James Wilson Berry & Isabella Jane Stott - Photographs

View across a steep green valley to terraced stone houses on the hillside, seen over a metal field gate and stone gatepost, under dark storm clouds with a patch of sunlight on the fields. Photograph by Sean Lewis. — Sowerby Bridge is built on the steep sides of the Calder Valley where a bridge has crossed the Calder since at least 1314. The turnpike roads, canal and rail links that were developed to ship out cloth, raw wool and coal connected the town to the outside world, allowing Francis Berry & Sons to become an international business.
© Sean Lewis 2026

A large dark-clad steel warehouse with a blue Pulman Steel sign reading “Established in Yorkshire 1830”. — Francis Berry established the iron foundry Francis Berry & Sons. The final location for the factory was at Walton Street, Sowerby Bridge close to the bridge that crosses the Calder River. The factory was demolished and appears to now be used by Pulman, an iron works established in 1830 in Halifax, West Yorkshire, who moved to this location in 1984.

A cast-iron bridge post with a raised plate reading “Erected by Major R. Stansfeld of Fieldhouse, Sowerby, 1864, Contractors”, above an oval maker’s plate reading “F. Berry & Sons, Yorkshire, Sowerby Bridge”. A river and stone houses are behind. — Very little of the work that Francis Berry & Sons made still exists in Sowerby Bridge. Most of the ironwork was reused for the war effort in WWII. Victoria Bridge, Sowerby Bridge, was the only iron work that has been found so far.

The rear of a double storey stone house with tall chimneys, a weathervane and sash windows, behind a high stone wall with a wooden gate. A nameplate reading “Oakleigh” is on the wall and the gatepost. An inset photo shows a street sign reading “Willow Hall Lane”. — In 1851 Francis Berry Jnr and his family were living at Norland Hall, Norland. Norland Hall was struck by lightning in 1911 and dismantled in 1914. In 1861 the family were living at Prospect Place in Warley. By 1871 the family were living on Walton Street next to the iron works. In 1879 Francis Berry Jnr is listed as having a copyhold house with a street address Oakleigh, Sowerby Bridge. Although not certain, Oakleigh is believed to be the house shown which was built in 1873 on Willow Hall Lane.

A carved stone font with flowers around its base, under a tall dark carved wooden spire-shaped cover hanging from above, in a church with oak pews and a timber roof. — The base of the font at St John the Baptist at Halifax dates from the 11th century and the top from the 15th century. William Stott was baptised here in 1817 with only his mother Mary Stott named. Mary Stott married William Broadbent at this church 14 years after William was baptised.

A stone church with a battlemented tower and clock, seen from a flagged path through the churchyard, with trees and iron railings in the foreground. — James Wilson Berry and Isabella Jane Stott were both baptised at Christ Church on the corner of Wharf Street and Tuel Lane in 1847. They baptised their first two children at this church as well. The 1821 nave walls, tower and shell are original. The chancel was added in 1874 and a fire damaged the chancel and nave roofs in 1894. The font is dated 1895 and was not used for their baptisms.

Looking east through a carved oak screen to the chancel, with a large stained-glass east window above the altar. — Francis Berry Snr married Elizabeth Hoosen at St John the Baptist at Halifax in 1811. David Pohlman married Harriot Cockcroft in 1814. William Stott married Mary Ann Pohlman in 1840. Francis Berry Jnr married Esther Wilson here in 1844. William Stott married Sabina Bird Chapel in 1851, after Mary Ann Pohlman died. James Wilson Berry and Isabella Jane Stott were married at St John the Baptist at Halifax in 1867. The east windows were replaced in 1856 and would have been seen by James and Isabella.

A terrace of stone houses with white-framed windows. The front door of the house in the centre is numbered 4, and a clipped hedge and a rotary washing line are in front. An inset photo shows a street sign reading “Princess St”. — Prior to James Wilson Berry and Isabella Jane Stott emigrating, they were living at 4 Princess Street with Isabella’s grandmother Harriot Pohlman lodging with them.

The side of a stone house, painted cream, with a lower stone extension with a round window, seen from the street with a dark car parked in front. An inset photo shows a street sign reading “Beech Villas”. — Francis Berry Jnr and Esther were living at 4 Beech Villas when Francis died in 1880 and Esther was still living there in 1881.

A cemetery overgrown with trees and brambles, with a spire-topped iron monument and flat stone slabs beside a path, and a stone chapel building behind. — Francis Berry Jnr, Esther Wilson and their daughter Mary Berry (aged 9 years and 5 months) were buried at the cemetery that is next to what was the Bolton Brow Wesleyan Methodist Church (shown in the background). The cemetery is overgrown and only a few graves near the street are visible. It is uncertain whether the graves are still intact or have been removed.

A pointed-arch sandstone headstone with an ivy-leaf border and a weathered inscription, with moss on its base and fallen leaves in front. — William Stott is buried with his second wife Sabina Bird Chapel and their son Charles Thomas Stott and daughter Ellen Bullen Stott at the Sowerby Bridge Cemetery, Freehold Vault 672 in Section A.

A stone cross with a carved rope and anchor, standing on a stepped base with a weathered inscription that includes “New South Wales”. It is edged by a low iron railing and covered with autumn leaves. — George Berry was James Wilson Berry’s younger brother. George emigrated to Australia with two brothers, Walter and Arthur and their wives. George was not well and returned to Sowerby Bridge where he died in 1888 from chronic dyspepsia and exhaustion aged just 37. His grave at Sowerby Bridge Cemetery, Freehold Vault 1022 in Section A, is shared with his wife Elizabeth and acknowledges his time in Australia. It is also surrounded by a simple iron fence that was either not taken for WWII or replaced later. The caretaker at the Sowerby Bridge Cemetery who told us about the iron being reused wondered about George because of the anchor and the reference to New South Wales. He suggested there must have been money to retain the fence.

What we looked for

Not found Other items of iron work. The caretaker at the Sowerby Bridge Cemetery told us that iron was reused for the war effort in WWII which explained the lack of iron work to be found.
Not there The Berry house at Walton Street is not there.
Not entered The back yard of the Loose Goose Inn, 1 West Street, Sowerby Bridge. This was the New Inn on the 1888 map. We didn’t try to get in as it is now accommodation.
Not relevant Sowerby Bridge Railway Station was re-sited in 1876 and would not have been used by James, Isabella and their two children as part of their emigration journey.
Not found William Stott’s chemist shop and 17 Wharf Street, Sowerby Bridge. The street numbers start at 40 on Wharf Street after the Church. We could not find the address.
Not found Willow Cottage at Willow Hall Lane, Skircoat, at the northern end of Bolton Brow where it becomes Rochdale Road. The street was found but not the cottage.
Not found Stoney Royd Cemetery - the Pohlman burials. The plaque at the cemetery reads “Remains of 1587 people interred in the burial ground of St James Church Halifax were interred in this vault”. No individual memorial stones survive.
Not found The ledger stone by the church wall of St John’s Church, Coley that says “Daniel John David Pohlman of Northowram a native of Hamburg in Germany who departed this life the 6th of February 1836 in the 80th year of his age. Also of Mary wife of David Pohlman who Departed this life March 21st 1837 Aged 71 years”. Daniel John David Pohlman is believed to be the father of David Pohlman. We had the transcription and where it is located, but we couldn’t find it.
Not found Prospect Place - the 1861 census entry for Francis Berry Jnr - could not identify the location from the 1888 map.
Seen, not photographed Sowerby Bridge Town Hall - Francis Berry Jnr served on the Local Board of Health and later on the School Board. We looked for an address and it looked like it had been knocked down to make open space. We were wrong. We had seen it but didn’t photograph it.
Note Walton Street, Sowerby Bridge. The face of a person sitting outside the Pulman Steel building and the number plate of a lorry have been lightly blurred by Claude (AI) to respect their privacy.

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