Liversedge teenager’s poignant tribute to his great great grandmother

Betty Totton passed away nearly 88 years ago, and now her great great grandson, George Hall, has managed to complete the process of marking her grave.

George, 17, found a passion for family history after researching his grandfather's life.

George explained how marking Betty’s grave was the “most impressive” thing he has ever achieved - despite recently publishing a book - and is “proud” of himself for allowing her to be remembered after all these years.

Betty was brought up on the Huddersfield/Elland border region of Kew Hill and lived most of her married life in areas such as Hartshead and Clifton.

The plot at Liversedge Cemetery where Betty was buried was also the place of rest of her daughter Lucille, who died during infancy. Therefore, finding and marking the plot became even more poignant for George.

In the hope of finding their place of rest, George joined the Friends of Liversedge Cemetery group in July 2020.

George said: “Tina Hardy, the group’s brilliant founder, recommended contacting the Cemetery Office to find out more about where Betty and possibly Lucille were buried.

“So, sooner or later, I rang up the office, and after a relatively quick search, they were able to provide me with plot details alongside some helpful maps.

“The plot was literally grass, and there was no real indication that anyone was buried underneath it.

“Nevertheless, over the next month or so, it became apparent that there was a feeling in the family that we should mark the plot in whatever way possible.

“After a conversation with the cemetery office, it became apparent that the process of marking and gaining ownership of Betty’s grave was going to be more complicated than first expected.”

George stumbled upon several hidden complications that he didn’t expect when he first started the process.

The first problem George encountered was that Betty’s grave owner was her deceased husband, Richard Totton, who died in 1945.

However, with a stroke of luck and help from the Cemetery Office, George realised his grandfather was first in line to claim ownership.

There were then, of course, the numerous lockdowns and George was getting prepared to take his GCSE exams, which prolonged the process even more than initially anticipated.

He said: “In early August 2021, the appointment was finally made to see the solicitors at an excellent firm in Mirfield and sooner or later, the declaration was posted off.

“Within a few days, the Cemeteries Office returned with confirmation that the family plot was now back in the hands of the living family.

“We then began to consider how we would like to mark the grave. There were the cemetery rules and regulations from Kirklees Council, which we had to follow.

“There is a true variety of factors to consider when you finally get to the stage of choosing a monument – you have to consider cost, size, scope and trying to be as truthful as possible to the person whose grave you are marking.

“Sooner or later, the order was placed for the stone in early November.

“On February 22 we finally made the journey to Huddersfield and collected Betty and Lucille’s stone.

“It was genuinely spine-chilling to realise that we now had directly impacted the legacy of Betty and Lucille Totton.

“Now the grave was to be marked, and they were no longer just another pair of forgotten souls in an unmarked grave.

“It was a long process, and if I were to give any advice to anyone who wished to undertake a similar process, I would beg you to do the research upfront and not just wing it as I effectively did.

“All in all, I hope that she’s proud of the fact her plot is marked after nearly 88 years.”