Rebecca Town, who died 1841 and was buried at Keighley Parish Church. She died age 44, and is reputed to have had 30 children, all either still born or dying in infancy.
I contacted a gentleman who has Rebecca in his ancestry, this is what he told me.
Benjamin Town was born in 1806 in the hamlet of Brunthwaite near Silsden to Nathan Town and Jane nee Moorehouse. Nathan was a butcher as were all the Town clan and Benjamin was destined to follow this trade.He set up business in Keighley and was living at Church Green for many years with his wife Rebecca nee Hindle who was a year younger than Benjamin.
Their attempts to produce a family were to become a tragic succession of infant deaths and the evidence is to be seen on the large memorial stone in the church yard at St Andrew's Church. Keighley. The first of the children to be lost was Grace who died aged six weeks two days before Christmas in 1831 to be followed by Jane, probably their first child who died not yet two years old in 1832. The years following were to see an unbelievable succession of 28 more children who all died in infancy. Rebecca died in August 1851 aged 43.
Benjamin wasted no time and was married again the following year to Elizabeth Rhodes who was to bear him two children, John and Nathan, the latter being my great grandfather. As well as trading as a butcher, Benjamin was busy in local affairs and horse breeding, winning prizes at local shows. He died on January 9th 1889 and his funeral was attended by many local worthies, including, it would seem, the family of the deceased Rebecca.
Of further interest is that Elizabeth Town was the aunt of Joseph Rhodes. He was very prominent in the introduction of Esperanto to Great Britain and for many years there was a bronze bust of him in the library at Keighley "
From David - Thank you for allowing the use of the information.
This is the inscription as it is in 2009, photographed by Andy Wade (c)