Ann Scarf

When Undercliffe Cemetery was opened in 1854 the first burial to take place was that of Ann Scarf who tragically died on the 5th of March 1854 at the age of 23 years old. Also buried there are her grandmother, Ann Scarf, her father Thomas Wilkinson Scarf and her mother Sarah Scarf.

Ann’s grandparents, Benjamin Scarf and Ann Wilkinson were married at St Peters Church Leeds in 1798. One year later in Hunslet Leeds on the 23rd July 1799 their first child Thomas Wilkinson, Ann’s father was born. Thomas Wilkinson followed in his father’s footsteps as a Stuff Merchant and on the 17 June 1829, he married Sarah Wainman at St Peters Church in Leeds.

Their first child Ann was born on the 14th June 1830 in Park Lane Leeds; she was their only child until seven years later in 1837 their son Benjamin was born, followed in 1839 by Thomas and finally Elizabeth in 1843.

By 1850, the family including Thomas Wilkinson’s widowed mother Ann had moved to Summerseat Place, Horton, Bradford. Soon after they moved again to 4 Claremont, Little Horton, Bradford where their next-door neighbours were Julius and Elise Delius, one of their sons being Frederick Theodore Albert Delius who was born there and grew up to be the famous composer. They only lived at Claremont for three years when Ann became ill and tragically died, followed one year later by her grandmother Ann who was 85.

Thomas, Ann’s younger brother moved to Newton Park, Northumberland in 1860 where he became a farmer of 300 acres. It was there that he met Isabella Stokoe the daughter of a neighbouring farmer and on the 13thAugust 1863 they were married. When his father-in-law William Stokoe died in 1872, he left his farm of 400 acres to Thomas and Isabella. Later during the same decade Thomas and Isabella sold up and emigrated to Canada with their three children.
By 1861, Ann’s father, Thomas Wilkinson had retired and his eldest son Benjamin had taken over the business. Two years later on the 26th October 1863, Benjamin married Elizabeth Johnstone and moved to 9 Pakenham Road, Edgebaston in Birmingham where they had eight children. Elizabeth was only 39 when she died in 1878. Seven years later in 1885, Benjamin married Esther March Rowe and between them they had one child Gwendolen Marjorie born in 1889.

Elizabeth, Ann’s only sister married Henry George Topham Moss who was also a Stuff Merchant, on the 18th June 1866 at St Peter’s Parish Church (Bradford Cathedral). When they were first married they lived at 28 Washington Street, Manningham, but eventually moved to ‘Kirkview’ Kirkgate in Shipley which is now owned by Abbeyfield Assisted Living. During their marriage they had seven children.

Ann’s mother Sarah died on the 10th September 1869, after which her father went to stay with his daughter Elizabeth and later went to live with his son Benjamin in Birmingham, where he died on the 24th May 1871.

Research by Eileen O’Farrell