Past To Present Genealogy

St. Mary of the Angels, Batley: One-Place Study Update – 1 to 28 February 2026 Additions

Posted on March 1, 2026 | Leave a comment

February has been a particularly busy month for the Batley St. Mary of the Angels One-Place Study, with five new posts. This brings the total number of posts up to 427. Three more were updated.

This month’s additions and updates included one new War Memorial biography, that of the first Peter Gavaghan to be killed in the war (his cousin also named Peter died later on, and his biography was added some time ago). Both men’s biographies can now be found in The Biographies: War Memorial Men section.

Several more men who served and survived were identified, and this page has been updated. Their biographies will follow in due course.

Someone from the parish who died but is not on the church War Memorial has been identified, Michael Howley. I have added his biography to the section covering Men Associated with St. Mary’s Who Died but Who Are Not on the Memorial, and that overall page has been accordingly updated too. I have also updated the War Memorial Chronology of Deaths page, to include him.

There are two new posts in the Miscellany of Information section. One deals with the horrific, but all too common, circumstances surrounding the death of a child in the 19th century. The other concerns three pigs, a headstone and a long-lived parishioner.

There is also the parish history snippets piece for February 2026. These snippets cover a variety of events and people from the parish from years gone by, and can be found in the Bulletin for Batley St Mary of the Angels and Birstall St Patrick section. One is an amazing piece connected to The Beatles and a circus! Even if you have seen them on the Bulletin, it is worth checking them here as some have links to more detailed pieces I have written.

Below is the full list of pages to date. Simply click on the link and it will take you straight to the relevant page. I have annotated the *NEW* and “UPDATED” posts, so you can easily pick them out.

If you want to know the background, and what is involved in a one-place study, click here. Otherwise read on, to discover a wealth of parish, parishioner and wider local Batley history.

Postscript:
I may not be able to thank you personally because of your contact detail confidentiality, but I do want to say how much I appreciate the donations already received to keep this website going. They really and truly do help. Thank you.

The website has always been free to use, and I want to continue this policy in the future. However, it does cost me money to operate – from undertaking the research to website hosting costs. In the current difficult economic climate I do have to regularly consider if I can afford to continue running it as a free resource.

If you have enjoyed reading the various pieces, and would like to make a donation towards keeping the website up and running in its current open access format, it would be very much appreciated.

Please click 👉🏽 here 👈🏽 be taken to the PayPal donation link. By making a donation you will be helping to keep the website online and freely available for all.

Thank you.

As a professionally qualified genealogist, if you would like me to undertake any family, local or house history research for you do please get in touch. More information can be found on my research services page.

Finally, if you do have any information about, or photos of, parishioners from the period of the First World War please do get in touch. It does not have to be War Memorial men. It could be those who served and survived, or indeed any other men, women and children from the parish.

I would also be interested in information about, and photos of, those parishioners who were killed in World War Two, or others from the parish who undertook any war service and survived. This can be as broad as serving in the military, or work in munitions factories, the Land Army, even taking in refugees. This is an area I’m looking to develop in the future.

I can be contacted at: pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

1. About my St Mary of the Angels Catholic Church War Memorial One-Place Study;

Batley’s Public Buildings and Institutions
2. Batley Hospital: The First 50 Years – 1878 to 1928
3. The Early History of Batley’s Public Baths

Batley St Mary’s Population, Health, Mortality and Fertility Information and Comparisons
4. 1914: The Health of Batley School Children Generally, with a Particular Focus on St Mary’s School Children

Batley Statistics and Descriptions – Population, Health, Mortality, Fertility etc.
5. 1914: Borough of Batley – Town Information from the Annual Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
6. Batley and the 1921 Census
7. Batley Population Statistics 1801-1939

Biographies: Men Associated with St Mary’s Who Died but Who Are Not on the Memorial *UPDATED*
8. Thomas Gannon

9. Michael Howley *NEW*
10. Reginald Roberts
11. William Frederick Townsend

Biographies: The War Memorial Men
12. Edward Barber
13. William Barber (Memorial name spelling)
14. Herbert Booth
15. Edmund Battye
16. Dominick (aka George) Brannan
17. Michael Brannan
18. John Brooks
19. Michael Cafferty
20. Patrick Cafferty
21. John William Callaghan
22. Lawrence Carney
23. Martin Carney
24. Thomas William Chappell
25. William Colbeck
26. Michael Cunningham
27. Thomas Curley
28. Peter Doherty
29. Thomas Dolan
30. Thomas Donlan
31. James Edwards
32. John W. Enright
33. Mathew Farrer
34. Thomas Finneran
35. Michael Flynn
36. Thomas Foley D.C.M.
37. Martin Gallagher
38. James Garner
39. Harold Gaunt
40. James Gavaghan
41. Peter Gavaghan (1) *NEW*
42. Peter Gavaghan (2)
43. Thomas Gavaghan
44. Henry Groark
45. James Groark
46. Michael Groark (also known as Rourke)
47. James Griffin
48. William Hargreaves
49. Michael Hopkins
50. Patrick Hopkins
51. Michael Horan
52. James Hughes
53. Lawrence Judge
54. John Leech
55. Michael Lydon
56. John Thomas Lynch
57. Patrick Lyons
William McManus – See William Townsend below
58. Thomas McNamara
59. Clement Manning
60. Patrick Naifsey
61. Austin Nolan
62. Robert Randerson
63. James Rush
64. Moses Stubley
65. William Townsend, also known as McManus
66. James Trainor
67. Richard Carroll Walsh
68. Arthur William Bayldon Woodhead

Biographies: Those who Served and Survived (this includes a list of those identified to date and who will later have dedicated biographical pages) *UPDATED*
69. Patrick Cassidy
70. James Delaney
71. Thomas Donlan (senior)
72. Thomas Gannon
73. Michael Rush

Burials, Cemeteries, Headstones and MIs
74. Cemetery and Memorial Details
75. War Memorial Chronology of Deaths *UPDATED*

Guest Contributions
308. Memories of Skelsey Row – by Brian Foley

Maps and Photographs
309. A Description of the Parish Boundaries
310. Aerial View of St Mary’s Church and the Surrounding Streets
311. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1894
312. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1907
313. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1922
314. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1933

Miscellany of Information
315. A Tale of Three Pigs, a Headstone and The Longest-Lived Parishioner *NEW*
316. A Bitter-Sweet Remarriage
317. A Colliery Accident with Tragic Consequences
318. A Description of the Parish of St Mary of the Angels in 1950
319. A Grave Disturbance in Batley
320. A Part of St Mary of the Angels in Batley Cemetery
321. A “Peace” of Batley History
322. An Appeal to Ireland to Build a Catholic Church in Batley
323. A Potted Early History of the Irish in Batley, the Building of St Mary of the Angels Church, and the Parish Priest’s Fatal Accident
324. A St Mary’s Parishioner in the Holy Land
325. A St Mary’s School Sensation
326. A St Mary’s School Trip Souvenir
327. Batley’s Secret Irish Society and the Ammunition Seizure
328. Batley St Mary’s First Torchlight Procession
329. Batley St Mary’s Second Torchlight Procession
330. Buffalo Bill and A Right Royal Celebration for Batley’s Schoolchildren
331. “Daddy’s Death and then Triplets”
332. Heritage Impact Assessment: St Mary’s Catholic Primary School and Convent, Batley
333. Hot-Cross Buns and the Yorkshire Tea-Cake Dilemma. Plus A Suggested Meal Planner for Batley Families in 1917
334. Into the Valley of Death – One of the Six Hundred
335. “I’ve Done it for Love” – A Batley Murder
336. St Mary of the Angels Catholic Church – 1929 Consecration Service
337. The Consequences of a Refusal to Work in 1918
338. The Controversial Role Played by St Mary’s Schoolchildren in the 1907 Batley Pageant
339. The Deaths of the Smallpox Hospital Caretakers
340. The Debate Over Grave-Diggers’ Holidays
341. The Earliest Published Account of Batley St Mary’s Church and Schools
342. The Great War: A Brief Overview of What Led Britain into the War
343. The Horrific Death of Little Mary Leach *NEW*
344. The Unholy row between St Mary’s Church and the Batley and Birstall Irish Clubs
345. Thomas Ate My Rat
346. William Berry – A Beautiful Voice Stilled
347. Willie and Edward Barber – Poems

Occupations and Employment Information
348. Occupations: Colliery Byeworker/Byeworkman/Byworker/Bye-Worker/By-Worker
349. Occupations: Confidential Clerk
350. Occupations: Lamp Cleaner
351. Occupations: Limelight Operator
352. Occupations: Mason’s Labourer
353. Occupations: Office Boy/Girl
354. Occupations: Piecer/Piecener
355. Occupations: Rag Grinder
356. Occupations: Willeyer

The Families
405. A Death in the Church
406. St Mary’s Schoolboys Wreak Havoc in a Batley Graveyard

The May Queens of Batley St Mary of the Angels
407. 1922 May Queen: Phyllis Doyle
408 1923 May Queen: Katherine Phillips
409. 1925 May Queen: Agnes Judge
410. 1929 May Queen: Mary Collins
411. 1931 May Queen Ceremony: Theresa Judge
412. 1932 May Queen Ceremony: Agnes Kilgallon
413. 1933 May Queen Ceremony: Winnie Colleran
414. 1939 May Queen Ceremony: Kathleen Gooder
415. 1940 May Queen Ceremony: Sheila Rowan
416. 1941 May Queen Ceremony
417. 1950 May Queen Ceremony: Catherine Heaps
418. 1951 May Queen Ceremony: Mary Harkin
419. 1952 May Queen Ceremony: Patricia Anne Cain
420. 1953 May Queen Ceremony: Mary O’Connor

World War Two
421. World War Two Chronology of Deaths
422. Thomas Egan
423. Michael Flatley
424. Frank Higgins
425. Edward Lynch
426. William Smith
427. Bernard Stenchion

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Posted in 19th Century, 20th Century, Ancestry, Batley, Birstall, Catholic, County Mayo, Family History, Genealogy, Great War, History, Home Front, In Memoriam, Ireland, Local History, Occupations, One-Place Study, Remembrance, Roll of Honour, Schools, St Mary's RC Church, The Great War, War Memorial, WW1, WW2, Yorkshire

Tagged Ancestry, Batley, Catholic, County Mayo, DNA, family history, Family History Tips, genealogy, Great War, History, Home Front, Ireland, Local History, Occupations, One-Place Study, St Mary's, The Beatles, The Great War, War Memorial, WW1, WW2, Yorkshire

St. Mary of the Angels, Batley: One-Place Study Update – 1 to 31 January 2026 Additions

Posted on February 1, 2026 | Leave a comment

The Batley St. Mary of the Angels One-Place Study now has 422 posts, with one post being published in January. That’s fewer than I had hoped, but so far my day job has dominated my New Year schedule, with a mix of client family history research work and local history talks.

This month’s addition was the parish history snippets piece for January 2026. These snippets cover a variety of events and people from the parish from years gone by, and can be found in the Bulletin for Batley St Mary of the Angels and Birstall St Patrick section. Even if you have seen them on the Bulletin, it is worth checking them here as some have links to more detailed pieces I have written.

Below is the full list of pages to date. I have annotated the *NEW* post, so you can easily pick it out. Click on the link and it will take you straight to the relevant page.

If you want to know the background, and what is involved in a one-place study, click here. Otherwise read on, to discover a wealth of parish, parishioner and wider local Batley history.

If you have enjoyed reading the various pieces, and would like to make a donation towards keeping the website up and running in its current open access format, it would be very much appreciated.

Please click here be taken to the PayPal donation link. By making a donation you will be helping to keep the website online and freely available for all.

Thank you.

I can be contacted at: pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

1. About my St Mary of the Angels Catholic Church War Memorial One-Place Study;

Batley’s Public Buildings and Institutions
2. Batley Hospital: The First 50 Years – 1878 to 1928
3. The Early History of Batley’s Public Baths

Biographies: Men Associated with St Mary’s Who Died but Who Are Not on the Memorial
8. Thomas Gannon
9. Reginald Roberts
10. William Frederick Townsend

Biographies: The War Memorial Men
11. Edward Barber
12. William Barber (Memorial name spelling)
13. Herbert Booth
14. Edmund Battye
15. Dominick (aka George) Brannan
16. Michael Brannan
17. John Brooks
18. Michael Cafferty
19. Patrick Cafferty
20. John William Callaghan
21. Lawrence Carney
22. Martin Carney
23. Thomas William Chappell
24. William Colbeck
25. Michael Cunningham
26. Thomas Curley
27. Peter Doherty
28. Thomas Dolan
29. Thomas Donlan
30. James Edwards
31. John W. Enright
32. Mathew Farrer
33. Thomas Finneran
34. Michael Flynn
35. Thomas Foley D.C.M.
36. Martin Gallagher
37. James Garner
38. Harold Gaunt
39. James Gavaghan
40. Peter Gavaghan
41. Thomas Gavaghan
42. Henry Groark
43. James Groark
44. Michael Groark (also known as Rourke)
45. James Griffin
46. William Hargreaves
47. Michael Hopkins
48. Patrick Hopkins
49. Michael Horan
50. James Hughes
51. Lawrence Judge
52. John Leech
53. Michael Lydon
54. John Thomas Lynch
55. Patrick Lyons
William McManus – See William Townsend below
56. Thomas McNamara
57. Clement Manning
58. Patrick Naifsey
59. Austin Nolan
60. Robert Randerson
61. James Rush
62. Moses Stubley
63. William Townsend, also known as McManus
64. James Trainor
65. Richard Carroll Walsh
66. Arthur William Bayldon Woodhead

Biographies: Those who Served and Survived (this includes a list of those identified to date and who will later have dedicated biographical pages)
67. Patrick Cassidy
68. James Delaney
69. Thomas Donlan (senior)
70. Thomas Gannon
71. Michael Rush

Burials, Cemeteries, Headstones and MIs
72. Cemetery and Memorial Details
73. War Memorial Chronology of Deaths .

Guest Contributions
306. Memories of Skelsey Row – by Brian Foley

Maps and Photographs
307. A Description of the Parish Boundaries
308. Aerial View of St Mary’s Church and the Surrounding Streets
309. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1894
310. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1907
311. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1922
312. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1933

Miscellany of Information
313. A Bitter-Sweet Remarriage
314. A Colliery Accident with Tragic Consequences
315. A Description of the Parish of St Mary of the Angels in 1950
316. A Grave Disturbance in Batley
317. A Part of St Mary of the Angels in Batley Cemetery
318. A “Peace” of Batley History
319. An Appeal to Ireland to Build a Catholic Church in Batley
320. A Potted Early History of the Irish in Batley, the Building of St Mary of the Angels Church, and the Parish Priest’s Fatal Accident
321. A St Mary’s Parishioner in the Holy Land
322. A St Mary’s School Sensation
323. A St Mary’s School Trip Souvenir
324. Batley’s Secret Irish Society and the Ammunition Seizure
325. Batley St Mary’s First Torchlight Procession
326. Batley St Mary’s Second Torchlight Procession
327. Buffalo Bill and A Right Royal Celebration for Batley’s Schoolchildren
328. “Daddy’s Death and then Triplets”
329. Heritage Impact Assessment: St Mary’s Catholic Primary School and Convent, Batley
330. Hot-Cross Buns and the Yorkshire Tea-Cake Dilemma. Plus A Suggested Meal Planner for Batley Families in 1917
331. Into the Valley of Death – One of the Six Hundred
332. “I’ve Done it for Love” – A Batley Murder
333. St Mary of the Angels Catholic Church – 1929 Consecration Service
334. The Consequences of a Refusal to Work in 1918
335. The Controversial Role Played by St Mary’s Schoolchildren in the 1907 Batley Pageant
336. The Deaths of the Smallpox Hospital Caretakers
337. The Debate Over Grave-Diggers’ Holidays
338. The Earliest Published Account of Batley St Mary’s Church and Schools
339. The Great War: A Brief Overview of What Led Britain into the War
340. The Unholy row between St Mary’s Church and the Batley and Birstall Irish Clubs
341. Thomas Ate My Rat
342. William Berry – A Beautiful Voice Stilled
343. Willie and Edward Barber – Poems

Occupations and Employment Information
344. Occupations: Colliery Byeworker/Byeworkman/Byworker/Bye-Worker/By-Worker
345. Occupations: Confidential Clerk
346. Occupations: Lamp Cleaner
347. Occupations: Limelight Operator
348. Occupations: Mason’s Labourer
349. Occupations: Office Boy/Girl
350. Occupations: Piecer/Piecener
351. Occupations: Rag Grinder
352. Occupations: Willeyer

The Families
400. A Death in the Church
401. St Mary’s Schoolboys Wreak Havoc in a Batley Graveyard

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Posted in Family History

Details of My Family and Local History Talks for 2026-2027

Posted on January 4, 2026 | 3 comments

If you are looking for a family or local history speaker during 2026 and 2027, here are the details of my current and upcoming talks:

Charles the Pigeon and a Yorkshire Spy.
Local Links to the Lusitania.
A Site with a Deadly History – The White Lee Explosion of 1914. UPDATED FOR 2026 – available from September 2026.
The Early History of the Irish and Batley St. Mary of the Angels. This is the first of three talks about my one-place study.
The Batley St. Mary of the Angels War Memorial – the Sacrifice of a Yorkshire Catholic Parish in the First World War. NEW FOR 2026 – available from October 2026, this is my second one-place study talk.
The People of the Parish – Parishioner’s Tales from my Batley St. Mary of the Angels One-Place Study. NEW FOR 2026 – available from August 2026, this is my third one-place study themed talk.
Tips for Researching Your Great War Ancestors/First World War Rugby League Players.
How to Research Your Family Tree.
Census Sense and Census Oddities. NEW FOR 2026 – available from November 2026.
From Body Snatched to Brush-Makers and Child-Stealing Chimney Sweeps. Tales from my Family History. NEW FOR 2027 – available from March 2027.

In terms of regions covered, the first three talks have a distinctly Yorkshire flavour. My three St. Mary’s one-place study based talks look at various aspects of my Batley study, intertwining the Irish and Yorkshire character of the parish. The seventh talk is tailored around rugby league players killed in the First World War from your locality. The eighth talk is about family tree research in England and Wales generally, and can be geared around research tips for Yorkshire ancestors. The ninth talk focuses in detail on one specific family history record set, the census of England and Wales. The tenth talk will be predominantly Yorkshire-based, but covers other areas in the north of England too.

All the talks run to 45 minutes, with time for questions afterwards. However if you require a shorter or longer talk, these generally can be accommodated depending on topic.

More details about each talk are below. But if you need more information, including around costs and to enquire about making a booking, please contact me at: pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

Charles the Pigeon and a Yorkshire Spy.

Charles the Pigeon and a Yorkshire Spy is the story of an unsung Yorkshire hero, living behind enemy lines and carrying out works of espionage and sabotage during World War One. His adopted pigeon Charles played an important part in these wartime exploits. Their daring deeds are more like a boy’s adventure story than real life. But this is a true tale of wartime courage, and one which deserves wider telling.

To enquire about booking this talk contact me at pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

Local Links to the Lusitania.

Local Links to the Lusitania focuses on people with Yorkshire connections on board the Cunard liner, torpedoed and sunk off the Irish coast on 7 May 1915. The sinking did not affect only the rich and famous. Many ordinary Yorkshire people, including from the Heavy Woollen District and areas more generally around the former West Riding, were involved. This talk provides context to the sinking and explores some of their stories.

There is a possibility this talk can be tailored to your local area.

To enquire about booking this talk contact me at pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

A Site with a Deadly History – The White Lee Explosion of 1914.

The Home Front: the White Lee Explosion of 1914 is a talk based around the events of December 1914 when a devastating explosion, caused during the manufacture of picric acid for the war effort, took place at White Lee. It resulted in deaths and injuries, as well as damage across a vast area of Batley, Heckmondwike and the Spen Valley. It is an event often overlooked because of later explosions in Yorkshire at Low Moor and Barnbow. This talk aims to provide more information about this Heavy Woollen District incident, the forerunner to the later explosions. The talk will explore the unlucky history of the site, as well as the events on the day and the aftermath.

To enquire about booking this talk contact me at pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

The Early History of the Irish and Batley St. Mary of the Angels.

This is the first of my one-place study talks, and it covers the history of the Irish in Batley and the Catholic parish of Batley St. Mary of the Angels until circa the 1880s. It investigates what a one-place study is, why I embarked on one, why I chose this particular study, as well as my findings – including the Irish migration angle, how they were received locally, the building of the church, all with a focus on ordinary parishioners.

To enquire about booking this talk contact me at pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

The Batley St. Mary of the Angels War Memorial – the Sacrifice of a Yorkshire Catholic Parish in the First World War.

The second of my Batley St. Mary of the Angels talks is about the War Memorial which provided the catalyst for my one-place study. The Memorial commemorates 72 parishioners who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the First World War, and my talk will give some overall context to their backgrounds, the branches of the military and the regiments in which they served, as well as picking out some of the individual stories.

To enquire about booking this talk contact me at pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

The People of the Parish – Parishioner’s Tales from my Batley St. Mary of the Angels One-Place Study.

My third Batley St. Mary of the Angels one-place study talk looks at some of the ordinary people from the parish across the decades who have some surprising, if not extraordinary, life tales. They illustrate the amazing richness of working-class local history which a one-place study can unearth – stories which often undeservedly get overlooked, with the focus history inevitably tends to place on the more illustrious middle-class townsfolk.

To enquire about booking this talk contact me at pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

Tips for Researching Your Great War Ancestors/First World War Rugby League Players.

Based on my groundbreaking book The Greatest Sacrifice: Fallen Heroes of the Northern Union about rugby league players who died in World War One, the talk investigates the stories behind some of the men. It is also packed with tips for researching your own Great War Army ancestors. For local history groups, I can drop the family history research tips aspect, and base the talk solely about the players.

To enquire about booking this talk contact me at pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

How to Research Your Family Tree.

This talk will help those embarking on their family history journey, but it will also provide useful reminders and advice for those who have already started out on their ancestral adventure. In this talk I will guide you through building your family tree. I will cover the basics to help you start your research on the right track, give you lots of tips, help you avoid those all-important pitfalls, and provide ideas for taking your research further. If required, I can slant this talk towards Yorkshire ancestral research.

To enquire about booking this talk contact me at pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

Census Sense and Census Oddities.

The census talk focuses in detail on this one specific family history record set. It covers background details about this essential building block for family history research in England and Wales, includes some all important search tips, and has some hidden (and sometimes humorous) gems from the entries.

To enquire about booking this talk contact me at pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

From Body Snatched to Brush-Makers and Child-Stealing Chimney Sweeps. Tales from my Family History.

Available from March 2027, this talk will cover some surprising tales from my family tree, and shows working class ancestors are far from boring.

To enquire about booking this talk contact me at pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

For more details about these talks, including costs, and how to book one, please contact me at: pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

3 Comments

Posted in Family History, Local History, Local History Talks, One-Place Study, Talks

Tagged family history, Family History Talks, Local History, Local History Talks, One-Place Study, Talks

St Mary of the Angels, Batley: One-Place Study Update – 1 to 31 December 2025 Additions

Posted on January 1, 2026 | Leave a comment

The Batley St. Mary of the Angels One-Place Study ended 2025 on a total of 421 posts, with two new posts being published in December.

The first post of the month was all about the 1953 May Queen ceremony (photograph on the left), which was added to the May Queen section. Mary O’Connor took the starring role, but the piece includes names of many others involved in the procession that day.

The final post of 2025 was the parish history snippets piece for December. These snippets cover a variety of events and people from the parish from years gone by, and can be found in the Bulletin for Batley St Mary of the Angels and Birstall St Patrick section. Even if you have seen them on the Bulletin, it is worth checking them here as some have links to more detailed pieces I have written.

Below is the full list of pages to date. I have annotated the *NEW* posts, so you can easily pick these out. Click on the link and it will take you straight to the relevant page.

If you want to know the background, and what is involved in a one-place study, click here. Otherwise read on, to discover a wealth of parish, parishioner and wider local Batley history.

Finally, I’d like to end with a thank you for reading my Batley St. Mary of the Angels one-place study posts in 2025. Your support, additional information, photographs and many lovely comments throughout the year have all really been appreciated. I look forward to what 2026 will bring to this parish history collection. Hopefully the first of these will be published next week.

If you have enjoyed reading the various pieces, and would like to make a donation towards keeping the website up and running in its current open access format, it would be very much appreciated.

Please click 👉🏽here👈🏽be taken to the PayPal donation link. By making a donation you will be helping to keep the website online and freely available for all.

Thank you.

I can be contacted at: pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

1. About my St Mary of the Angels Catholic Church War Memorial One-Place Study;

Batley’s Public Buildings and Institutions
2. Batley Hospital: The First 50 Years – 1878 to 1928
3. The Early History of Batley’s Public Baths

Biographies: Men Associated with St Mary’s Who Died but Who Are Not on the Memorial
8. Thomas Gannon
9. Reginald Roberts
10. William Frederick Townsend

Burials, Cemeteries, Headstones and MIs
72. Cemetery and Memorial Details
73. War Memorial Chronology of Deaths .

Guest Contributions
306. Memories of Skelsey Row – by Brian Foley

The Families
399. A Death in the Church
400. St Mary’s Schoolboys Wreak Havoc in a Batley Graveyard

Leave a comment

Posted in 19th Century, 20th Century, Batley, Birstall, Catholic, County Mayo, Family History, Genealogy, Great War, History, Home Front, Ireland, Local History, Occupations, One-Place Study, Remembrance, Roll of Honour, Schools, St Mary's RC Church, The Great War, War Memorial, WW1, WW2, Yorkshire

Tagged Ancestry, Batley, Catholic, County Mayo, family history, genealogy, History, Home Front, Local History, Occupations, One-Place Study, Roll of Honour, Schools, War Memorial, WW1, WW2, Yorkshire

St Mary of the Angels, Batley: One-Place Study Update – 1 to 30 November 2025 Additions

Posted on January 1, 2026 | Leave a comment

November 2025 was a busy month for the Batley St. Mary of the Angels One-Place Study. Four new posts were added, bringing the total number to 419. I also gave two talks about the early history of the Irish in Batley and the parish – one via Zoom to the Society of One-Place Studies; the other in-person to Batley History Group. If you missed them, I will be repeating the Irish and St. Mary’s talk next year with bookings already made for it, along with my other talks.

To start off with, I wrote a light-hearted piece about Buffalo Bill and A Right Royal Celebration for Batley’s Schoolchildren, a celebration in which the children of St Mary of the Angels participated. I describe, and include a photograph, of the special commemorative medal presented to all the schoolchildren, so that if you have one in your family you can identify it and know more about its history.

In a change of tone, with November being the month of Remembrance, one of the new posts was about James Edwards, one of the parishioners commemorated on the parish’s World War One War Memorial.

In the May Queen section I have added a piece about the 1952 ceremony when Patricia Anne Cain was the May Queen (as shown in the photograph to the left). It includes names of many others involved in the procession that day, which was a historic one in terms of its format that year.

The final post for the month was the parish history snippets piece for November 2025. These snippets cover a variety of events and people from the parish from years gone by, and can be found in the Bulletin for Batley St Mary of the Angels and Birstall St Patrick section. Even if you have seen them on the Bulletin, it is worth checking them here as some have links to more detailed pieces I have written.

Below is the full list of pages to date. I have annotated the *NEW* posts, so you can easily pick these out. Click on the link and it will take you straight to the relevant page.

If you want to know the background, and what is involved in a one-place study, click here. Otherwise read on, to discover a wealth of parish, parishioner and wider local Batley history.

If you have enjoyed reading the various pieces, and would like to make a donation towards keeping the website up and running in its current open access format, it would be very much appreciated.

Please click 👉🏻here👈🏻 be taken to the PayPal donation link. By making a donation you will be helping to keep the website online and freely available for all.

Thank you.

I can be contacted at: pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

1. About my St Mary of the Angels Catholic Church War Memorial One-Place Study;

Batley’s Public Buildings and Institutions
2. Batley Hospital: The First 50 Years – 1878 to 1928
3. The Early History of Batley’s Public Baths

Biographies: Men Associated with St Mary’s Who Died but Who Are Not on the Memorial
8. Thomas Gannon
9. Reginald Roberts
10. William Frederick Townsend

Biographies: The War Memorial Men
11. Edward Barber
12. William Barber (Memorial name spelling)
13. Herbert Booth
14. Edmund Battye
15. Dominick (aka George) Brannan
16. Michael Brannan
17. John Brooks
18. Michael Cafferty
19. Patrick Cafferty
20. John William Callaghan
21. Lawrence Carney
22. Martin Carney
23. Thomas William Chappell
24. William Colbeck
25. Michael Cunningham
26. Thomas Curley
27. Peter Doherty
28. Thomas Dolan
29. Thomas Donlan
30. James Edwards *NEW*
31. John W. Enright
32. Mathew Farrer
33. Thomas Finneran
34. Michael Flynn
35. Thomas Foley D.C.M.
36. Martin Gallagher
37. James Garner
38. Harold Gaunt
39. James Gavaghan
40. Peter Gavaghan
41. Thomas Gavaghan
42. Henry Groark
43. James Groark
44. Michael Groark (also known as Rourke)
45. James Griffin
46. William Hargreaves
47. Michael Hopkins
48. Patrick Hopkins
49. Michael Horan
50. James Hughes
51. Lawrence Judge
52. John Leech
53. Michael Lydon
54. John Thomas Lynch
55. Patrick Lyons
William McManus – See William Townsend below
56. Thomas McNamara
57. Clement Manning
58. Patrick Naifsey
59. Austin Nolan
60. Robert Randerson
61. James Rush
62. Moses Stubley
63. William Townsend, also known as McManus
64. James Trainor
65. Richard Carroll Walsh
66. Arthur William Bayldon Woodhead

Burials, Cemeteries, Headstones and MIs
72. Cemetery and Memorial Details
73. War Memorial Chronology of Deaths .

Guest Contributions
306. Memories of Skelsey Row – by Brian Foley

Miscellany of Information
313. A Bitter-Sweet Remarriage
314. A Colliery Accident with Tragic Consequences
315. A Description of the Parish of St Mary of the Angels in 1950
316. A Grave Disturbance in Batley
317. A Part of St Mary of the Angels in Batley Cemetery
318. A “Peace” of Batley History
319. An Appeal to Ireland to Build a Catholic Church in Batley
320. A Potted Early History of the Irish in Batley, the Building of St Mary of the Angels Church, and the Parish Priest’s Fatal Accident
321. A St Mary’s Parishioner in the Holy Land
322. A St Mary’s School Sensation
323. A St Mary’s School Trip Souvenir
324. Batley’s Secret Irish Society and the Ammunition Seizure
325. Batley St Mary’s First Torchlight Procession
326. Batley St Mary’s Second Torchlight Procession
327. Buffalo Bill and A Right Royal Celebration for Batley’s Schoolchildren *NEW*
328. “Daddy’s Death and then Triplets”
329. Heritage Impact Assessment: St Mary’s Catholic Primary School and Convent, Batley
330. Hot-Cross Buns and the Yorkshire Tea-Cake Dilemma. Plus A Suggested Meal Planner for Batley Families in 1917
331. Into the Valley of Death – One of the Six Hundred
332. “I’ve Done it for Love” – A Batley Murder
333. St Mary of the Angels Catholic Church – 1929 Consecration Service
334. The Consequences of a Refusal to Work in 1918
335. The Controversial Role Played by St Mary’s Schoolchildren in the 1907 Batley Pageant
336. The Deaths of the Smallpox Hospital Caretakers
337. The Debate Over Grave-Diggers’ Holidays
338. The Earliest Published Account of Batley St Mary’s Church and Schools
339. The Great War: A Brief Overview of What Led Britain into the War
340. The Unholy row between St Mary’s Church and the Batley and Birstall Irish Clubs
341. Thomas Ate My Rat
342. William Berry – A Beautiful Voice Stilled
343. Willie and Edward Barber – Poems

The Families
398. A Death in the Church
399. St Mary’s Schoolboys Wreak Havoc in a Batley Graveyard

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Posted in 19th Century, 20th Century, Ancestry, Batley, Birstall, Catholic, County Mayo, Family History, Family History Talks, Genealogy, Great War, History, Home Front, In Memoriam, Ireland, Local History, Local History Talks, Occupations, One-Place Study, Remembrance, Roll of Honour, Schools, St Mary's RC Church, Talks, The Great War, War Memorial, WW1, WW2, Yorkshire

Tagged Ancestry, Batley, Birstall, County Mayo, family history, Family History Talks, genealogy, History, Home Front, Local History, Local History Talks, One-Place Study, Schools, St Mary's RC Church, Talks, War Memorial, WW1, WW2, Yorkshire

Book Review – The Mayors of Batley: 1869 to 1974

Posted on December 6, 2025 | Leave a comment

Following several years of painstaking research, Kevin McQuinn and Val Mitchell, assisted by others, have produced the ultimate reference guide to the Mayors of Batley.

It is the only book to cover all 72 men and women who served as Mayor on the Borough of Batley Town Council from its incorporation in 1869 through to the 1974, when Batley’s governance was taken over by the newly created Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council.

The book truly has been a labour of love, and the passion of the authors for their subject really does shine through. Running to 152 pages, the A4 wire-bound booklet has a chapter devoted to each Mayor. Besides providing their biographical details, it covers the key civic challenges they faced, and developments for Batley, during their tenure as Mayor.

It means the booklet goes far beyond the lives of these individual men and women. When combined with other chapters describing the history of Batley before incorporation, and key developments introduced in the first 50 years after Batley became a Borough, it gives a unique perspective of the history of the town as seen through the prism of the decisions of the Borough Council.

It demonstrates the civic pride which drove the Borough Council to strive for better infrastructure, housing and public buildings for the town’s residents to improve their lives. It illustrates the rivalry between Batley and Dewsbury, competitiveness which again led to tangible improvements to the town and the lives of its people. It shows how at times of war the townsfolk united in a common purpose, contributing to the war effort. Above all, it shows how much power the Mayors and Borough Council wielded to focus on the things that really mattered to residents at a local level. It really is a window on the lives and times of our Batley ancestors.

Fully illustrated, it is a book to dip in and out of, and will be one to which I will refer for years to come.

Priced at £12.00, plus post and packing, any profit made will be given to Kirkwood Hospice (so, if you can afford to pay more for your copy that would be most welcome). Ordered copies will also be available for collection at Batley Library.

If you are looking for gift ideas for someone interested in Batley’s local history, you can’t go wrong with this. You can even arrange for a personally dedicated copy to make it extra special. Neither will it break the bank, and you’ll be helping Kirkwood hospice too.

To order a copy, please contact either Kevin McQuinn or Val Mitchell on the designated book ordering email at: bhg.mayors@gmail.com

Full disclosure: I normally receive a free copy of a book in return for a honest review. In this case I have had no hesitation in buying my own copy, as I believe this is an invaluable booklet for a Batley local historian, more so given some of the Mayors were Catholics and therefore link to my Batley St. Mary of the Angels One-Place Study. In addition the money being raised from sales is going to a hospice which has provided care for my family, and which relies on the generosity of the community to continue providing its vital services.

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Posted in 19th Century, 20th Century, Batley, Books, Local History, Review

Tagged Batley, Book Review, Local History

Beat the Probate Price Rise – Is there a Fairer System?

Posted on November 15, 2025 | Leave a comment

As of Monday 17 November 2025, the price or ordering your family history probate documents via the government’s Find A Will service will increase from £1.50 to £16.00. That’s an eye-watering rise of almost 1000%.

The notice for this increase was published on 10 November in The Gazette, meaning for many it has been a mad rush to get those last minute orders in.

The rationale for this price rise, as stated in the Ministry of Justice’s (MOJ) Explanatory Memorandum, reads:

The estimated cost to His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) for providing single copies of documents under the Find A Will service equates to £16 per copy. The £1.50 fee therefore significantly under-recovers its cost, despite fees being set with the intention of full cost recovery. This statutory instrument will therefore increase the fee for users to obtain copies of documents within the Principal Registry of the Family Division, district registries and any sub-registries attached, which includes the “Find A Will” service and individual users requesting extra copies of probate grants from £1.50 to £16, to align more closely with costs and ensure that HMCTS can continue to deliver its services effectively.

The £1.50 charge was introduced in 2019, with prior to that the cost being £10, so a review was overdue. But I would love to know how they determined upon a flat rate £16 figure.

It means for many the cost of these documents for family and local history will be now prohibitively expensive, limiting future research. For example, at £16 each, there is no way would I be able to afford ordering all the World War One soldiers’ wills that I have for my Batley St. Mary of the Angels one-place study.

I’ve spent this past week ordering probate documents for clients to beat the rise. It included an order for 12 wills which cost £18. As of 17 November to place that same order will be £196.

Today I finally got round to reviewing my one-place study soldiers’ wills, confirming I’d already got them all.

I also reviewed my direct line ancestors, and placed an order for the six I identified as missing. Four came back instantly via an automated service, having already been digitised. This is akin to the service for World War One soldiers wills.

To my mind this begs the question why did the MOJ not introduce a graded pricing structure for probate records, similar to that in place for General Register Office (GRO) civil registration orders? The GRO’s automated Digital Image service has a lower cost of £3, with PDFs costing £8, and the more labour-intensive full certificates coming in at £12.50.

This seems a much fairer system than the flat rate fee, a system which might avoid pricing out family and local history researchers. For as the fee structure stands, there will be a dramatic cliff-edge drop off for probate orders going forward.

Postscript:
The MoJ does still have a £1.50 bulk access option aimed at some (unspecified) organisations who access every copy of a grant of probate or will issued in England and Wales. By extension this means individual family and local history researchers are being overcharged for their documents, essentially subsidising these organisations. Hardly a fair system!

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Posted in Family History, Local History, One-Name Study, One-Place Study, Probate, Wills

Tagged family history, Local History, One-Name Study, One-Place Study, Probate, Wills, WW1

St Mary of the Angels, Batley: One-Place Study Update – 1 to 31 October 2025 Additions

Posted on November 1, 2025 | Leave a comment

Because of work commitments, during October 2025 only one new post was added to the Batley St Mary of the Angels One-Place Study, bringing the total number of posts to 415.

This new post was the parish history snippets piece for October 2025. These snippets cover a variety of events and people from the parish from years gone by, and can be found in the Bulletin for Batley St Mary of the Angels and Birstall St Patrick section. Even if you have seen them on the Bulletin, it is worth checking them here as some have links to more detailed pieces I have written.

One of the reason for the lack of additions this month is because in November and December I’m giving a series of talks to various organisations. These include an online talk on 11 November 2025 to the Society of One-Place Studies about the early history of the Irish in Batley, and the parish of Batley St Mary of the Angels up until around the 1880s. This is restricted to members of the Society. However, on Monday 24 November I will be giving more or less the same talk at the Batley History Group meeting in Batley Town Hall. This starts with refreshments at 7pm, with the talk commencing at 7.30pm. It is open to both members (£2) and non-members (£4). So, perhaps I will see some of you there. More details about this, and Batley History Group’s other meetings in 2025/26 can be found here.

*James Harkin, Batley’s 1st Catholic Mayor*

I also have a special thank you this month for someone who has sent me a lovely letter and some photos of James Harkin, Batley’s first Catholic mayor – one of which is included in this piece. I don’t have her contact details to thank her personally, so hopefully she will read my thank you here.

Below is the full list of pages to date. I have annotated the *NEW* posts, so you can easily pick these out. Click on the link and it will take you straight to the relevant page.

If you want to know the background, and what is involved in a one-place study, click here. Otherwise read on, to discover a wealth of parish, parishioner and wider local Batley history.

If you have enjoyed reading the various pieces, and would like to make a donation towards keeping the website up and running in its current open access format, it would be very much appreciated.

Please click 👉🏻here👈🏻 be taken to the PayPal donation link. By making a donation you will be helping to keep the website online and freely available for all.

Thank you.

I can be contacted at: pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

1. About my St Mary of the Angels Catholic Church War Memorial One-Place Study;

Batley’s Public Buildings and Institutions
2. Batley Hospital: The First 50 Years – 1878 to 1928
3. The Early History of Batley’s Public Baths

Biographies: Men Associated with St Mary’s Who Died but Who Are Not on the Memorial
8. Thomas Gannon
9. Reginald Roberts
10. William Frederick Townsend

Biographies: The War Memorial Men
11. Edward Barber
12. William Barber (Memorial name spelling)
13. Herbert Booth
14. Edmund Battye
15. Dominick (aka George) Brannan
16. Michael Brannan
17. John Brooks
18. Michael Cafferty
19. Patrick Cafferty
20. John William Callaghan
21. Lawrence Carney
22. Martin Carney
23. Thomas William Chappell
24. William Colbeck
25. Michael Cunningham
26. Thomas Curley
27. Peter Doherty
28. Thomas Dolan
29. Thomas Donlan
30. John W. Enright
31. Mathew Farrer
32. Thomas Finneran
33. Michael Flynn
34. Thomas Foley D.C.M.
35. Martin Gallagher
36. James Garner
37. Harold Gaunt
38. James Gavaghan
39. Peter Gavaghan
40. Thomas Gavaghan
41. Henry Groark
42. James Groark
43. Michael Groark (also known as Rourke)
44. James Griffin
45. William Hargreaves
46. Michael Hopkins
47. Patrick Hopkins
48. Michael Horan
49. James Hughes
50. Lawrence Judge
51. John Leech
52. Michael Lydon
53. John Thomas Lynch
54. Patrick Lyons
William McManus – See William Townsend below
55. Thomas McNamara
56. Clement Manning
57. Patrick Naifsey
58. Austin Nolan
59. Robert Randerson
60. James Rush
61. Moses Stubley
62. William Townsend, also known as McManus
63. James Trainor
64. Richard Carroll Walsh
65. Arthur William Bayldon Woodhead

Biographies: Those who Served and Survived (this includes a list of those identified to date and who will later have dedicated biographical pages)
65. Patrick Cassidy
67. James Delaney
68. Thomas Donlan (senior)
69. Thomas Gannon
70. Michael Rush

Burials, Cemeteries, Headstones and MIs
71. Cemetery and Memorial Details
72. War Memorial Chronology of Deaths .

Guest Contributions
305. Memories of Skelsey Row – by Brian Foley

Maps and Photographs
306. A Description of the Parish Boundaries
307. Aerial View of St Mary’s Church and the Surrounding Streets
308. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1894
309. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1907
310. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1922
311. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1933

Miscellany of Information
312. A Bitter-Sweet Remarriage
313. A Colliery Accident with Tragic Consequences
314. A Description of the Parish of St Mary of the Angels in 1950
315. A Grave Disturbance in Batley
316. A Part of St Mary of the Angels in Batley Cemetery
317. A “Peace” of Batley History
318. An Appeal to Ireland to Build a Catholic Church in Batley
319. A Potted Early History of the Irish in Batley, the Building of St Mary of the Angels Church, and the Parish Priest’s Fatal Accident
320. A St Mary’s Parishioner in the Holy Land
321. A St Mary’s School Sensation
322. A St Mary’s School Trip Souvenir
323. Batley’s Secret Irish Society and the Ammunition Seizure
324. Batley St Mary’s First Torchlight Procession
325. Batley St Mary’s Second Torchlight Procession
326. “Daddy’s Death and then Triplets”
327. Heritage Impact Assessment: St Mary’s Catholic Primary School and Convent, Batley
328. Hot-Cross Buns and the Yorkshire Tea-Cake Dilemma. Plus A Suggested Meal Planner for Batley Families in 1917
329. Into the Valley of Death – One of the Six Hundred
330. “I’ve Done it for Love” – A Batley Murder
331. St Mary of the Angels Catholic Church – 1929 Consecration Service
332. The Consequences of a Refusal to Work in 1918
333. The Controversial Role Played by St Mary’s Schoolchildren in the 1907 Batley Pageant
334. The Deaths of the Smallpox Hospital Caretakers
335. The Debate Over Grave-Diggers’ Holidays
336. The Earliest Published Account of Batley St Mary’s Church and Schools
337. The Great War: A Brief Overview of What Led Britain into the War
338. The Unholy row between St Mary’s Church and the Batley and Birstall Irish Clubs
339. Thomas Ate My Rat
340. William Berry – A Beautiful Voice Stilled
341. Willie and Edward Barber – Poems

Ocupations and Employment Information
342. Occupations: Colliery Byeworker/Byeworkman/Byworker/Bye-Worker/By-Worker
343. Occupations: Confidential Clerk
344. Occupations: Lamp Cleaner
345. Occupations: Limelight Operator
346. Occupations: Mason’s Labourer
347. Occupations: Office Boy/Girl
348. Occupations: Piecer/Piecener
349. Occupations: Rag Grinder
350. Occupations: Willeyer

The Families
395. A Death in the Church
396. St Mary’s Schoolboys Wreak Havoc in a Batley Graveyard

The May Queens of Batley St Mary of the Angels
397. 1922 May Queen: Phyllis Doyle
398. 1923 May Queen: Katherine Phillips
399 1925 May Queen: Agnes Judge
400. 1929 May Queen: Mary Collins
401. 1931 May Queen Ceremony: Theresa Judge
402. 1932 May Queen Ceremony: Agnes Kilgallon
403. 1933 May Queen Ceremony: Winnie Colleran
404. 1939 May Queen Ceremony: Kathleen Gooder
405. 1940 May Queen Ceremony: Sheila Rowan
406. 1941 May Queen Ceremony
407. 1950 May Queen Ceremony: Catherine Heaps
408. 1951 May Queen Ceremony: Mary Harkin

World War Two
409. World War Two Chronology of Deaths
410. Thomas Egan
411. Michael Flatley
412. Frank Higgins
413. Edward Lynch
414. William Smith
415. Bernard Stenchion

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Posted in 19th Century, 20th Century, Ancestry, Batley, Birstall, Catholic, County Mayo, Family History, Great War, History, Home Front, Ireland, Local History, Occupations, One-Place Study, Remembrance, Roll of Honour, Schools, St Mary's RC Church, The Great War, War Memorial, WW1, WW2, Yorkshire

Tagged 19th Century, 20th Century, Ancestry, Batley, Catholic, County Mayo, family history, genealogy, History, Local History, Occupations, One-Place Study, Parish History, Schools, War Memorial, WW1, WW2, Yorkshire

St Mary of the Angels, Batley: One-Place Study Update – 1 to 30 September 2025 Additions

Posted on October 1, 2025 | Leave a comment

During September 2025 four new posts were added to the Batley St Mary of the Angels One-Place Study, bringing the total number of posts to 414.

One of the new posts was the parish history snippets piece for September 2025. These snippets cover a variety of events and people from the parish from years gone by, and can be found in the Bulletin for Batley St Mary of the Angels and Birstall St Patrick section. Even if you have seen them on the Bulletin, it is worth checking them here as some have links to more detailed pieces I have written.

There are is also a new biography of a parishioner killed whilst serving in the Second World War in the World War Two section.

The final two pieces this month can be found in the Miscellany of Information section, both are thought-provoking for entirely different reasons. One is a chilling tale from the end of the 19th century, about the last man to be executed for murder in Batley. The other is far more uplifting, being about the parish’s second torchlight procession in 1952 and its links to worldwide peace

Below is the full list of pages to date. I have annotated the *NEW* posts, so you can easily pick these out. Click on the link and it will take you straight to the relevant page.

If you want to know the background, and what is involved in a one-place study, click here. Otherwise read on, to discover a wealth of parish, parishioner and wider local Batley history.

If you have enjoyed reading the various pieces, and would like to make a donation towards keeping the website up and running in its current open access format, it would be very much appreciated.

Please click 👉🏻here👈🏻 be taken to the PayPal donation link. By making a donation you will be helping to keep the website online and freely available for all.

Thank you.

I can be contacted at: pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

1. About my St Mary of the Angels Catholic Church War Memorial One-Place Study;

Batley’s Public Buildings and Institutions
2. Batley Hospital: The First 50 Years – 1878 to 1928
3. The Early History of Batley’s Public Baths

Biographies: Men Associated with St Mary’s Who Died but Who Are Not on the Memorial
8. Thomas Gannon
9. Reginald Roberts
10. William Frederick Townsend

Biographies: The War Memorial Men
11. Edward Barber
12. William Barber (Memorial name spelling)
13. Herbert Booth
14. Edmund Battye
15. Dominick (aka George) Brannan
16. Michael Brannan
17. John Brooks
18. Michael Cafferty
19. Patrick Cafferty
20. John William Callaghan
21. Lawrence Carney
22. Martin Carney
23. Thomas William Chappell
24. William Colbeck
25. Michael Cunningham
26. Thomas Curley
27. Peter Doherty
28. Thomas Dolan
29. Thomas Donlan
30. John W. Enright
31. Mathew Farrer
32. Thomas Finneran
33. Michael Flynn
34. Thomas Foley D.C.M.
35. Martin Gallagher
36. James Garner
37. Harold Gaunt
38. James Gavaghan
39. Peter Gavaghan
40. Thomas Gavaghan
41. Henry Groark
42. James Groark
43. Michael Groark (also known as Rourke)
44. James Griffin
45. William Hargreaves
46. Michael Hopkins
47. Patrick Hopkins
48. Michael Horan
49. James Hughes
50. Lawrence Judge
51. John Leech
52. Michael Lydon
53. John Thomas Lynch
54. Patrick Lyons
William McManus – See William Townsend below
55. Thomas McNamara
56. Clement Manning
57. Patrick Naifsey
58. Austin Nolan
59. Robert Randerson
60. James Rush
61. Moses Stubley
62. William Townsend, also known as McManus
63. James Trainor
64. Richard Carroll Walsh
65. Arthur William Bayldon Woodhead

Burials, Cemeteries, Headstones and MIs
71. Cemetery and Memorial Details
72. War Memorial Chronology of Deaths .

Guest Contributions
305. Memories of Skelsey Row – by Brian Foley

Miscellany of Information
312. A Bitter-Sweet Remarriage
313. A Colliery Accident with Tragic Consequences
314. A Description of the Parish of St Mary of the Angels in 1950
315. A Grave Disturbance in Batley
316. A Part of St Mary of the Angels in Batley Cemetery
317. A “Peace” of Batley History
318. An Appeal to Ireland to Build a Catholic Church in Batley
319. A Potted Early History of the Irish in Batley, the Building of St Mary of the Angels Church, and the Parish Priest’s Fatal Accident
320. A St Mary’s Parishioner in the Holy Land
321. A St Mary’s School Sensation
322. A St Mary’s School Trip Souvenir
323. Batley’s Secret Irish Society and the Ammunition Seizure
324. Batley St Mary’s First Torchlight Procession
325. Batley St Mary’s Second Torchlight Procession *NEW*
326. “Daddy’s Death and then Triplets”
327. Heritage Impact Assessment: St Mary’s Catholic Primary School and Convent, Batley
328. Hot-Cross Buns and the Yorkshire Tea-Cake Dilemma. Plus A Suggested Meal Planner for Batley Families in 1917
329. Into the Valley of Death – One of the Six Hundred
330. “I’ve Done it for Love” – A Batley Murder *NEW*
331. St Mary of the Angels Catholic Church – 1929 Consecration Service
332. The Consequences of a Refusal to Work in 1918
333. The Controversial Role Played by St Mary’s Schoolchildren in the 1907 Batley Pageant
334. The Deaths of the Smallpox Hospital Caretakers
335. The Debate Over Grave-Diggers’ Holidays
336. The Earliest Published Account of Batley St Mary’s Church and Schools
337. The Great War: A Brief Overview of What Led Britain into the War
338. The Unholy row between St Mary’s Church and the Batley and Birstall Irish Clubs
339. Thomas Ate My Rat
340. William Berry – A Beautiful Voice Stilled
341. Willie and Edward Barber – Poems

The Families
394. A Death in the Church
395. St Mary’s Schoolboys Wreak Havoc in a Batley Graveyard

The May Queens of Batley St Mary of the Angels
396. 1922 May Queen: Phyllis Doyle
397. 1923 May Queen: Katherine Phillips
398 1925 May Queen: Agnes Judge
399. 1929 May Queen: Mary Collins
400. 1931 May Queen Ceremony: Theresa Judge
401. 1932 May Queen Ceremony: Agnes Kilgallon
402. 1933 May Queen Ceremony: Winnie Colleran
403. 1939 May Queen Ceremony: Kathleen Gooder
404. 1940 May Queen Ceremony: Sheila Rowan
405. 1941 May Queen Ceremony
406. 1950 May Queen Ceremony: Catherine Heaps
407. 1951 May Queen Ceremony: Mary Harkin

World War Two
408. World War Two Chronology of Deaths
409. Thomas Egan
410. Michael Flatley
411. Frank Higgins *NEW*
412. Edward Lynch
413. William Smith
414. Bernard Stenchion

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Posted in Family History

St Mary of the Angels, Batley: One-Place Study Update – 1 to 31 August 2025 Additions

Posted on September 1, 2025 | Leave a comment

Due to illness I was unable to work on the Batley St Mary of the Angels One-Place Study during June and July. It also meant my Batley History Group talk about the early history of the parish and the Irish in Batley had to be postponed. It has been rescheduled for 24 November 2025.

Thankfully in August I was well enough to resume working, albeit gradually, with six new St Mary’s posts added, bringing the total number of posts to 410. Two more have been updated.

These include three parish history snippets posts, which cover a variety of events and people from the parish from years gone by. These can be found in the Bulletin for Batley St Mary of the Angels and Birstall St Patrick section. Even if you have seen them on the Bulletin, it is worth checking them here as some have links to more detailed pieces I have written.

There are also three posts in the and May Queens of Batley St Mary of the Angels section, and the list of May Queens – now covering 12 years – has been accordingly updated. If anyone does have any more information or photographs about the parish May Queens please do let me know. My email address is later in this piece, or just let me know after Sunday mass.

I also identified more parishioners who died serving in World War Two. Their names have been added to the Chronology of Deaths list , and this can be found in the World War Two section.

Below is the full list of pages to date. I have annotated the *NEW* and *UPDATED* ones, so you can easily pick these out. Click on the link and it will take you straight to the relevant page.

If you want to know the background, and what is involved in a one-place study, click here. Otherwise read on, to discover a wealth of parish, parishioner and wider local Batley history.

If you have enjoyed reading the various pieces, and would like to make a donation towards keeping the website up and running in its current open access format, it would be very much appreciated.

Please click 👉🏻 here 👈🏻 to be taken to the PayPal donation link. By making a donation you will be helping to keep the website online and freely available for all.

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1. About my St Mary of the Angels Catholic Church War Memorial One-Place Study;

Batley’s Public Buildings and Institutions
2. Batley Hospital: The First 50 Years – 1878 to 1928
3. The Early History of Batley’s Public Baths

Biographies: Men Associated with St Mary’s Who Died but Who Are Not on the Memorial
8. Thomas Gannon
9. Reginald Roberts
10. William Frederick Townsend

Biographies: The War Memorial Men
11. Edward Barber
12. William Barber (Memorial name spelling)
13. Herbert Booth
14. Edmund Battye
15. Dominick (aka George) Brannan
16. Michael Brannan
17. John Brooks
18. Michael Cafferty
19. Patrick Cafferty
20. John William Callaghan
21. Lawrence Carney
22. Martin Carney
23. Thomas William Chappell
24. William Colbeck
25. Michael Cunningham
26. Thomas Curley
27. Peter Doherty
28. Thomas Dolan
29. Thomas Donlan
30. John W. Enright
31. Mathew Farrer
32. Thomas Finneran
33. Michael Flynn
34. Thomas Foley D.C.M.
35. Martin Gallagher
36. James Garner
37. Harold Gaunt
38. James Gavaghan
39. Peter Gavaghan
40. Thomas Gavaghan
41. Henry Groark
42. James Groark
43. Michael Groark (also known as Rourke)
44. James Griffin
45. William Hargreaves
46. Michael Hopkins
47. Patrick Hopkins
48. Michael Horan
49. James Hughes
50. Lawrence Judge
51. John Leech
52. Michael Lydon
53. John Thomas Lynch
54. Patrick Lyons
William McManus – See William Townsend below
55. Thomas McNamara
56. Clement Manning
57. Patrick Naifsey
58. Austin Nolan
59. Robert Randerson
60. James Rush
61. Moses Stubley
62. William Townsend, also known as McManus
63. James Trainor
64. Richard Carroll Walsh
65. Arthur William Bayldon Woodhead

Burials, Cemeteries, Headstones and MIs
71. Cemetery and Memorial Details
72. War Memorial Chronology of Deaths .

Guest Contributions
305. Memories of Skelsey Row – by Brian Foley

Miscellany of Information
312. A Bitter-Sweet Remarriage
313. A Colliery Accident with Tragic Consequences
314. A Description of the Parish of St Mary of the Angels in 1950
315. A Grave Disturbance in Batley
316. A Part of St Mary of the Angels in Batley Cemetery
317. A “Peace” of Batley History
318. An Appeal to Ireland to Build a Catholic Church in Batley
319. A Potted Early History of the Irish in Batley, the Building of St Mary of the Angels Church, and the Parish Priest’s Fatal Accident
320. A St Mary’s Parishioner in the Holy Land
321. A St Mary’s School Sensation
322. A St Mary’s School Trip Souvenir
323. Batley’s Secret Irish Society and the Ammunition Seizure
324. Batley St Mary’s First Torchlight Procession
325. “Daddy’s Death and then Triplets”
326. Heritage Impact Assessment: St Mary’s Catholic Primary School and Convent, Batley
327. Hot-Cross Buns and the Yorkshire Tea-Cake Dilemma. Plus A Suggested Meal Planner for Batley Families in 1917
328. Into the Valley of Death – One of the Six Hundred
329. St Mary of the Angels Catholic Church – 1929 Consecration Service
330. The Consequences of a Refusal to Work in 1918
331. The Controversial Role Played by St Mary’s Schoolchildren in the 1907 Batley Pageant
332. The Deaths of the Smallpox Hospital Caretakers
333. The Debate Over Grave-Diggers’ Holidays
334. The Earliest Published Account of Batley St Mary’s Church and Schools
335. The Great War: A Brief Overview of What Led Britain into the War
336. The Unholy row between St Mary’s Church and the Batley and Birstall Irish Clubs
337. Thomas Ate My Rat
338. William Berry – A Beautiful Voice Stilled
339. Willie and Edward Barber – Poems

Occupations and Employment Information
340. Occupations: Colliery Byeworker/Byeworkman/Byworker/Bye-Worker/By-Worker
341. Occupations: Confidential Clerk
342. Occupations: Lamp Cleaner
343. Occupations: Limelight Operator
344. Occupations: Mason’s Labourer
345. Occupations: Office Boy/Girl
346. Occupations: Piecer/Piecener
347. Occupations: Rag Grinder
348. Occupations: Willeyer

The Families
391. A Death in the Church
392. St Mary’s Schoolboys Wreak Havoc in a Batley Graveyard

The May Queens of Batley St Mary of the Angels *UPDATED*
393. 1922 May Queen: Phyllis Doyle
394. 1923 May Queen: Katherine Phillips
395. 1925 May Queen: Agnes Judge *NEW*
396. 1929 May Queen: Mary Collins *NEW*
397. 1931 May Queen Ceremony: Theresa Judge
398. 1932 May Queen Ceremony: Agnes Kilgallon
399. 1933 May Queen Ceremony: Winnie Colleran
400. 1939 May Queen Ceremony: Kathleen Gooder
401. 1940 May Queen Ceremony: Sheila Rowan
402. 1941 May Queen Ceremony
403. 1950 May Queen Ceremony: Catherine Heaps
404. 1951 May Queen Ceremony: Mary Harkin *NEW*

World War Two
405. World War Two Chronology of Deaths *UPDATED*
406. Thomas Egan
407. Michael Flatley
408. Edward Lynch
409. William Smith
410. Bernard Stenchion

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