Weaste Cemetery

Biographies of people buried between 1900 & 09

Isaac Daniels (1826 - 1902)


Isaac Daniels was a Porter and then Station Master at *Weaste Railway Station, and as a small boy he witnessed the #opening day of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway line.

 

He was born in 1826 at Glazebrook, Lancashire, the son of Israel and Mary, (nee Croft) Daniels. His father was Station Master before him, so Isaac was able to witness the opening day of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway, when he was 4 years old. Mr Daniels was employed as a Porter for 20 years and took over as Station Master when his father retired, a position he held for nearly 30 years. He married Mary Ann Evans on 2nd January 1848, at St Mary's Church, Eccles. In 1881, he was living at 36, Weaste Lane, Weaste and was a widower. Just a few years before he died he was able to realise a life-long ambition by boarding Stephenson's "Rocket" at the Science Museum in South Kensington.

 

The Salford Reporter of 25th October 1902 records the following, "Mr Isaac Daniels, one of the oldest railway servants in the Kingdom died at Lewis Street, Patricroft on Sunday (19th October 1902). For some years he had lived on a pension from the London and North Western Railway Company in consideration of his nearly fifty years service with the company as Porter, then Station Master at Weaste. He filled these positions at the time when there was a level crossing at Weaste and when there was only a hut for a waiting room".

 

The Interment of Isaac Daniels took place on Wednesday 15th October 1902 in plot B19 of the Church of England portion of Weaste Cemetery. It was conducted by Rev. G. Northridge and the mourners included several employees of the railway company. Sadly, his wife Mary had pre-deceased him.

 

* Weaste Station was situated on the west side of Weaste Road (B5228). The records are a bit sketchy, but it would appear that during the first year it was a manned level crossing, where the gate keeper could issue tickets. The following year it became known as Gorton's Buildings, but it wasn't until 1838 that it became known as Weaste Lane Station and then simply Weaste Station. It was in operation until 1942 for passengers and 1947 for goods. In the late 1980s the site was cleared to make way for the M602 motorway and nothing remains of the station today.

 

# The Opening Day of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway was on 15th September 1830. The first train through was the "Northumbrian" driven by George Stephenson which carried the Prime Minister, (the Duke of Wellington) and the Home Secretary, (Sir Robert Peel) to Manchester. The other trains in the grand parade were Phoenix, Rocket, Comet, Dart and Arrow. The day was marred by tragedy as Liverpool MP William Huskisson was knocked down by Rocket at Parkside, (near Newton-le-Willows) and fatally injured. He was placed in the Prime Minister's carriage and taken to the Rectory at Eccles, where he died. The following day, the Northumbrian took 130 passengers from Liverpool to Manchester in 1 hour 50 minutes.