Greens House was a fine Georgian house set back  from the road behind shrubberies on the road  from Bacup to Todmorden. The home of James Maden and family who moved to Greens House from Lane Head farm in 1806.  James was born in 1766 the son of James Maden of Broadclough. on January 12th 1801 he married Betty Taylor daughter of John Taylor one of the Whitworth Doctors.  Their first daughter Mary was born in February 1802 and died in 1866.

 

One years later in 1803 James went into partnership with Joshua Lord and Edmund Lord  the same year his daughter Betsey was born on 28 April  she married James Taylor Dr  of Todmorden Hall. In 1805  another daughter Judith was born, Judith married John Holt of Stubylee.  Ann was born in July 1806 but died in childhood, Alice  was born in July 1808.  James was born in September 1810.  Ann who died in girlhood. Sarah the youngest of the Maden children  six in total was born in August 1812 and died on 21st June 1876. A learned woman who had a large collection of books, most of which ended up in the possession of her Nephew Mr Holt at Stubylee.  James Maden  died in 1848 his wife Betty having died four years previously.

 

 

 

 

 

James Maden owned weaving mills and the discovery of coal on hi sland enhanced his prosperity and local standing. In 1812 he was instrumental in founding the Bacup bracnh of the British and Foreign Bible Society. He built the school at Heald and took a leading part in rescuing the Bacup school from decay in 1819 the school having been built in 1692 at a time when there was no local place of worship.

 

All of the Maden children 7 had been reared by  a devoted nurse by the name of Mary Harrison, who had been born near Chatham Todmorden in 1710. Mary entered  the service of the Maden family at the age of 13, and was still attending to the family  at the age of 108 when Sarah was born. In full possession of all her faculties the only problem Mary had was a hearing loss. Mary died on the 21st December 1818 and was buried at Ebeneezer Baptist chapel.

 

A Tablet in Ebeneezers Graveyard Read

This stone is erected to the memory of Betty Lord widow of Samuel Lord of South Grain who

departed this life Jan 20th 1818 in the 73rd year of her age

Also here lies the body of Mary Harrison

Mother of the above Betty Lord  who departed this life  21st Dec 1818 in the 109th year of her life she lived the last 18 years of her life in the family of Mr James Maden Greens & nursed his children  the youngest after she was 102 years old.