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

The Batley St. Mary’s one-place study hit a major milestone In October 2026. With the addition of nine new posts for the month, the total number of posts now in the study has surpassed the 500 mark. Given the parish celebrated a major anniversary in October 2026, it seems fitting that the 500th post was in this month. Two other posts were updated.

Monday 05 October 2026 marked the 75th anniversary since the start of the St. Mary’s Torchlight Procession. So one of the new posts is about the third Torchlight Procession which took place on Monday 05 October 1953. A photo of some of the children participating in that 1953 procession is on the left. The full piece can be found in the Miscellany of Information section, as can pieces I have written previously about the 1951 and 1952 events.

I added three more posts to the In the Spotlight Section, all about the various amateur dramatic productions in the parish – one is from the 1920s, another from the 1930s and the third is from the 1950s. They include names of many who took part, as well as some photographs too – some people are still alive today. But if you have other photos, the would be much appreciated. One of the updated posts is the overall section header, which includes details of, and links to, all the posts to date in the section.

As promised last month I am back adding more school photos, with four being posted this month. The overarching subject post explaining the background and with links to them all has also been updated. Through sharing on Facebook, these photos are bringing back memories, getting people talking and many of those on them have been identified. But if you can help with the others do get in tough, either by commenting on the Facebook pages I have uploaded them to (predominantly Batley Photos Old and New and the St Mary’s (Batley) Former Pupils sites. Or you can always contact me, details of how are at the end of this post.

The final new post for October was the parish history snippets piece for Ocober 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’s 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 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 which have kept this website going over recent years. They really and truly have helped, and I am incredibly grateful for that support. Thank you.

The website has always been free to use, and if at all possible I want to continue this policy going forward. 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 pushes those up. It is something I have to consider going forward, given the tough economic climate and an impending unexpected downturn in family finances later this year.

If my website has helped with your family history research, or if you have simply enjoyed reading the various pieces and looking at these photos, please do consider making a donation towards keeping it up and running. No matter how small it really does help and it may make the difference in enabling me to keep everything online in this format.

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

Another way to help is you might want to consider commissioning me to undertake some research for you. My day job is as a self-employed professionally qualified genealogist and house historian. You can find me on the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (AGRA) pages. So, 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 the parish history, or related photos (I cannot emphasise enough how difficult sourcing photos is), please do get in touch. This includes for any of the pieces I have already written.

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. William Kelly
55. John Leech
56. Michael Lydon
57. John Thomas Lynch
58. Patrick Lyons
William McManus – See William Townsend below
59. Thomas McNamara
60. Clement Manning
61. Patrick Naifsey
62. Austin Nolan
63. Robert Randerson
64. James Rush
65. Moses Stubley
66. William Townsend, also known as McManus
67. James Trainor
68. Richard Carroll Walsh
69. 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)
70. Patrick Cassidy
71. James Delaney
72. Thomas Donlan (senior)
73. Thomas Gannon
74. Michael Rush

Burials, Cemeteries, Headstones and MIs
75. Cemetery and Memorial Details
76. War Memorial Chronology of Deaths

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

In the Spotlight: Am Dram, Opera and Concerts *UPDATED*
310.1901 – St. Mary’s Schools’ St. Patrick’s Day Concert
311. 1929 – “The Bohemian Girl” by St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church Choir *NEW*
312. 1930 – “The “Gondoliers” by St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church Choir
313. 1931 – “The Lily of Killarney” by St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church Choir *NEW*
314. 1946 – “The Bohemian Girl” by St. Mary’s Amateur Operatic Society, Produced by Anthony “Tom” Farrar
315. 1947 – “The Grand Duchess” by St. Mary’s Amateur Operatic Society
316. 1947 – “The Grand Duchess” by St. Mary’s Amateur Operatic Society
317.1948 – St. Mary’s Amateur Operatic Society Presents “Our Miss Gibbs”
318.1952 – The Bohemian Girl, St. Mary’s Schoolboys
319. The St Mary’s Amateur Operatic Society 1950 Production of The Gondoliers
320.The 1951 St Mary’s School Production of Maritana for Fr. O’Brien
321. 1959 – St. Mary’s Amateur Operatic Society Production of Cinderella *NEW*

Maps and Photographs
322. A Description of the Parish Boundaries
323. Aerial View of St Mary’s Church and the Surrounding Streets
324. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1894
325. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1907
326. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1922
327. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1933

Miscellany of Information
328. 1953 – The Third Torchlight Procession *NEW*
329. A Tale of Three Pigs, a Headstone and The Longest-Lived Parishioner
330. A Bitter-Sweet Remarriage
331. A Colliery Accident with Tragic Consequences
332. A Description of the Parish of St Mary of the Angels in 1950
333. A Grave Disturbance in Batley
334. A Part of St Mary of the Angels in Batley Cemetery
335. A “Peace” of Batley History
336. An Appeal to Ireland to Build a Catholic Church in Batley
337. 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
338. A St Mary’s Parishioner in the Holy Land
339. A St Mary’s School Sensation
340. A St Mary’s School Trip Souvenir
341. Batley’s Secret Irish Society and the Ammunition Seizure
342. Batley St Mary’s First Torchlight Procession
343. Batley St Mary’s Second Torchlight Procession
344. Buffalo Bill and A Right Royal Celebration for Batley’s Schoolchildren
345. “Daddy’s Death and then Triplets”
346. Heritage Impact Assessment: St Mary’s Catholic Primary School and Convent, Batley
347. Hot-Cross Buns and the Yorkshire Tea-Cake Dilemma. Plus A Suggested Meal Planner for Batley Families in 1917
348. Into the Valley of Death – One of the Six Hundred
349. Is Your Female Ancestor Amongst Those Invited to the 1915 Event for Wives and Mothers?
350. “I’ve Done it for Love” – A Batley Murder
351. St Mary of the Angels Catholic Church – 1929 Consecration Service
352. The Building of the Parochial Hall
353. The Consequences of a Refusal to Work in 1918
354. The Controversial Role Played by St Mary’s Schoolchildren in the 1907 Batley Pageant
355. The Deaths of the Smallpox Hospital Caretakers
356. The Debate Over Grave-Diggers’ Holidays
357. The Earliest Published Account of Batley St Mary’s Church and Schools
358. The Great War: A Brief Overview of What Led Britain into the War
359. The Horrific Death of Little Mary Leach
360. The Unholy row between St Mary’s Church and the Batley and Birstall Irish Clubs
361. Thomas Ate My Rat
362. William Berry – A Beautiful Voice Stilled
363. Willie and Edward Barber – Poems

Occupations and Employment Information
364. Occupations: Colliery Byeworker/Byeworkman/Byworker/Bye-Worker/By-Worker
365. Occupations: Confidential Clerk
366. Occupations: Lamp Cleaner
367. Occupations: Limelight Operator
368. Occupations: Mason’s Labourer
369. Occupations: Office Boy/Girl
370. Occupations: Piecer/Piecener
371. Occupations: Rag Grinder
372. Occupations: Willeyer

School Photos -*UDPATED*
397. Photo No1
398. Photo No2
399. Photo No3
400. Photo No4
401. Photo No5
402. Photo No6
403. Photo No7
404. Photo No8
405. Photo No9
406. Photo No10
407. Photo No11
408. Photo No12
409. Photo No13
410. Photo No14
411. Photo No15
412. Photo No16
413. Photo No17
414. Photo No18
415. Photo No19
416. Photo No20
417. Photo No21
418. Photo No22
419. Photo No23
420. Photo No24
421. Photo No25
422. Photo No26
423. Photo No27
424. Photo No28
425. Photo No29
426. Photo No30
427. Photo No31
428. Photo No32
429. Photo No33
430. Photo No34
431. Photo No35
432. Photo No36
433. Photo No37
434. Photo No38
435. Photo No39
436. Photo No40
437. Photo No41*NEW*
438. Photo No42 *NEW*
439. Photo No43 *NEW*
440. Photo No44 *NEW*

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

	Friday’s Famil… on Why Family Historians are Exci…
	D C Howard on Tripe Tales – Food …
	pasttopresentgenealo… on A Short Life Remembered: Death…
	Diane . on A Short Life Remembered: Death…
	pasttopresentgenealo… on Online Talk in April: Brontë C…

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

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories

Meta

Copyright

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

Share this:

Related

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories

Meta