June | 2026 | Past To Present Genealogy

May has seen the Batley St. Mary of the Angels One-Place Study surpass the 450 post mark, with the addition of 14 new ones this month and plenty of accompanying photographs, which I know are proving to be of great interest. Two other posts have been updated. In fact, by the end of the month the total number of posts stands at 456.

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

Two posts have been added to the In the Spotlight: Am Dram, Opera and Concerts section. A cast photo from one of these productions is on the left.

The May Queen section has been updated, and a new post added about the 1949 ceremony, the first date the end of the Second World War.

And finally for this month a further 10 photos have been added to the School Photos section. The overarching subject post has been updated too. Through sharing on Facebook, these photos are bringing back memories, getting people talking and many of the children and teachers have been identified. But if you can help with the others do get in touch, either by commenting on the Facebook pages I’ve uploaded them to (predominantly Batley Photos Old and New and the St Mary’s (Batley) Former Pupils site. 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 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.

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.

Thank you.

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)
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

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
311. The St Mary’s Amateur Operatic Society 1950 Production of The Gondoliers *NEW*
312. The 1951 St Mary’s School Production of Maritana for Fr. O’Brien *NEW*

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

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

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

School Photos *UPDATED*
386. Photo No1
387. Photo No2
388. Photo No3
389. Photo No4
390. Photo No5
391. Photo No6
392. Photo No7
393. Photo No8
394. Photo No9
395. Photo No10
396. Photo No11 *NEW*
397. Photo No12 *NEW*
398. Photo No13 *NEW*
399. Photo No14 *NEW*
400. Photo No15 *NEW*
401. Photo No16 *NEW*
402. Photo No17 *NEW*
403. Photo No18 *NEW*
404. Photo No19 *NEW*
405. Photo No20 *NEW*

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

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Monthly Archives: June 2026

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

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