Up to Holmebridge no loss of life had occurred, but we not reach the village of Hinchliffe Mill, where the most appalling scenes were witnessed, and where the uncontrollable fury of this terrible visitation manifested itself in its most fearful form. 

Image produced from the www.old-maps.co.uk service with permission of Landmark Information Group Ltd. and Ordnance Survey

Hinchliffe Mill , situated on the right bank of the river, and which gives the name to the village, was owned by Messrs. Joseph, Edwin, and Thomas Butterworth, and, like the rest of the mills, was used as a woollen mill. 

A large dam extends on the side of the mill, and on the other side of the stream stood six cottages, immediately opposite the mill. 
On the easterly side of these six cottages was a large mistal, and above that another long row of cottages was called Water Street, and it was in this locality where the most tragic loss of life was occasioned. 

The cottages were tenanted respectively by Eliza Marsden, Joseph Dodd, Jonathon Crosland, John Charlesworth, James Mettrick, and Joshua Earnshaw, with their families.

 In all, 44 persons retired to rest in that clump of houses on the fateful evening of the flood, and soon after they had gone to sleep – or, at all events, retired to bed - 36 of them met a watery grave. 

A man who happened to be within sight of these houses when the flood came rushing down upon them, said he saw the water come rolling down the valley; in a minute after he saw the cottages tremble, as it were, on top of the water, and the next moment they were clean gone!

The whole of the houses were carried away by the flood, and, when we visited the site upon which they stood, an old rusty can was the only domestic article we saw!  Houses, furniture, beds, bedding, and inmates – all were swept away.

Another person who saw the houses go, said: “I was looking out of a window, and saw the water come rolling down the valley.  In a minute after I saw the six houses ‘wobble’ a bit like on the top of the water, and then they all went away.”

Three of Charlesworth’s children, by some means, had a most miraculous escape.  They ran to the door of a neighbour named Robert Ellis, and were fortunately taken in by him just in time to make their escape out of the top of the house. 

Other two children of the same family had escaped as far as the top of the fold leading into the turnpike road, but returned to rescue two hens which they kept, and by so doing were caught by the waters and drowned. 

In the family of the Mettricks, two remarkable circumstances occurred.  The eldest son – William – who did not live at the house, had been for a warp.  The evening being so very wet and stormy, he decided to stay all night at his father’s house, rather than encounter the storm by returning home to his family.  He was drowned with the others. 

Another son, 24 years of age, named James, was washed out of his bedroom, but fortunately got astride a beam, on which he managed to balance himself, and was carried with tremendous velocity down the foaming stream.  Fortunately one end of the beam pointed itself in the direction of the dam adjoining Bottoms Mill; and, borne up by the beam he swam into this harbour of refuge, and was rescued from this heaven-sent lifeboat in a state of extreme exhaustion.

Immediately in the rear of the site upon which Water Street then stood was another row of cottages, in the lowermost of which resided Robert Ellis. 

It was to Ellis’s door that three of Charlesworth’s children ran when the flood first approached.  He heard their knock, and immediately opened the door and let them in.  The moment after he had closed the door it was burst open, and the house became inundated.  Some stockings had been hung up to dry on the bread-creel, and when the waters had subsided, these were marked with mud and dirt half-way up the leg, thus showing the height to which the water reached in the house. 

Ellis himself had a most miraculous escape: he ran upstairs with his children and those of Charlesworths, and fourteen of them made their escape out of the top of the house. 

The great rise of water in this immediate locality and sudden destruction of an entire row of houses, probably arose, first from the narrow confined water course opposite the houses; and secondly from the bursting of the mill dam immediately in their front; a double force would thus be brought to bear against this pile of buildings.

  We may here add, that the body of James Merrick was not found until five months after the flood, on the 2^nd July, when it was discovered on the river bank at Castleford, a distance of thirty miles from Hinchliffe Mill.

In the mistal previously referred to, above Water Street, a valuable cow was drowned, and in the row of cottages in continuation of Water Street, a great loss of life was occasioned. 

A cottage occupied by Joseph Brook with his wife and child, was perfectly inundated.  The wife and child were lost, but Brook was saved. 

Brook gave a most affecting account of the loss he had sustained, and of his own narrow escape. 
He said that he and his wife slept in the house, and his little daughter upstairs. 
The child awoke at about half-past one o’clock, and came downstairs exclaiming: “Father! Father! I am frightened by the wind.” 
The father leaped out of bed hearing a strange unearthly noise. 
He ran to the window and the next moment exclaimed: “It’s not the wind it’s water; and the water is on the door stones; run upstairs.” 
He said he did not know but that they were all running upstairs, but when he got into the chamber he found himself alone. 
In a moment he heard the water rush through the door of the house, his daughter gave a shriek, he heard a few sighs, and all was still. 
He then got into the lobby, went to the window and cried out for assistance. 
Some men brought a ladder, and he escaped with no article of clothing save his shirt. 

When the water had subsided, his wife and daughter were found on the bed, and it appeared as though the poor child had run to her mother for safety. 

The next door neighbour, George Crosland, had a marvellous escape. 
His family escaped, whilst he was caught by the water downstairs, which rose to the height of seven feet in a few minutes. 
Fortunately the room was still higher, and as he had learned to swim, he managed to keep his head above the water for some time, but soon became thoroughly exhausted, and was nearly suffocated. 
He swam round the house in the vain hope of catching hold of something. 
At last he caught hold of a “sampler” hung up in a frame to the wall; and, the nail very fortunately having been hammered into the wall a little faster than usual, he managed to keep afloat until the flood passed away, and thus was rescued. 

The house adjoining Croslands was occupied by James Booth, his wife, and a lodger named William Heeley, the whole of whom lost their lives. 

A house in the same street was occupied by James Wimpenny, and here a whole family of eight persons had a narrow escape. 
The oldest son, hearing a rush of water, wanted at once to open the door, but owing to the presence of mind of some member of the family, he was prevented, and the door was kept to until the whole family had escaped. 
The next moment the door was burst open by the water, and the house became flooded almost to the ceiling. 

Altogether, in Water Street, about thirty-six persons met with a watery grave, a list of whom we append:-

In addition to the above, five others lost their lives at Hinchliffe Mill, making a total of forty-one in the village, being one-half of the whole lives lost by the flood.

In addition to the loss of lives and property previously given, we may add that Hinchliffe Mill sustained some damage. 

The engine house and its contents, a barn, stable, and hay stacks, and several cattle belonging to Mr. Bower, were swept away, and the bridge which crossed the stream was completely destroyed.