What family historian isn’t a bibliophile? I’m no exception to the rule, living by the principal “A house isn’t a home without at least one bookcase for every room”.
I love exploring a multitude of family and local history topics, so it was a pleasure to be introduced to a new subject – the baronial system in Scotland, as covered by David Dobson in his book Scottish Baronial Families, 1250-1750. Published by the Genealogical Publishing Company, this paperback runs to 199 pages.
It opens with a brief summary of the feudal governance system introduced and used by Scottish monarchs, at the heart of which was the administrative unit of a barony. Headed by a baron, who in effect was a crown vassal, it was a system which operated until 1747 when the British government curtailed their powers with the Heritable Jurisdiction Act, their response to Jacobite rising of 1745-46. With Baronial responsibilities extending to the tax collection, supplying of men for military purposes, as well as jurisdiction over civil and criminal matters, and the baron’s principal seat of authority being the caput, in terms of English equivalent a baron was something akin to a Lord of the Manor.
The introductory section also explains the difference between barons and the noble rank of baronet, the latter created in 1611 by King James VI1 as a way of fundraising, along with promoting the Plantation (organised colonisation) of Ulster, and settlement in Nova Scotia. These are also featured in the book.
Next there is a simple one-page bibliography, which acts as a very basic proxy for specific source citations.
Before getting into the meat of the publication, there are seven images. Whilst they are captioned, I would have found it helpful to also have an accompanying page number to link them to the specific section in the book.
We then come to the main body of the book. Drawing mainly on the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland, this is an alphabetical listing of the Scottish Baronial families – covering in total around 1,000 Scottish baronies and baronetcies. And whilst the listings are dominated by men, there are also a smattering of female holders. The listings detail the families, plus when, where, and by who, they were granted their baronies/baronetcies. Some have additional information. The pieces range from a couple of sentences, to – in some cases – upwards of a page for those families with multiple grants, or where there is extra details.
The book concludes with a select listing of Scots-Irish baronetcies established in Ireland and in the New World.
It is a book to dip into for reference, rather than one to read from cover to cover, and it acts as a concise introduction to the subject. Personally, as part of this reference material, I would also have found a place name index useful, in order to link locations to baronies. But there’s no doubt this is an impressive starting point and companion book for researchers and local historians investigating these families.
The book was published in 2024, ISBN 9780806359748. For ease I’ve attached the purchase links for both Amazon and Genealogical.com
Full disclosure: I received a free copy of the book from Genealogical.com in return for a honest review. I have expressed my truthful opinion in the above review.
Footnotes: 1.King James I of England, although it was not until 1707 that new baronets were established under the United Kingdom.
As March 2025 closed, the number of posts in the Batley St Mary of the Angels One-Place Study reached 391, with five being added during the month. Two other posts were updated. The covered a range of topics from the early history of the parish to World War Two.
Below is the complete list of all the St Mary’s posts published up to the end of March 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.
Batley St Mary of the Angels
During March I completed two new biographies for those commemorated on the church’s World War One Memorial. The first was for one of the Memorial’s two parishioners named Peter Gavaghan. The second was the biography of John Thomas Lynch.
I also updated the World War Two introduction page, and added the biography of Edward Lynch to those who lost their lives in that conflict.
The fourth new piece is in the Miscellany of Information section, about a debate over the working hours of grave-diggers, and in particular the effect this would have on Catholic burials. It was a change which would have a direct impact on the working life of a parishioner, who was one of the grave-diggers employed by Batley Council.
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 March 2025. There are some additional links here to fuller pieces I’ve written about some of these snippets.
As for the second updated piece, this is in the Miscellany of Information section, and covers the early history of the Irish in Batley and the parish.
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.
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.
Batley St Mary of the Angels
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.
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.
Batley St Mary of the Angels
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Batley St Mary of the Angels
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.
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 December 2024.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Batley St Mary of the Angels
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.
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.
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.
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.
Loose Ends Credits
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.
Ellie’s family tree
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.
If you can’t make it, here’s the QR Code to scan and enter virtually.
Loose Ends QR Code
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.
Past To Present Genealogy 