~ Sarah Leighton ~

Chip Sarah could not read or write and at the age of six she worked in a Rochdale coal pit as a door-minder. In the noise and dust she stood opening and shutting an iron door for twelve hours a day sealing off the shaft to stop 'fire damp' explosions spreading along the way. When she was older she went into service and there she met Fred's father. He had never known his father as it so happened he did not need one Chip Sarah would have made a man out of anybody's son. Since few men in Rochdale could afford to go to a barber their wives cut their hair which they did very well but it put the poor barber out of business so the lease he had to sell. By the age of forty Chip Sarah had managed to save fifteen pounds so she bought the lease and all the stock then she held an auction and sold the lot. She opened the place as a fish and chip shop which, from the profits, she gained a lot. Chip Sarah married a man called Jim Leighton he had never done a day's work in his life but he could read and write. He kept all the accounts on a slate to make himself useful it was not too late.

~ Motherhood ~

At nineteen Jenny gave birth to her first child a beautiful blue eyed little girl the infant Grace could not be described as meek and mild. She had a strong pair of lungs well exercised by a continuous bawl, "If I were thee," said one long suffering neighbour, "I'd smother yon child in my shawl." Jenny had no intention she felt as proud as can be. Motherhood ended her dreams of a stage career which is rather sad but she was determined her children would be actors no matter how many she had. The young Stansfield's were encouraged to sing wherever they went and to sing loud and clear in the hope that one day an actress would hear.

~ Bob Brierly ~

Bob Brierly the clogger had a second shop in Milnrow Road Rochdale and he was kept busy with a heavy work load. Young Grace Stansfield he was always pleased to see, singing, whistling and turning cartwheels as merry as can be, rewarded by having her clogs mended for free. The customers were delighted when she appeared everyone heartily clapped and cheered. "Wherever has the lass got to!" Jenny wished to know, "Grace should have been home an hour ago." When she explained Jenny was quite content, to make a good impression is time well spent. 

~ Mayday ~

Mayday was a time for celebration every street had a maypole decorated with beautiful ribbons and blossoms the children danced around it collecting pennies. Grace wished to join the group in her street Jenny said, "Nay lass, tha'll have thy own pole for this annual treat." So off she went with her two small sisters her neighbour little Eva in her posh white silk frock and her best friend at school Ruby May Diamond Victoria Rylands as you will see was born at the time of Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee. Jenny gave strict orders to sing out loud the only way to draw the crowd and draw the crowd they certainly did. Grace sang all the songs her mother had ever taught her and by the time she was onto "Oh, the old church bells are ringing" a huge crowd was following. For the first time in her young life she got some idea what it was like having an audience listening to her singing. By the end of the day she had collected five hundred and thirty pennies. Jenny felt very proud and if Grace could get that amount singing with a broomstick maypole at seven years of age what couldn't she get on the stage. 

~ A Deadly Deed ~

One day Grace and Ruby May saw a funeral going down their street the people were strangers they had never chanced to meet. They trailed them to the cemetery watched the coffin lowered into the grave the earth piled on and the lovely wreaths laid on top which amounted to quite a lot. Many bunches of flowers tied with beautiful coloured satin ribbon far better than the hair ribbons that they had got. They stayed after everybody had gone then carefully undid the bows on two bunches and re-tied with their own limp faded hair ribbon. Grace said it seemed a waste leaving them to get wet and muddy her friend heartily agreed they thought they had done a good deed. Grace told her mother Ruby May's mother had given her the nice new ribbon and she told her mother that she had got hers from Gracie's mother. They felt very pleased with themselves but reckoned without their consciences. Grace had dreadful dreams when she went to bed that night a ghost followed her saying in a hollow voice "you stole my ribbon and stealing from the dead is not right." The next day Ruby May said she had nasty dreams too it gave her such a fright they wanted to take the ribbons back but dare not go near the cemetery again they kept well out of sight.