Category Archives: Family History

St Mary of the Angels, Batley: One-Place Study Update – 1 to 28 February 2025 Additions

Posted on March 1, 2025 | Leave a comment

The number of posts in the Batley St Mary of the Angels One-Place Study creeps ever-closer to the 400 mark. The three new posts added in February 2025 brings it up to 386. One of those posts is a result of my February visit to the Leeds Diocesan Archives, and hopefully in the coming months more pieces will follow on from my finds that day. Two other posts were updated.

Below is the complete list of all the St Mary’s posts published up to the end of February 2025, including links to them, with those new and updated posts signposted so you can easily locate them.

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.

The first piece arising from my Diocesan Archives visit is a description of the parish boundaries given by Fr, Lea in 1918. It is interesting because of the changes which have taken place in the intervening period, with streets appearing, and other landmarks vanishing.

The second piece is about the deaths of the husband and wife Smallpox Hospital caretakers within days of each over the Christmas/New Year period of 1921/22. Again there is additional interest here for people who might remember the old Smallpox Hospital, and the separate Infectious Diseases Hospital which later became Oakwell Geriatric Hospital.

The final addition is in the Bulletin for Batley St Mary of the Angels and Birstall St Patrick section. It is the piece covering the parish history snippets included in the parish bulletins during February 2025. There are some additional links here to fuller pieces I’ve written about some of these snippets.

As for the two updated pieces, one details more parishioners who served in, and survived, the First World War. The other is an update to A St Mary’s Parishioner in the Holy Land, which covers a physical attack he sustained whilst there.

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.

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👈🏻 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.

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. 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. Thomas Gavaghan
40. Henry Groark
41. James Groark
42. Michael Groark (also known as Rourke)
43. James Griffin
44. William Hargreaves
45. Michael Hopkins
46. Patrick Hopkins
47. Michael Horan
48. James Hughes
49. Lawrence Judge
50. John Leech
51. Michael Lydon
52. Patrick Lyons
William McManus – See William Townsend below
53. Thomas McNamara
54. Clement Manning
55. Patrick Naifsey
56. Austin Nolan
57. Robert Randerson
58. James Rush
59. Moses Stubley
60. William Townsend, also known as McManus
61. James Trainor
62. Richard Carroll Walsh
63. 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*
64. Patrick Cassidy
65. James Delaney
66. Thomas Donlan (senior)
67. Thomas Gannon
68. Michael Rush

Burials, Cemeteries, Headstones and MIs
69. Cemetery and Memorial Details
70. War Memorial Chronology of Deaths .

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

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

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

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

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

World War Two
383. World War Two Chronology of Deaths
384. Thomas Egan
385. Michael Flatley
386. William Smith

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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, Great War, History, Home Front, Ireland, Local History, Occupations, One-Place Study, St Mary's, The Great War, War Memorial, WW1, WW2, Yorkshire

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

Posted on February 1, 2025 | Leave a comment

2025 got off to a great start for the Batley St Mary of the Angels One-Place Study, with the addition of five posts which cover a varied mix of the history of the parish and its people. It brings the total number of posts to 383. One other post was updated.

Below is the complete list of all the St Mary’s posts published up to the end of January 2025, including links to them, with those new and updated posts signposted so you can easily locate them.

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.

Two new War Memorial biographies were added, those of Harold Gaunt and Thomas Dolan. The former covers a lesser known aspect of military service. The latter includes some cherished photos, used with the family’s permission. I also identified more parishioners who served in, and survived, the First World War. That list has been updated.

The Bulletin for Batley St Mary of the Angels and Birstall St Patrick section, has one addition. This is the piece covering the parish history snippets which were included in the parish bulletins during January 2025 – one of which may be rather surprising but reflects commonly held initial world attitudes to someone who turned out to be a monster.

It also links to the one of the two new posts in the Miscellany of Information section. One is about a former parishioner who played an unexpected and significant role, bringing him into contact with people across the world. The other post is a topic I never thought would be covered in the St Mary’s One-Place Study. Given this month, on the 27 January, we commemorated World Holocaust Day and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration camp complex, it serves as a timely and important reminder.

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 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.

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 *NEW*
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 *NEW*
38. James Gavaghan
39. Thomas Gavaghan
40. Henry Groark
41. James Groark
42. Michael Groark (also known as Rourke)
43. James Griffin
44. William Hargreaves
45. Michael Hopkins
46. Patrick Hopkins
47. Michael Horan
48. James Hughes
49. Lawrence Judge
50. John Leech
51. Michael Lydon
52. Patrick Lyons
William McManus – See William Townsend below
53. Thomas McNamara
54. Clement Manning
55. Patrick Naifsey
56. Austin Nolan
57. Robert Randerson
58. James Rush
59. Moses Stubley
60. William Townsend, also known as McManus
61. James Trainor
62. Richard Carroll Walsh
63. Arthur William Bayldon Woodhead

Burials, Cemeteries, Headstones and MIs
69. Cemetery and Memorial Details
70. War Memorial Chronology of Deaths .

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

Maps and Photographs
304. Aerial View of St Mary’s Church and the Surrounding Streets
305. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1894
306. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1907
307. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1922
308. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1933

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

Occupations and Employment Information
334. Occupations: Colliery Byeworker/Byeworkman/Byworker/Bye-Worker/By-Worker
335. Occupations: Confidential Clerk
336. Occupations: Lamp Cleaner
337. Occupations: Limelight Operator
338. Occupations: Mason’s Labourer
339. Occupations: Office Boy/Girl
340. Occupations: Piecer/Piecener
341. Occupations: Rag Grinder
342. Occupations: Willeyer

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

World War Two
380. World War Two Chronology of Deaths
381. Thomas Egan
382. Michael Flatley
383. William Smith

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Posted in 19th Century, 20th Century, Ancestry, 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

The Complete Guide to FamilyTreeDNA

Posted on January 23, 2025 | Leave a comment

This is the book I wish I’d had nine years ago when dad and I tested with FamilyTreeDNA. It is now proving invaluable in helping me finally navigate our tests in an informed way. I’ve also been reminded about biobanking which means, even though dad died a few years ago, I can upgrade and expand his tests – and crucially know how to understand and make best use of the results.

Written by DNA expert Roberta Estes, who you may know as the author of the DNAeXplained blog, it is 247 pages packed with information to help you choose which FamilyTreeDNA test is right for you, and to ensure you get the most out of your test results. Those pages run to 11 chapters, walking you through the types of tests, who they are relevant for, along with their various associated tools.

Whenever I see a book review, I always want a run-through of the contents to see if what’s covered is of interest to me. After all, I need to make sure I’m spending my money wisely. So I’ve listed the chapters, and included the page numbers, to give an idea about what is covered, and the depth devoted to each broad topic.

Chapter 1: Types of Testing – Y-DNA, Mitochondrial DNA, Autosomal DNA, and X-DNA. Pages 6-10.
Chapter 2: Setting Yourself Up For Success. Set-up preparations to help get the most from your test. Pages 11-23.
Chapter 3: Y-DNA – Your Father’s Story. A detailed explanation of test options and goals, which shows how to use your results. Pages 24-96.
Chapter 4: Mitochondrial DNA – Your Mother’s Story. It explains the goals of this test, covers matches, what they mean and how to take those further. Pages 97-131.
Chapter 5: Autosomal DNA – The Family Finder Test. Probably the best-known test type, with matches to all family lines. Pages 132-172.
Chapter 6: X Chromosome – Described as your secret tool that’s included with Family Finder, it shows how this can be used. Pages 173-186.
Chapter 7: Ethnicity – My Origins. How this is calculated, the caveats around it, plus ethnicity chromosome painting. Pages 187-206.
Chapter 8: Advanced Matching. A useful, and often-overlooked, filtering tool. Pages 207-208.
Chapter 9: Finding, Joining and Utilizing Projects. An overview of various DNA projects, what to expect when joining one, and the benefits of getting involved. Pages 209-217.
Chapter 10: Third Party Tools. Covers Genetic Affairs and DNA Painter. Plus creating a powerful DNA Pedigree Chart to weave the various tools together. Pages 218-224.
Chapter 11: Creating Your Step-By-Step Roadmap. A useful bullet-point roadmap summary of all the various FamilyTreeDNA tests and third-party tools. Pages 225-230.
Glossary. This explains in straightforward terms the sometimes daunting vocabulary associated with DNA testing. Pages 231-247.

As you might have spotted from the above, there’s no index. This is a potential drawback, because it is less easy to home in on a specific issue. The chapters though are divided into bite-sized chunks, which are outlined in the chapter sub-headings and these sub-headings might, in some instances, act as a proxy index.

Throughout the book, there are plenty of graphics to help illustrate and explain, and there are also handy associated tip boxes.

Understanding DNA testing can be bewildering, and there is no doubt that this is a book which requires concentration. But it does help explain a complex subject, and makes it more accessible to those of us with less grounding in science.

The Complete Guide to FamilyTreeDNA is published by Genealogical Publishing Company, and is available in eBook, non-colour paperback and colour paperback formats – so there are a choice of reading options and price points.

Be aware, there are pros and cons with each.

I have the full colour paperback version of the book – something I welcome, given the number of charts and diagrams, the meaning of which might get lost in the black/white/grayscale paperback. But the colour paperback version does cost more, and price is an important consideration. Checking the Genealogical.com website, there is a free colour supplement download available for selected pages, so this could provide a workaround for the non-colour paperback. And the eBook is in full colour.

I personally prefer a physical book, as best suited to my reading and learning style. The drawback of the paperback format is the absence of footnote hyperlinks to take you directly to the DNAeXplained website references. I imagine you’d get that with the eBook version.

My edition was published in August 2024, ISBN 9780806321400. I’ve attached the Amazon link, and also the Genealogical.com link for all versions.

My conclusion. If you have invested in testing with FamilyTreeDNA, I’d say it is worth the extra outlay on this book, to make sure you’re getting the most from your results.

Full disclosure: I received a free copy of the colour printed paperback book from Genealogical.com in return for a honest review. I have expressed my truthful opinion in the above review.

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Posted in Books, DNA, Family History, FamilyTreeDNA, Genealogy, Genetic Genealogy, Review

Tagged BookReview, Books, DNA, family history, FamilyTreeDNA, genealogy, Genetic Genealogy, Review

Your Personal ‘House Through Time’ Experience

Posted on January 2, 2025 | Leave a comment

If A House Through Time has piqued your curiosity about your own home and its previous residents, why not make this the year to find out more?

I can unveil the mysteries of the history of your house, discover more about those who have also called your home theirs and the events which influenced their lives, all interwoven with tales of their triumphs, alongside sensitive handling of the more challenging times they may have faced.

I will place your home within its local history context, often integral to shaping the stories of those who lived there. Viewing your home through the lens of local, and even national, history will help you see it in an entirely fresh light, giving you a new appreciation of its place in the history of your local community.

Through my meticulous, professional research, drawing upon a wide range of sources including archive-only material, the rich and colourful tapestry of the lives of those who have left their invisible footprints in your home will be once more brought to light. As an experienced researcher, I really can breathe life into the history of your home.

Whatever the house style or era, a professionally researched and written house history is a wonderful talking point amongst family and friends. It is a fabulously unique house-warming gift to treasure. It can also be a real selling point if you do eventually wish to move on.

*Edwardian, 1930s, Victorian and older – a whole range of house ages and styles can reveal fascinating backstories*

Don’t just take my word for it. Here’s the feedback from two of my recent house history clients.

Jane has gone above and beyond in producing a written account of the history of my house. It really was like having my own personal “A House Through Time” researcher. I am amazed at what she discovered, both about the history of the house and those who lived in it. CI, UK

We finally moved in and I gifted the [house history] book to my wife. She loves it. She hasn’t read it all but now she knows the names of all the ghosts she can hear. Thanks again. BK, UK

If you want to discuss the various options about engaging me to write the history of your home, please do get in touch via email at: pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com.

This includes if you are undertaking your own house history research but live a distance from the West Riding Registry of Deeds, and would like me to undertake look-ups on your behalf there.

Alternatively, you can access me via my Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (AGRA) profile, which can be found here.

House history is just one of the research services I offer. I also undertake family and local history research, ranging from individual document look-ups and archive visits, to brick wall busting, and multi-generational family trees or full family histories. I can also be engaged as a speaker, with my list of current talks here. Contact details for all these services are as above.

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Posted in AGRA, Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (AGRA), Family History, Genealogy, House History, Local History, Professional Researcher, Talks

Tagged AGRA, Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (AGRA), family history, genealogy, House History, Local History, Professional Genealogist, Professional Reseacher, Talks

St Mary of the Angels, Batley: One-Place Study Update – 1 to 31 December 2024 Additions

Posted on January 1, 2025 | Leave a comment

The final month of the year brought seven new posts to the Batley St Mary of the Angels One-Place Study, bringing the total number to 378. In addition to the seven new posts, four more were updated.

This update contains the list of all the St Mary’s posts published up to the end of 2024, including links to them, with last month’s new and updated posts signposted so you can easily locate them.

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.

Two new War Memorial biographies were added, those of James Gavaghan and Michael Hopkins. I also updated Thomas Donlan’s biography as a result of the James Gavaghan research. I identified more parishioners who served in, and survived, the First World War. That list has been updated.

And the final additions for the year are in the During This Week newspaper section, with four new pages added covering the editions of the Batley News published December 1918. I have accordingly updated the surname index to these During This Week newspaper pieces, so you can easily identify newspaper snippets relevant to your family.

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 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.

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 Donlan *UPDATED*
29. John W. Enright
30. Mathew Farrer
31. Thomas Finneran
32. Michael Flynn
33. Thomas Foley D.C.M.
34. Martin Gallagher
35. James Garner
36. James Gavaghan *NEW*
37. Thomas Gavaghan
38. Henry Groark
39. James Groark
40. Michael Groark (also known as Rourke)
41. James Griffin
42. William Hargreaves
43. Michael Hopkins *NEW*
44. Patrick Hopkins
45. Michael Horan
46. James Hughes
47. Lawrence Judge
48. John Leech
49. Michael Lydon
50. Patrick Lyons
William McManus – See William Townsend below
51. Thomas McNamara
52. Clement Manning
53. Patrick Naifsey
54. Austin Nolan
55. Robert Randerson
56. James Rush
57. Moses Stubley
58. William Townsend, also known as McManus
59. James Trainor
60. Richard Carroll Walsh
61. 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*
62. Patrick Cassidy
63. James Delaney
64. Thomas Donlan (senior)
65. Thomas Gannon
66. Michael Rush

Burials, Cemeteries, Headstones and MIs
67. Cemetery and Memorial Details
68. War Memorial Chronology of Deaths .

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

Maps and Photographs
302. Aerial View of St Mary’s Church and the Surrounding Streets
303. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1894
304. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1907
305. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1922
306. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1933

Miscellany of Information
307. A Colliery Accident with Tragic Consequences
308. A Grave Disturbance in Batley
309. A Part of St Mary of the Angels in Batley Cemetery
310. A “Peace” of Batley History
311. An Appeal to Ireland to Build a Catholic Church in Batley
312. 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
313. A St Mary’s School Sensation
314. A St Mary’s School Trip Souvenir
315. Batley’s Secret Irish Society and the Ammunition Seizure
316. Batley St Mary’s First Torchlight Procession
317. “Daddy’s Death and then Triplets”
318. Heritage Impact Assessment: St Mary’s Catholic Primary School and Convent, Batley
319. Hot-Cross Buns and the Yorkshire Tea-Cake Dilemma. Plus A Suggested Meal Planner for Batley Families in 1917
320. Into the Valley of Death – One of the Six Hundred
321. St Mary of the Angels Catholic Church – 1929 Consecration Service
322. The Consequences of a Refusal to Work in 1918
323. The Controversial Role Played by St Mary’s Schoolchildren in the 1907 Batley Pageant
324. The Earliest Published Account of Batley St Mary’s Church and Schools
325. The Great War: A Brief Overview of What Led Britain into the War
326. The Unholy row between St Mary’s Church and the Batley and Birstall Irish Clubs
327. Thomas Ate My Rat
328. William Berry – A Beautiful Voice Stilled
329. Willie and Edward Barber – Poems

Occupations and Employment Information
330. Occupations: Colliery Byeworker/Byeworkman/Byworker/Bye-Worker/By-Worker
331. Occupations: Confidential Clerk
332. Occupations: Lamp Cleaner
333. Occupations: Limelight Operator
334. Occupations: Mason’s Labourer
335. Occupations: Office Boy/Girl
336. Occupations: Piecer/Piecener
337. Occupations: Rag Grinder
338. Occupations: Willeyer

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

World War Two
375. World War Two Chronology of Deaths
376. Thomas Egan
377. Michael Flatley
378. William Smith

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Posted in 19th Century, 20th Century, Batley, Birstall, Catholic, County Mayo, Family History, Great War, History, Home Front, 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, Schools, St Mary's RC Church, WW1, WW2, Yorkshire

The Gift of Family or House History

Posted on December 8, 2024 | Leave a comment

Looking for some last minute Christmas present inspiration? Hate trailing around shops in the wind, wet and cold? Want to get something unique for your loved ones? Something totally bespoke and personal to them?

How about a block of family or house history research?

I regularly undertake gift research commissions. So if you want to buy a Christmas present with a difference – or come to that a birthday, anniversary or house warming gift – do get in touch to discuss your requirements.

I can undertake ‘surprise’ research, with the recipient being presented with the final results in book format; or you can book a block of research time so the recipient can be involved in the process.

I can be contacted via email at pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

There is also a contact form via my Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (AGRA) profile, which is found here.

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Posted in Family History, House History, Professional Genelaogist, Research Services

Tagged Birthday Present, Christmas Present, family history, Gifts, House History, House Warming Present

St Mary of the Angels, Batley: One-Place Study Update – 1 to 30 November 2024 Additions

Posted on December 1, 2024 | Leave a comment

This November has brought eight new posts to the Batley St Mary of the Angels One-Place Study, bringing the total number to 371 posts. In addition to the eight new posts, two more were updated.

This update contains the list of all the St Mary’s posts published up to the end of November 2024, including links to them, with last month’s new and updated posts signposted so you can easily locate them.

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.

One new War Memorial biography has been added, that of Clement Manning. More parishioners to the list of those who served in, and survived, the First World War section, so this list has been updated.

The Miscellany of Information section has a new post this month, about a huge talent whose promise was never fulfilled. That talent though is memorialised on William Berry’s headstone.

The Bulletin for Batley St Mary of the Angels and Birstall St Patrick section, has an addition. This is the piece covering the parish history snippets which were included in the parish bulletins during November 2024.

And the other November additions are in the During This Week newspaper section, with five new pages covering the editions of the Batley News published during the month of November 1918. I have accordingly updated the surname index to these During This Week newspaper pieces, so you can easily identify newspaper snippets relevant to your family.

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 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.

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 Donlan
29. John W. Enright
30. Mathew Farrer
31. Thomas Finneran
32. Michael Flynn
33. Thomas Foley D.C.M.
34. Martin Gallagher
35. James Garner
36. Thomas Gavaghan
37. Henry Groark
38. James Groark
39. Michael Groark (also known as Rourke)
40. James Griffin
41. William Hargreaves
42. Patrick Hopkins
43. Michael Horan
44. James Hughes
45. Lawrence Judge
46. John Leech
47. Michael Lydon
48. Patrick Lyons
William McManus – See William Townsend below
49. Thomas McNamara
50. Clement Manning *NEW*
51. Patrick Naifsey
52. Austin Nolan
53. Robert Randerson
54. James Rush
55. Moses Stubley
56. William Townsend, also known as McManus
57. James Trainor
58. Richard Carroll Walsh
59. 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*
60. Patrick Cassidy
61. James Delaney
62. Thomas Donlan (senior)
63. Thomas Gannon
64. Michael Rush

Burials, Cemeteries, Headstones and MIs
65. Cemetery and Memorial Details
66. War Memorial Chronology of Deaths .

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

Maps and Photographs
296. Aerial View of St Mary’s Church and the Surrounding Streets
297. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1894
298. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1907
299. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1922
300. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1933

Miscellany of Information
301. A Colliery Accident with Tragic Consequences
302. A Grave Disturbance in Batley
303. A Part of St Mary of the Angels in Batley Cemetery
304. A “Peace” of Batley History
305. An Appeal to Ireland to Build a Catholic Church in Batley
306. 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
307. A St Mary’s School Sensation
308. A St Mary’s School Trip Souvenir
309. Batley’s Secret Irish Society and the Ammunition Seizure
310. Batley St Mary’s First Torchlight Procession
311. “Daddy’s Death and then Triplets”
312. Heritage Impact Assessment: St Mary’s Catholic Primary School and Convent, Batley
313. Hot-Cross Buns and the Yorkshire Tea-Cake Dilemma. Plus A Suggested Meal Planner for Batley Families in 1917
314. Into the Valley of Death – One of the Six Hundred
315. St Mary of the Angels Catholic Church – 1929 Consecration Service
316. The Consequences of a Refusal to Work in 1918
317. The Controversial Role Played by St Mary’s Schoolchildren in the 1907 Batley Pageant
318. The Earliest Published Account of Batley St Mary’s Church and Schools
319. The Great War: A Brief Overview of What Led Britain into the War
320. The Unholy row between St Mary’s Church and the Batley and Birstall Irish Clubs
321. Thomas Ate My Rat
322. William Berry – A Beautiful Voice Stilled *NEW*
323. Willie and Edward Barber – Poems

Occupations and Employment Information
324. Occupations: Colliery Byeworker/Byeworkman/Byworker/Bye-Worker/By-Worker
325. Occupations: Confidential Clerk
326. Occupations: Lamp Cleaner
327. Occupations: Limelight Operator
328. Occupations: Mason’s Labourer
329. Occupations: Office Boy/Girl
330. Occupations: Piecer/Piecener
331. Occupations: Rag Grinder
332. Occupations: Willeyer

The Bulletin of St Mary of the Angels and Birstall St Patrick – Parish History Section
357. March 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
358. April 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
359. May 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
360. June 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
361. July 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
362. August 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
363. September 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
364. October 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
365. November 2024 Bulletin History Pieces *NEW*

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

World War Two
368. World War Two Chronology of Deaths
369. Thomas Egan
370. Michael Flatley
371. William Smith

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Posted in 19th Century, 20th Century, Ancestry, Batley, 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

The Loose Ends of Family History

Posted on November 22, 2024 | Leave a comment

No two days are ever the same for a professional genealogist, as demonstrated by a research commission I undertook this summer for Leeds-based artist Ellie Harrison, and Polite Rebellion – the company with which she works.

*Polite Rebellion Artist Ellie Harrison and me at the Loose Ends Exhibition*

Working to a tight deadline, my research drew together some threads of Ellie’s family history, and was a small part of the background detail to her much broader overall artistic display concept.

Ellie’s thought-provoking interactive exhibition, Loose Ends, is now currently showing in Leeds as part of November’s Compass Art Festival. This Festival brings a variety of interactive art projects into the city.

*The Loose Ends exhibition space, Leeds Trinity Shopping Centre Albion Street entrance (near Boots).*

I dropped by for the opening day of Loose Ends (22 November 2024).

The Loose Ends component of the Festival is based in a pop-up shop in the Leeds Trinity Shopping Centre. Visually striking, this interactive and immersive experience invites you to think about your family tree in its broadest sense. It goes beyond the traditional historical concept of mother, father, siblings, grandparents, great grandparents, which in reality – as every family historian knows – is rarely so neatly packaged. It also highlights there are often unspoken topics and secrets within families.

It challenges you to consider what makes your family, inviting you to explore its complexities, the transient nature of some relationships weighed against more enduring ones, with this weighting not necessarily measured by blood links. You are asked to even consider the importance of wider friendship circles – a take on your FAN Club (Friends/Families, Associates and Neighbours).

*A chance to explore what makes your family tree*

More details about the Loose Ends exhibition, including where to find it, can be found here.

But you need to be quick as it only runs from 22 – 24 November, and 28 – 30 November 2024.

*More details about Loose Ends, https://www.politerebellion.co.uk/currentprojects/looseends*

If you can’t make it, here’s the QR Code to scan and enter virtually.

A huge thank you to Ellie for commissioning me to undertake her research. I loved doing it, because no two family trees are ever the same – as is demonstrated by the exhibition.

For more details about commissioning me for your research, please click here.

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Posted in Ancestry, Family History, Family Tree, Genealogy, Leeds

Tagged Ancestry, Art Exhibition, Compass Festival, family history, Family Tree, genealogy, Leeds

Details of my Family and Local History Talks for 2025-2026

Posted on November 20, 2024 | Leave a comment

If you are looking for a family or local history speaker during 2025 and 2026, here are the details of my current talks:

Charles the Pigeon and a Yorkshire Spy.
Local Links to the Lusitania.
My Batley St Mary’s One-Place Study. (Covers the history of the Irish in Batley and the Catholic parish of Batley St Mary of the Angels until turn of the 20th century).
The Home Front: the White Lee Explosion of 1914 and the Unlucky History of the Site (available from September 2026).
Tips for Researching your Great War Ancestors. This is based around my book about Northern Union – rugby league – players killed in the First World War. For local history groups, I can drop the research tips aspect, and base the talk solely about the players.
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.

The first four have a distinctly Yorkshire flavour. The fifth will be tailored around rugby league players from your locality. The family tree research talk can be geared around research tips for Yorkshire ancestors.

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.

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 Yorkshire people were involved. This talk explores some of their stories.

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

My Batley St Mary’s talk is based around my one-place study into the Catholic parish of St Mary of the Angels, with a focus on its early history and period up to 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.

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.

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.

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.

For more details about these talks, including cost and booking one, please contact me at: pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

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Posted in Ancestry, Family History, Family History Talks, Genealogy, Local History, Local History Talks

Tagged family history, genealogy, Local History, Talks

A Backstage Tour of West Yorkshire Archives

Posted on November 8, 2024 | 1 comment

This morning I attended a behind-the-scenes guided tour of the Leeds branch of the West Yorkshire Archive Service (WYAS), part of a series of free events organised by Libraries in Leeds.

Guided by archivist Vicky Grindrod, it was an informative, fascinating and entertaining peek at what goes on beyond those search room doors. As a frequent archives visitor, it was really useful to get some idea of what is involved in getting documents to that search room desk. Equally, for those with only a minimal knowledge about an archive – like my husband – it was a demystifying introduction to what for some might appear to be an offputting environment only for academics.

Located in Morley, the West Yorkshire Joint Services building accommodates not only the archive, but cross-county organisations including archaeology and trading standards services. Hence the many bags full of archaeological dig soil, and various weights and hoists in evidence in certain areas.

The shared nature of the building is part of the reason why documents need pre-ordering in advance of visits, along with the need to juggle search room space each day depending on what type of materials visitors want to see, and the fact documents may not necessarily always be held on site.

We learned about the work which goes on to get new material archive-ready, from vans bringing it to the unloading area, to assessing documents for mould and bugs, decontaminating them, and undertaking the conservation work to get them strong-room fit. It’s all very technical, down to ensuring air flow systems don’t spread any air-borne pollutants from new material to the rest of the archive, regular bug monitoring, down to maintaining optimum storage temperatures (15-18 degrees) and humidity levels (55 per cent).

We also found how small the archive team is, the variety of jobs they undertake, and how this is evolving to take account of the new digital document mediums and the challenges that brings – from the risk of cyber attacks, to mitigating technology changes which can make earlier digital documents unreadable.

There’s also the ongoing cataloguing work, including of holdings already at the archives which require more detailed descriptions. This is an area in which volunteers can get involved, especially those with skills and knowledge linked to the collections. The Tetley’s brewery collection might be one which will appeal to many!

*A Selection of Material from the Waddington Collection*

We were also introduced to the range of archive holdings. From the John Waddington collection with monopoly boards and prototype Cluedo designs (“Shall we play Murder? I think it was Colonel Yellow with a bomb in the Conservatory.”); to the World War One material including diaries, letters, Fattorini Leeds Bantam Battalion badge designs, and poor relief book entries (indoor and outdoor) for ex-soldiers, including one suffering from shell shock, and a boy who enlisted age 15½, was discharged in July 1916 as underage and now had phthisis.

Then there was the array of waterways documents, which included a hot-spot map of deaths along the Leeds canal, along with an anonomysed list of children fished out of it in the 1940s…all boys.

More surprising was the maritime-related material, given the land-locked nature of the Leeds area. Intriguingly, the archive has a range of material relating to naval impressment, with details of names, ages and parishes of those who were forced into the navy and escaped. There was also table of rates of wages on HMS Jolly from 1711. Plus lots of photographs of those serving in the navy. All a legacy of family estate papers, and our seafaring and British Empire history.

But if you think a 1711 document is old, it was a mere infant compared to the oldest document held by WYAS, and housed at Leeds. That document is pictured below, and it is one we were allowed to hold.

*Document Reference: WYL150/925. Feoffment, Thurstan Archbishop of York to the monks of Fountains Abbey.*

Dating from circa 1138 – almost 900 years old – this document is from the Fountains Abbey Collection – because the Leeds branch of WYAS has collections from outside the Leeds area, and even beyond the current West Yorkshire boundaries. It details the grant of land made to the monks at Fountains Abbey as long as they continued to live according to the rules of St Benedict. For more details about it click here.

And to listen to the translation of the oldest document in the Fountains Abbey collection, click here.

Those on today’s tour really did touch history.

If you do get the chance to do a backstage visit to an archive, go for it. It is well worth it, and you may be surprised what your local archive does hold!

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Posted in Archives, Family History, Local History, Yorkshire

Tagged English Heritage, family history, Fountains Abbey, Local History, National Trust, Yorkshire

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Category Archives: Family History

St Mary of the Angels, Batley: One-Place Study Update – 1 to 28 February 2025 Additions

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

The Complete Guide to FamilyTreeDNA

Your Personal ‘House Through Time’ Experience

St Mary of the Angels, Batley: One-Place Study Update – 1 to 31 December 2024 Additions

The Gift of Family or House History

St Mary of the Angels, Batley: One-Place Study Update – 1 to 30 November 2024 Additions

The Loose Ends of Family History

Details of my Family and Local History Talks for 2025-2026

A Backstage Tour of West Yorkshire Archives

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