Editing Todmorden (section)

===19th century===
In 1801, most people still lived in the uplands; Todmorden itself could be considered as a mere village.  During the years 1800–1845, great changes took place in the communications and transport of the town which were to have a crucial effect on promoting industrial growth. These included the building of: (1) better roads; (2) the [[Rochdale Canal]] (1804); and (3) the main line of the [[Manchester and Leeds Railway]] (1841), which became the [[Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway]] in 1847. This railway line incorporated the (then) longest tunnel in the world, the {{convert|2885|yd|m|adj=mid|-long|abbr=off}} [[Summit Tunnel]].  A second railway, from Todmorden to Burnley, opened as a single line in 1849, being doubled to meet demand in 1860.  A short connecting line, from [[Stansfield Hall railway station|Stansfield Hall]] to Hall Royd, completed the "Todmorden Triangle" in 1862, thus enabling trains to travel in all three directions (Manchester, Leeds and Burnley) without reversing.

The [[Industrial Revolution]] caused a concentration of industry and settlement along the valley floor and a switch from woollens to cotton. One family in the area was particularly influential on the town; the Fielden family. They created a "dynasty" that changed the town forever by establishing several large mills, putting up assorted impressive buildings and bringing about social and educational change.

A double murder took place at Christ Church, Todmorden on 2 March 1868. The victims' graves lie in the churchyard.  Miles Weatherhill, a 23-year-old weaver from the town, was forbidden from seeing his housemaid sweetheart, Sarah Bell, by the Reverend Anthony John Plow. Armed with four pistols and an axe, Weatherhill took revenge first on the vicar and then on Jane Smith, another maid who had informed Plow of the secret meetings. Miss Smith died at the scene, while the vicar survived another week before succumbing to his injuries.  Weatherhill also seriously injured the vicar's wife. On 4 April 1868, Weatherhill became the last person to be publicly [[Hanging|hanged]] in [[Manchester]], at the New Bailey prison.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/victorian/poplit/curiosities/small/curio214.html |title=Execution and Confession of Miles Weatherhill, The Young Weaver, and his Sweetheart, Sarah Bell |access-date=13 September 2007 |first=Charles |last=Hindley |year=1871 |publisher=University of Virginia Library |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071109001927/http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/victorian/poplit/curiosities/small/curio214.html |archive-date=9 November 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite newspaper The Times |title=The Murder At Todmorden Parsonage |department=News |date=5 March 1868 |page=12 |issue=26064 |column=A }}</ref><ref>{{cite newspaper The Times |title=Northern Circuit. Manchester, 13 March., The Todmorden Murders |department=Law |date=14 March 1868 |page=11 |issue=26072 }}</ref><ref>{{cite newspaper The Times |title=Executions. Manchester |department=News |date=6 April 1868 |page=10 |issue=26091 |column=D }}</ref> Local legend has it that the face of a young woman is sometimes seen in the window of the vicarage, now in private ownership.