People   (Re-unions, trace old friends and relatives.)

"then what it says in the parish records is all a lie ?

Not sure what you mean by that, EC.

There were 22 burials at St Thomas the Martyr in the whole of Nov 1831, averaging slightly less than one per day, with varying ages including babies and infants. This trend roughly continues before and after the 28 burials on the 19th of Dec. The sequence of burials do not imply death by disease, but points to them all dying in one event.

After looking into the cholera outbreak in 1831 that Gaffer mentions, it seems it mainly occurred in Durham, and London. You would also think that if an epidemic occurred it would show up in surrounding parishes. St Thomas's in Ashton in Makerfield shows not one death recorded as caused by Cholera or Flu in October, November or December 1831.

It's most likely an undocumented pit accident or factory disaster. There is much digging to be done. It's a mystery ready to be solved.