at St Clement's Church, Salford, when they lived at 36, Jane Street, Weaste. And in 1935 they had another daughter, Mary A. Grace married Jack Nightingale in June 1946 and Mary married Stanley J Morgan in 1958. James Henry is shown on the 1939 Register living at 34, Robertson Street, Salford. On 25th June 1958, Jessie Kilvert died aged 58 and was buried at Weaste Cemetery. And on 13th February 1961, James Henry died aged 82 and was re-united with Jessie at Weaste Cemetery.