SCARFOLD

Leaving Lower Mill we come to Scarfold, and here we record another loss of life. 

The course of the stream being somewhat narrowed at this place, Scarfold received the full force of the waters and the debris was hurled forward by the flood. 

Scarfold then, as now, consisted of the lower storeys of a row of houses, the topmost storeys of which abutted on the turnpike road, at a much higher level.  A number of steps led down from the Huddersfield Road to the fold. 

One of the first houses attacked by the flood was occupied by John Charlesworth, his wife, and two children.  The house was swept away, but the occupants made their escapes up the steps.  Charlesworth’s wife had only been confined about a month, and was in a very weakly state. 
Having removed his wife and two children to the turnpike road, Charlesworth turned back to fetch some furniture, and had reached the bottom of the steps when the house was taken by the flood and swept entirely away. 
Had he got into the house there is little doubt he would have been carried away with it.

The next house to Charlesworth’s was occupied by Richard Woodcock, his wife, and seven children.  Woodcock, and two children, escaped, leaving his wife and two children behind.

Here we will give Richard Woodcocks interesting statement of his escape.  He says:
“When I was aroused by the cry of those who gave an alarm, there were nine of us in the house – myself, my wife, and seven children.

On hearing the alarm I ran up a few steps leading to the road to see what was the matter; but, on hearing the roar of the water, I ran back to see for my family.  I met my wife at the door with two of the children.  I took one under each arm and carried them up into the road, and told my wife to follow me. 

When I took these children I was up to my knees in water.  My wife, instead of following me, ran upstairs to see after the children.  These were five in number, and they all slept in the garret – three in one bed and two in another. 

The bed containing the three was washed away, but the other stood.  Two out of the three sleeping in the bed washed away – or that fell with the part of the floor into the flood – awoke and got up, a girl five years old, and a boy of seventeen. 

This boy went downstairs, but returned to put his trousers on.  The girl was coming down the ladder by which they went from the chamber into the garret, to her mother, who by this time was standing in the chamber up to the neck in water. 

The ladder, with the child upon it, was washed away; but the mother caught her as she fell, and held her up above the flood.  In the garret was one child still asleep, the boy who had returned to dress, and two other children. 

While the boy was putting on his trousers, by the side of the bed, that part of the floor gave way, and the bed with his sister dropped into the flood, carrying him along with it.  The other part of the floor, stood and the children were safe. 

My wife had got into the corner of the chamber, where she was sheltered by the sweep of the flood by the chimney; and here she stood holding the child until the water had subsided. 

The two children clung together in the corner of the room that stood, and with the mother, and child she held above the flood, were rescued.”

In a row of houses just below this place, all the inhabitants escaped except the occupiers of one house, in which a weaver named Joseph Hellawell, his wife, and five children resided. 

They all slept in the room on the ground floor, and when the water burst upon them they were overwhelmed.  The affrighted wife and children were all drowned in their beds.  Hellawell himself had just time to run upstairs, and was only rescued by being dragged through the floor of the house above.