In Olden Days - Legends of Rochdale and its Neighbourhood

Rev. George Robert Oakley (1864-1932) was born in Dublin but his family moved to Yorkshire when he was an infant. He was educated at Sheffield Royal Grammar School and St. Aidan's Theological College Birkinhead. When the church of St. Andrew's Dearnley was completed in 1895 he became the first vicar of that church. During this time he collected together the myths and legends of the local area for this book. In 1923 he became the Vicar of St. Mary the Virgin Illingworth returning over the border into Yorkshire until his death.