Broadcut Canal

We originally went to investigate Lucy’s bridge but in trying to find information about Lucy we came across some tragedies that had occured at Broadcut Canal.

Little Lily Renton was only 4 when she had been playing with the other children on the canal side, Lily’s mum Ann called her in and in doing so told her to clean her muddy shoes before she came aboard…. Lily reach for the mop and went to dip it into the water but she lost her balance and plummeted into the water… They searched invain for around 20 minutes before Lily’s little lifeless body was pulled from the water…
Lily Renton was buried in her home town of Brotherton.
Unfortunately this wasnt the only tragedy to befall the Renton family some 40 years previously little Martha Renton aged 2 was playing on the canal side at Broadcut and fell into the canal and sadly drowned.. Even more sad as the custom to keep a family name intact, after the death of a infant another child would be given the same name… some 6 years after Martha died another baby girl was born into the family and was also named Martha…. but sadly this little girl was killed in her hometown of Brotherton at just 5 years old… lightning tragically struck again in the Renton family……
We also found the sad tale of old Joseph aged 61, a local mill worker who had suffered the loss of one of his eyes in an accident, after having a night time drink at the Navigation Inn, Joseph decided to walk along the canal on his way home, unfortunately something happened as his body was recovered from the lock the following morning… He too had drowned….
There was also the sad tale of little Eliza Nettleton aged six that tried to reach over to get something from the canal and fell in and sadly drowned…..
These tragic stories are harrowing and just shows the dangers faced every day by the people who worked the canal network.. the Watermen, risking their lives and their families to transport goods up and down the waterways….
We set our equipment up under Broadcut Bridge on the towpath next to the canal… the activity from the SB7 spirit box was truly immense and the K2s were flashing away whenever we mentioned a relevant name….
But most surprising of all was asking the SB7 if it could tell us the name of the boat that little Lily fell from, we asked this 3 times and 3 times we heard Edith come through….
We were blown away by this……
I was recording the session at the time and upon playback it can be heard.
The inquest into little Lily’s death shows us the name of the boat was Edith and her father John was at the keel…
These poor lost souls of the waterways that have met a tragic end. we remember you with love and respect and may your souls rest in eternal peace xx
Martha Renton aged 2
Eliza Nettleton aged 6
Joseph Berry aged 61
Lily Renton aged 4
and the many more yet to be remembered…..