St. Mary of the Angels, Batley: One-Place Study Update – 1 to 30 April 2026 Additions

April has been an insanely busy month for the Batley St. Mary of the Angels One-Place Study, with the introduction of a new history topic, and a record 12 posts added, with a further three being updated. It brings the total number of posts to 442.

The first new post is the parish history snippets piece for April 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.

The second new post is one in the Miscellany of Information section. It is one I have been working on for several months. I discovered a list of women who were invited to tea by the Mayor in 1915. They were the wives or widows of men serving in the military, or widowed dependent mothers of those men. Organised by location, because the list covered the whole Borough of Batley, I have spent ages trying to work out which ones were St. Mary’s parishioners. I have highlighted these in bold in the post, but I have retained the names of all the women invited. It is a fantastic piece of history because it covers women on the Home Front, who are often overlooked. It is also a way to identify men who served and survived, and – as I have also found – men who died but were not commemorated on the church or even town War Memorial, because the families had moved.

This leads on to the three updated posts – Cemetery and Memorial Deaths, War Memorial Chronology of Deaths, and Biographies: Men Associated with St Mary’s Who Died but Who Are Not on the Memorial.

But the big news for April is I am immensely grateful to have received a large donation of St. Mary’s school photographs. The exact years are unknown, and the children are unidentified, as is the case with people on many older photographs. I think it is sad, seeing rows of faces, but with no idea who they are. I always wonder if they might possibly be related to my family, and I know this is something many others wonder too. They also bring back memories, and get people talking. So I’ve added a School Photos subject area, and over the course of the coming weeks and months I will be adding them here in the hope that people may recognise themselves, or relatives, and be able to put names to faces. In turn, I will add those names to the posts so there is a permanent record. The response has been amazing in the short time since the, so far, 10 photographs have been uploaded. Many children and teachers have been identified, and their names are now included. But if you can help with the others, or the ones I add in future, please let me know. I do share them on Facebook, so commenting on those posts is an option. Or you can always contact me, details of how are at the end of this post.

Below is the full list of all the one-place study pieces 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 received, including one in April, 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 and writing it up which can be around 20-30 hours a month, purchasing resources and documents, visiting archives, right down to website hosting costs (which given the number of photos I include does add up). In the current difficult economic climate I do have to consider if I can afford to continue running it as a free resource, especially given this reduces the amount of time I devote to client work.

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
8. Thomas Gannon

9. Michael Howley
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)
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 *UPDATED*
75. War Memorial Chronology of Deaths *UPDATED*

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

In the Spotlight: Am Dram, Opera and Concerts
309. 1901 – St. Mary’s Schools’ St. Patrick’s Day Concert
310. 1952 – The Bohemian Girl, St. Mary’s Schoolboys

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

Miscellany of Information
317. A Tale of Three Pigs, a Headstone and The Longest-Lived Parishioner
318. A Bitter-Sweet Remarriage
319. A Colliery Accident with Tragic Consequences
320. A Description of the Parish of St Mary of the Angels in 1950
321. A Grave Disturbance in Batley
322. A Part of St Mary of the Angels in Batley Cemetery
323. A “Peace” of Batley History
324. An Appeal to Ireland to Build a Catholic Church in Batley
325. 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
326. A St Mary’s Parishioner in the Holy Land
327. A St Mary’s School Sensation
328. A St Mary’s School Trip Souvenir
329. Batley’s Secret Irish Society and the Ammunition Seizure
330. Batley St Mary’s First Torchlight Procession
331. Batley St Mary’s Second Torchlight Procession
332. Buffalo Bill and A Right Royal Celebration for Batley’s Schoolchildren
333. “Daddy’s Death and then Triplets”
334. Heritage Impact Assessment: St Mary’s Catholic Primary School and Convent, Batley
335. Hot-Cross Buns and the Yorkshire Tea-Cake Dilemma. Plus A Suggested Meal Planner for Batley Families in 1917
336. Into the Valley of Death – One of the Six Hundred
337. Is Your Female Ancestor Amongst Those Invited to the 1915 Event for Wives and Mothers?
338. “I’ve Done it for Love” – A Batley Murder
339. St Mary of the Angels Catholic Church – 1929 Consecration Service
340. The Consequences of a Refusal to Work in 1918
341. The Controversial Role Played by St Mary’s Schoolchildren in the 1907 Batley Pageant
342. The Deaths of the Smallpox Hospital Caretakers
343. The Debate Over Grave-Diggers’ Holidays
344. The Earliest Published Account of Batley St Mary’s Church and Schools
345. The Great War: A Brief Overview of What Led Britain into the War
346. The Horrific Death of Little Mary Leach *NEW*
347. The Unholy row between St Mary’s Church and the Batley and Birstall Irish Clubs
348. Thomas Ate My Rat
349. William Berry – A Beautiful Voice Stilled
350. Willie and Edward Barber – Poems

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

School Photos *NEW*
384. Photo No1 *NEW*
385. Photo No2 *NEW*
386. Photo No3 *NEW*
387. Photo No4 *NEW*
388. Photo No5 *NEW*
389. Photo No6 *NEW*
390. Photo No7 *NEW*
391. Photo No8 *NEW*
392. Photo No9 *NEW*
393. Photo No10 *NEW*

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

The May Queens of Batley St Mary of the Angels
422. 1922 May Queen: Phyllis Doyle
423 1923 May Queen: Katherine Phillips
424. 1925 May Queen: Agnes Judge
425. 1929 May Queen: Mary Collins
426. 1931 May Queen Ceremony: Theresa Judge
427. 1932 May Queen Ceremony: Agnes Kilgallon
428. 1933 May Queen Ceremony: Winnie Colleran
429. 1939 May Queen Ceremony: Kathleen Gooder
430. 1940 May Queen Ceremony: Sheila Rowan
431. 1941 May Queen Ceremony
432. 1950 May Queen Ceremony: Catherine Heaps
433. 1951 May Queen Ceremony: Mary Harkin
434. 1952 May Queen Ceremony: Patricia Anne Cain
435. 1953 May Queen Ceremony: Mary O’Connor

World War Two
436. World War Two Chronology of Deaths
437. Thomas Egan
438. Michael Flatley
439. Frank Higgins
440. Edward Lynch
441. William Smith
442. Bernard Stenchion

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St. Mary of the Angels, Batley: One-Place Study Update – 1 to 30 April 2026 Additions

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