Category Archives: In Memoriam

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

Posted on June 1, 2026 | Leave a comment

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

The first new post is the parish history snippets piece for May 2026. These snippets cover a variety of events and people from the parish from years gone by, and can be found in the Bulletin for Batley St Mary of the Angels and Birstall St Patrick section. Even if you have seen them on the Bulletin, it is worth checking them here as some have links to more detailed pieces I have written.

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

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

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

Below is the full list of all the one-place study pieces to date. Simply click on the link and it will take you straight to the relevant page. I have annotated the *NEW* and “UPDATED” posts, so you can easily pick them out.

If you want to know the background, and what is involved in a one-place study, click here. Otherwise read on, to discover a wealth of parish, parishioner and wider local Batley history.

Postscript:
I may not be able to thank you personally because of your contact detail confidentiality, but I do want to say how much I appreciate the donations received to keep this website going. They really and truly do help. Thank you.

The website has always been free to use, and I want to continue this policy in the future. However, it does cost me money to operate – from undertaking the research and writing it up which can be around 20-30 hours a month, purchasing resources and documents, visiting archives, right down to website hosting costs (which given the number of photos I include does add up). In the current difficult economic climate I do have to consider if I can afford to continue running it as a free resource, especially given this reduces the amount of time I devote to client work.

If you have enjoyed reading the various pieces, and would like to make a donation towards keeping the website up and running in its current open access format, it would be very much appreciated.

Please click 👉🏽 here 👈🏽 be taken to the PayPal donation link. By making a donation you will be helping to keep the website online and freely available for all.

As a professionally qualified genealogist, if you would like me to undertake any family, local or house history research for you do please get in touch. More information can be found on my research services page.

Thank you.

Finally, if you do have any information about, or photos of, parishioners from the period of the First World War please do get in touch. It does not have to be War Memorial men. It could be those who served and survived, or indeed any other men, women and children from the parish.

I would also be interested in information about, and photos of, those parishioners who were killed in World War Two, or others from the parish who undertook any war service and survived. This can be as broad as serving in the military, or work in munitions factories, the Land Army, even taking in refugees. This is an area I’m looking to develop in the future.

I can be contacted at: pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

1. About my St Mary of the Angels Catholic Church War Memorial One-Place Study;

Batley’s Public Buildings and Institutions
2. Batley Hospital: The First 50 Years – 1878 to 1928
3. The Early History of Batley’s Public Baths

Batley St Mary’s Population, Health, Mortality and Fertility Information and Comparisons
4. 1914: The Health of Batley School Children Generally, with a Particular Focus on St Mary’s School Children

Batley Statistics and Descriptions – Population, Health, Mortality, Fertility etc.
5. 1914: Borough of Batley – Town Information from the Annual Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
6. Batley and the 1921 Census
7. Batley Population Statistics 1801-1939

Biographies: Men Associated with St Mary’s Who Died but Who Are Not on the Memorial
8. Thomas Gannon

9. Michael Howley
10. Reginald Roberts
11. William Frederick Townsend

Biographies: The War Memorial Men
12. Edward Barber
13. William Barber (Memorial name spelling)
14. Herbert Booth
15. Edmund Battye
16. Dominick (aka George) Brannan
17. Michael Brannan
18. John Brooks
19. Michael Cafferty
20. Patrick Cafferty
21. John William Callaghan
22. Lawrence Carney
23. Martin Carney
24. Thomas William Chappell
25. William Colbeck
26. Michael Cunningham
27. Thomas Curley
28. Peter Doherty
29. Thomas Dolan
30. Thomas Donlan
31. James Edwards
32. John W. Enright
33. Mathew Farrer
34. Thomas Finneran
35. Michael Flynn
36. Thomas Foley D.C.M.
37. Martin Gallagher
38. James Garner
39. Harold Gaunt
40. James Gavaghan
41. Peter Gavaghan (1)
42. Peter Gavaghan (2)
43. Thomas Gavaghan
44. Henry Groark
45. James Groark
46. Michael Groark (also known as Rourke)
47. James Griffin
48. William Hargreaves
49. Michael Hopkins
50. Patrick Hopkins
51. Michael Horan
52. James Hughes
53. Lawrence Judge
54. John Leech
55. Michael Lydon
56. John Thomas Lynch
57. Patrick Lyons
William McManus – See William Townsend below
58. Thomas McNamara
59. Clement Manning
60. Patrick Naifsey
61. Austin Nolan
62. Robert Randerson
63. James Rush
64. Moses Stubley
65. William Townsend, also known as McManus
66. James Trainor
67. Richard Carroll Walsh
68. Arthur William Bayldon Woodhead

Biographies: Those who Served and Survived (this includes a list of those identified to date and who will later have dedicated biographical pages)
69. Patrick Cassidy
70. James Delaney
71. Thomas Donlan (senior)
72. Thomas Gannon
73. Michael Rush

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

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

In the Spotlight: Am Dram, Opera and Concerts
309. 1901 – St. Mary’s Schools’ St. Patrick’s Day Concert
310. 1952 – The Bohemian Girl, St. Mary’s Schoolboys
311. The St Mary’s Amateur Operatic Society 1950 Production of The Gondoliers *NEW*
312. The 1951 St Mary’s School Production of Maritana for Fr. O’Brien *NEW*

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

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

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

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

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

Leave a comment

Posted in 19th Century, 20th Century, Ancestry, Batley, Birstall, Catholic, County Mayo, family history, Genealogy, Great War, History, Home Front, In Memoriam, Ireland, Local History, Occupations, One-Place Study, Remembrance, Roll of Honour, Schools, St Mary's RC Church, The Great War, War Memorial, WW1, Yorkshire

Tagged Ancestry, Batley, County Mayo, family history, genealogy, History, Home Front, Local History, Occupations, One-Place Study, Schools, St Mary's RC Church, War Memorial, WW1, WW2, Yorkshire

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

Posted on April 1, 2026 | Leave a comment

March has been an exciting month for the Batley St. Mary of the Angels One-Place Study, with the introduction of a new history topic. But before I get to that, here is the numbers update.

Three new posts were added during the month, bringing the total number of posts up to 430.

The first new post is the parish history snippets piece for March 2026. These snippets cover a variety of events and people from the parish from years gone by, and can be found in the Bulletin for Batley St Mary of the Angels and Birstall St Patrick section. Even if you have seen them on the Bulletin, it is worth checking them here as some have links to more detailed pieces I have written.

But – drum roll – the big news is I’ve added a new subject area.

Over the years the parish has been noted for its outstanding theatrical productions involving many parishioners, and providing entertainment for many more. This major area of parish life deserves to be covered in the parish’s history, so I’ve set up a new subject area called In the Spotlight: Am Dram, Opera and Concerts. The first two posts have been uploaded, covering events in 1901 and 1952. These pieces are packed with names of those involved. I’m hoping to include many more productions in the coming months. If you have any information about any you would like including in future please do get in touch. Photographs would be appreciated too – including of those involved as well as programmes. I can be contacted at pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

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 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 👈🏽 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. 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) *NEW*
42. Peter Gavaghan (2)
43. Thomas Gavaghan
44. Henry Groark
45. James Groark
46. Michael Groark (also known as Rourke)
47. James Griffin
48. William Hargreaves
49. Michael Hopkins
50. Patrick Hopkins
51. Michael Horan
52. James Hughes
53. Lawrence Judge
54. John Leech
55. Michael Lydon
56. John Thomas Lynch
57. Patrick Lyons
William McManus – See William Townsend below
58. Thomas McNamara
59. Clement Manning
60. Patrick Naifsey
61. Austin Nolan
62. Robert Randerson
63. James Rush
64. Moses Stubley
65. William Townsend, also known as McManus
66. James Trainor
67. Richard Carroll Walsh
68. Arthur William Bayldon Woodhead

Biographies: Those who Served and Survived (this includes a list of those identified to date and who will later have dedicated biographical pages) *UPDATED*
69. Patrick Cassidy
70. James Delaney
71. Thomas Donlan (senior)
72. Thomas Gannon
73. Michael Rush

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The May Queens of Batley St Mary of the Angels
410. 1922 May Queen: Phyllis Doyle
411 1923 May Queen: Katherine Phillips
412. 1925 May Queen: Agnes Judge
413. 1929 May Queen: Mary Collins
414. 1931 May Queen Ceremony: Theresa Judge
415. 1932 May Queen Ceremony: Agnes Kilgallon
416. 1933 May Queen Ceremony: Winnie Colleran
417. 1939 May Queen Ceremony: Kathleen Gooder
418. 1940 May Queen Ceremony: Sheila Rowan
419. 1941 May Queen Ceremony
420. 1950 May Queen Ceremony: Catherine Heaps
421. 1951 May Queen Ceremony: Mary Harkin
422. 1952 May Queen Ceremony: Patricia Anne Cain
423. 1953 May Queen Ceremony: Mary O’Connor

World War Two
424. World War Two Chronology of Deaths
425. Thomas Egan
426. Michael Flatley
427. Frank Higgins
428. Edward Lynch
429. William Smith
430. Bernard Stenchion

Leave a comment

Tagged Ancestry, Batley, Catholic, County Mayo, family history, genealogy, History, Home Front, Local History, Occupations, One-Place Study, Schools, War Memorial, WW1, Yorkshire

St. Mary of the Angels, Batley: One-Place Study Update – 1 to 28 February 2026 Additions

Posted on March 1, 2026 | Leave a comment

February has been a particularly busy month for the Batley St. Mary of the Angels One-Place Study, with five new posts. This brings the total number of posts up to 427. Three more were updated.

This month’s additions and updates included one new War Memorial biography, that of the first Peter Gavaghan to be killed in the war (his cousin also named Peter died later on, and his biography was added some time ago). Both men’s biographies can now be found in The Biographies: War Memorial Men section.

Several more men who served and survived were identified, and this page has been updated. Their biographies will follow in due course.

Someone from the parish who died but is not on the church War Memorial has been identified, Michael Howley. I have added his biography to the section covering Men Associated with St. Mary’s Who Died but Who Are Not on the Memorial, and that overall page has been accordingly updated too. I have also updated the War Memorial Chronology of Deaths page, to include him.

There are two new posts in the Miscellany of Information section. One deals with the horrific, but all too common, circumstances surrounding the death of a child in the 19th century. The other concerns three pigs, a headstone and a long-lived parishioner.

There is also the parish history snippets piece for February 2026. These snippets cover a variety of events and people from the parish from years gone by, and can be found in the Bulletin for Batley St Mary of the Angels and Birstall St Patrick section. One is an amazing piece connected to The Beatles and a circus! 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 pages 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.

If you have enjoyed reading the various pieces, and would like to make a donation towards keeping the website up and running in its current open access format, it would be very much appreciated.

Please click 👉🏽 here 👈🏽 be taken to the PayPal donation link. By making a donation you will be helping to keep the website online and freely available for all.

Thank you.

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 *UPDATED*
8. Thomas Gannon

9. Michael Howley *NEW*
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) *NEW*
42. Peter Gavaghan (2)
43. Thomas Gavaghan
44. Henry Groark
45. James Groark
46. Michael Groark (also known as Rourke)
47. James Griffin
48. William Hargreaves
49. Michael Hopkins
50. Patrick Hopkins
51. Michael Horan
52. James Hughes
53. Lawrence Judge
54. John Leech
55. Michael Lydon
56. John Thomas Lynch
57. Patrick Lyons
William McManus – See William Townsend below
58. Thomas McNamara
59. Clement Manning
60. Patrick Naifsey
61. Austin Nolan
62. Robert Randerson
63. James Rush
64. Moses Stubley
65. William Townsend, also known as McManus
66. James Trainor
67. Richard Carroll Walsh
68. Arthur William Bayldon Woodhead

Burials, Cemeteries, Headstones and MIs
74. Cemetery and Memorial Details
75. War Memorial Chronology of Deaths *UPDATED*

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

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

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

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

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

The May Queens of Batley St Mary of the Angels
407. 1922 May Queen: Phyllis Doyle
408 1923 May Queen: Katherine Phillips
409. 1925 May Queen: Agnes Judge
410. 1929 May Queen: Mary Collins
411. 1931 May Queen Ceremony: Theresa Judge
412. 1932 May Queen Ceremony: Agnes Kilgallon
413. 1933 May Queen Ceremony: Winnie Colleran
414. 1939 May Queen Ceremony: Kathleen Gooder
415. 1940 May Queen Ceremony: Sheila Rowan
416. 1941 May Queen Ceremony
417. 1950 May Queen Ceremony: Catherine Heaps
418. 1951 May Queen Ceremony: Mary Harkin
419. 1952 May Queen Ceremony: Patricia Anne Cain
420. 1953 May Queen Ceremony: Mary O’Connor

World War Two
421. World War Two Chronology of Deaths
422. Thomas Egan
423. Michael Flatley
424. Frank Higgins
425. Edward Lynch
426. William Smith
427. Bernard Stenchion

Leave a comment

Tagged Ancestry, Batley, Catholic, County Mayo, DNA, family history, Family History Tips, genealogy, Great War, History, Home Front, Ireland, Local History, Occupations, One-Place Study, St Mary's, The Beatles, The Great War, War Memorial, WW1, WW2, Yorkshire

St Mary of the Angels, Batley: One-Place Study Update – 1 to 30 November 2025 Additions

Posted on January 1, 2026 | Leave a comment

November 2025 was a busy month for the Batley St. Mary of the Angels One-Place Study. Four new posts were added, bringing the total number to 419. I also gave two talks about the early history of the Irish in Batley and the parish – one via Zoom to the Society of One-Place Studies; the other in-person to Batley History Group. If you missed them, I will be repeating the Irish and St. Mary’s talk next year with bookings already made for it, along with my other talks.

To start off with, I wrote a light-hearted piece about Buffalo Bill and A Right Royal Celebration for Batley’s Schoolchildren, a celebration in which the children of St Mary of the Angels participated. I describe, and include a photograph, of the special commemorative medal presented to all the schoolchildren, so that if you have one in your family you can identify it and know more about its history.

In a change of tone, with November being the month of Remembrance, one of the new posts was about James Edwards, one of the parishioners commemorated on the parish’s World War One War Memorial.

In the May Queen section I have added a piece about the 1952 ceremony when Patricia Anne Cain was the May Queen (as shown in the photograph to the left). It includes names of many others involved in the procession that day, which was a historic one in terms of its format that year.

The final post for the month was the parish history snippets piece for November 2025. These snippets cover a variety of events and people from the parish from years gone by, and can be found in the Bulletin for Batley St Mary of the Angels and Birstall St Patrick section. Even if you have seen them on the Bulletin, it is worth checking them here as some have links to more detailed pieces I have written.

Below is the full list of pages to date. I have annotated the *NEW* posts, so you can easily pick these out. Click on the link and it will take you straight to the relevant page.

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.

If you have enjoyed reading the various pieces, and would like to make a donation towards keeping the website up and running in its current open access format, it would be very much appreciated.

Please click 👉🏻here👈🏻 be taken to the PayPal donation link. By making a donation you will be helping to keep the website online and freely available for all.

Thank you.

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

Burials, Cemeteries, Headstones and MIs
72. Cemetery and Memorial Details
73. War Memorial Chronology of Deaths .

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

Maps and Photographs
307. A Description of the Parish Boundaries
308. Aerial View of St Mary’s Church and the Surrounding Streets
309. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1894
310. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1907
311. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1922
312. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1933

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

Occupations and Employment Information
344. Occupations: Colliery Byeworker/Byeworkman/Byworker/Bye-Worker/By-Worker
345. Occupations: Confidential Clerk
346. Occupations: Lamp Cleaner
347. Occupations: Limelight Operator
348. Occupations: Mason’s Labourer
349. Occupations: Office Boy/Girl
350. Occupations: Piecer/Piecener
351. Occupations: Rag Grinder
352. Occupations: Willeyer

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

Leave a comment

Posted in 19th Century, 20th Century, Ancestry, Batley, Birstall, Catholic, County Mayo, family history, Family History Talks, Genealogy, Great War, History, Home Front, In Memoriam, Ireland, Local History, Local History Talks, Occupations, One-Place Study, Remembrance, Roll of Honour, Schools, St Mary's RC Church, Talks, The Great War, War Memorial, WW1, WW2, Yorkshire

Tagged Ancestry, Batley, Birstall, County Mayo, family history, Family History Talks, genealogy, History, Home Front, Local History, Local History Talks, One-Place Study, Schools, St Mary's RC Church, Talks, War Memorial, WW1, WW2, Yorkshire

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

Posted on August 1, 2024 | Leave a comment

July 2024 has been another busy month for the Batley St Mary of the Angels One-Place Study, with some wider parish history pieces added. This update contains the list of all the St Mary’s posts published up to the end of July 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.

Seven new posts were added during July 2024, bringing the total number of study posts to 345. Three other posts were updated.

These additions and updates included four new weekly newspaper pages for July 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.

No new War Memorial biographies have been added this month. I hope to write some for next month. I have updated the names of parishioners who served in, and survived, the First World War section, as more men were identified during July. I have also updated the biography of one of those men who served and survived, Michael Rush.

There are two new posts in the Miscellany of Information section. One is about a public dispute between the church and Batley and Birstall Irish Clubs, which ran throughout the summer of 1903. The other is the story behind a memento plate given to the school children of St Mary’s in 1907. It explains what the plate commemorated, and why it was such an important part of the school’s history.

The final post added this month is in the Bulletin for Batley St Mary of the Angels and Birstall St Patrick section, containing the parish history snippets which were included in the bulletins during July 2024.

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.

I can be contacted at: pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

Postscript:
I want to say a big thank you for the donations already received to keep this website going. They really do help.

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.

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. Patrick Naifsey
51. Austin Nolan
52. Robert Randerson
53. James Rush
54. Moses Stubley
55. William Townsend, also known as McManus
56. James Trainor
57. Richard Carroll Walsh
58. 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*
59. Patrick Cassidy
60. James Delaney
61. Thomas Donlan (senior)
62. Thomas Gannon
63. Michael Rush *UPDATED*

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

Electoral Registers 1918-1921
275. 1918 Batley Electoral Register, North Ward, Polling Districts A and B – Naval and Military Voters

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

Maps and Photographs
277. Aerial View of St Mary’s Church and the Surrounding Streets
278. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1894
279. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1907
280. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1922
281. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1933

Miscellany of Information
282. A Colliery Accident with Tragic Consequences
283. A Grave Disturbance in Batley
284. A Part of St Mary of the Angels in Batley Cemetery
285. A “Peace” of Batley History
286. An Appeal to Ireland to Build a Catholic Church in Batley
287. 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
288. A St Mary’s School Sensation
289. A St Mary’s School Trip Souvenir *NEW*
290. Batley’s Secret Irish Society and the Ammunition Seizure
291. Batley St Mary’s First Torchlight Procession
292. “Daddy’s Death and then Triplets”
293. Heritage Impact Assessment: St Mary’s Catholic Primary School and Convent, Batley
294. Hot-Cross Buns and the Yorkshire Tea-Cake Dilemma. Plus A Suggested Meal Planner for Batley Families in 1917
295. St Mary of the Angels Catholic Church – 1929 Consecration Service
296. The Consequences of a Refusal to Work in 1918
297. The Controversial Role Played by St Mary’s Schoolchildren in the 1907 Batley Pageant
298. The Great War: A Brief Overview of What Led Britain into the War
299. The Unholy row between St Mary’s Church and the Batley and Birstall Irish Clubs *NEW*
300. Thomas Ate My Rat
301. Willie and Edward Barber – Poems

Occupations and Employment Information
302. Occupations: Colliery Byeworker/Byeworkman/Byworker/Bye-Worker/By-Worker
303. Occupations: Confidential Clerk
304. Occupations: Lamp Cleaner
305. Occupations: Limelight Operator
306. Occupations: Mason’s Labourer
307. Occupations: Office Boy/Girl
308. Occupations: Piecer/Piecener
309. Occupations: Rag Grinder
310. Occupations: Willeyer

The Bulletin of St Mary of the Angels and Birstall St Patrick – Parish History Section
335. March 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
336. April 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
337. May 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
338. June 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
339. July 2024 Bulletin History Pieces

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

World War Two
342. World War Two Chronology of Deaths
343. Thomas Egan
344. Michael Flatley
345. William Smith

Leave a comment

Posted in 19th Century, 20th Century, Ancestry, Batley, Birstall, Catholic, County Mayo, family history, Genealogy, Great War, History, Home Front, In Memoriam, Ireland, Local History Talks, 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, Schools, St Mary's, The Great War, War Memorial, WW1, WW2, Yorkshire

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

Posted on April 1, 2024 | Leave a comment

This is my regular look back at the posts added to the Batley St Mary of the Angels One-Place Study during the previous month. This update contains the list of all the St Mary’s posts published up to the end of March 2024 , including links to them, with March’s new and updated posts signposted.

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.

Seven posts were added during March 2024, bringing the total number of study posts to 309. Three other posts were updated.

These additions and updates included a new War Memorial biography, that of John William Callaghan. Robert Randerson’s biography was updated. There are five new weekly newspaper pages for March 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. I have also added a new subject heading, a parish history section which will contain the snippets of parish history I produce each week for the weekly bulletin for Batley St Mary of the Angels and Birstall St Patrick. The first piece here is the history snippets included in the March 2024 bulletins. The final updated post is to the men who served and survived the First World War section, with more men being identified during March.

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.

I can be contacted at: pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

Postscript:
I want to say a big thank you for the donations already received to keep this website going. They really do help.

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.

1. About my St Mary of the Angels Catholic Church War Memorial One-Place Study;

Batley St Mary’s Population, Health, Mortality and Fertility Information and Comparisons
2. 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.
3. 1914: Borough of Batley – Town Information from the Annual Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
4. Batley and the 1921 Census
5. Batley Population Statistics 1801-1939

Biographies: Men Associated with St Mary’s Who Died but Who Are Not on the Memorial
6. Thomas Gannon
7. Reginald Roberts
8. William Frederick Townsend

Biographies: The War Memorial Men
9. Edward Barber
10. William Barber (Memorial name spelling)
11. Herbert Booth
12. Edmund Battye
13. Dominick (aka George) Brannan
14. Michael Brannan
15. John Brooks
16. Michael Cafferty
17. Patrick Cafferty
18. John William Callaghan *NEW*
19. Lawrence Carney
20. Martin Carney
21. Thomas William Chappell
22. William Colbeck
23. Michael Cunningham
24. Thomas Curley
25. Peter Doherty
26. Thomas Donlan
27. John W. Enright
28. Mathew Farrer
29. Thomas Finneran
30. Michael Flynn
31. Thomas Foley D.C.M.
32. Martin Gallagher
33. James Garner
34. Thomas Gavaghan
35. Henry Groark
36. James Groark
37. Michael Groark (also known as Rourke)
38. James Griffin
39. William Hargreaves
40. Patrick Hopkins
41. Michael Horan
42. Lawrence Judge
43. John Leech
44. Michael Lydon
45. Patrick Lyons
William McManus – See William Townsend below
46. Thomas McNamara
47. Patrick Naifsey
48. Austin Nolan
49. Robert Randerson *UPDATED*
50. James Rush
51. Moses Stubley
52. William Townsend, also known as McManus
53. James Trainor
54. Richard Carroll Walsh
55. 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*
56. Patrick Cassidy
57. James Delaney
58. Thomas Donlan (senior)
59. Thomas Gannon
60. Michael Rush

Burials, Cemeteries, Headstones and MIs
61. Cemetery and Memorial Details
62. War Memorial Chronology of Deaths

Electoral Registers 1918-1921
255. 1918 Batley Electoral Register, North Ward, Polling Districts A and B – Naval and Military Voters

Miscellany of Information
256. A Colliery Accident with Tragic Consequences
257. A Grave Disturbance in Batley
258. A Part of St Mary of the Angels in Batley Cemetery
259. A “Peace” of Batley History
260. An Appeal to Ireland to Build a Catholic Church in Batley
261. 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
262. A St Mary’s School Sensation
263. Batley’s Secret Irish Society and the Ammunition Seizure
264. Heritage Impact Assessment: St Mary’s Catholic Primary School and Convent, Batley
265. Hot-Cross Buns and the Yorkshire Tea-Cake Dilemma. Plus A Suggested Meal Planner for Batley Families in 1917
266. St Mary of the Angels Catholic Church – 1929 Consecration Service
267. The Controversial Role Played by St Mary’s Schoolchildren in the 1907 Batley Pageant
268. The Great War: A Brief Overview of What Led Britain into the War
269. Willie and Edward Barber – Poems

Occupations and Employment Information
270. Occupations: Colliery Byeworker/Byeworkman/Byworker/Bye-Worker/By-Worker
271. Occupations: Confidential Clerk
272. Occupations: Lamp Cleaner
273. Occupations: Limelight Operator
274. Occupations: Mason’s Labourer
275. Occupations: Office Boy/Girl
276. Occupations: Piecer/Piecener
277. Occupations: Rag Grinder
278. Occupations: Willeyer

The Bulletin of St Mary of the Angels and Birstall St Patrick – Parish History Section *NEW*
303. March 2024 Bulletin History Pieces *NEW*

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

World War Two
306. World War Two Chronology of Deaths
307. Thomas Egan
308. Michael Flatley
309. William Smith

Leave a comment

Posted in 19th Century, 20th Century, Ancestry, Batley, Catholic, County Mayo, family history, Genealogy, Great War, History, Home Front, In Memoriam, Ireland, Local History, Occupations, One-Place Study, Remembrance, Roll of Honour, 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, Local History, Occupations, One-Place Study, St Mary's RC Church, The Great War, War Memorial, WW1, WW2, Yorkshire

St Mary of the Angels, Batley: One-Place Study Update – 1 to 31 October 2023 Additions

Posted on November 1, 2023 | Leave a comment

This is my regular look back at the posts added to the Batley St Mary of the Angels One-Place Study during the previous month. 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.

Six new posts were added to the Batley St Mary’s one-place study during October 2023, bringing the total number of study posts to 279. Two other posts were updated. This latest monthly update contains the list of all the posts to date, including links to them, with the new and updated posts signposted.

These additions included four weekly newspaper pages for October 1917. 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.

There was one new War Memorial biography added added this month, for Michael Cunningham.

More men who served and survived the First World War have been identified and are included in that section, though no new biographies were added here this month. They will follow in due course.

The other post relates to the Batley cemetery burials of several priests and nuns who served in the parish. This can be found in the Miscellany of Information section.

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.

I can be contacted at: pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

Postscript:
I want to say a big thank you for the donations already received to keep this website going. They really do help.

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.

1. About my St Mary of the Angels Catholic Church War Memorial One-Place Study;

Biographies: Men Associated with St Mary’s Who Died but Who Are Not on the Memorial
6. Thomas Gannon
7. Reginald Roberts
8. William Frederick Townsend

Biographies: The War Memorial Men
9. Edward Barber
10. William Barber (Memorial name spelling)
11. Herbert Booth
12. Edmund Battye
13. Dominick (aka George) Brannan
14. Michael Brannan
15. John Brooks
16. Michael Cafferty
17. Patrick Cafferty
18. Lawrence Carney
19. Martin Carney
20. Thomas William Chappell
21. William Colbeck
22. Michael Cunningham *NEW*
23. Thomas Curley
24. Peter Doherty
25. Thomas Donlan
26. Mathew Farrer
27. Thomas Finneran
28. Michael Flynn
29. Thomas Foley D.C.M.
30. Martin Gallagher
31. James Garner
32. Thomas Gavaghan
33. Henry Groark
34. James Groark
35. Michael Groark (also known as Rourke)
36. James Griffin
37. Patrick Hopkins
38. Michael Horan
39. Lawrence Judge
40. John Leech
41. Michael Lydon
42. Patrick Lyons
William McManus – See William Townsend below
43. Thomas McNamara
44. Patrick Naifsey
45. Austin Nolan
46. Robert Randerson
47. James Rush
48. Moses Stubley
49. William Townsend, also known as McManus
50. James Trainor
51. Richard Carroll Walsh
52. 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*
53. Patrick Cassidy
54. James Delaney
55. Thomas Donlan (senior)
56. Thomas Gannon
57. Michael Rush

Burials, Cemeteries, Headstones and MIs
58. Cemetery and Memorial Details
59. War Memorial Chronology of Deaths

Electoral Registers 1918-1921
230. 1918 Batley Electoral Register, North Ward, Polling Districts A and B – Naval and Military Voters

Miscellany of Information
231. A Colliery Accident with Tragic Consequences
232. A Grave Disturbance in Batley
233. A Part of St Mary of the Angels in Batley Cemetery *NEW*
234. A “Peace” of Batley History
235. An Appeal to Ireland to Build a Catholic Church in Batley
236. 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
237. A St Mary’s School Sensation
238. Batley’s Secret Irish Society and the Ammunition Seizure
239. Hot-Cross Buns and the Yorkshire Tea-Cake Dilemma. Plus A Suggested Meal Planner for Batley Families in 1917
240. St Mary of the Angels Catholic Church – 1929 Consecration Service
241. The Controversial Role Played by St Mary’s Schoolchildren in the 1907 Batley Pageant
242. The Great War: A Brief Overview of What Led Britain into the War
243. Willie and Edward Barber – Poems

Occupations and Employment Information
244. Occupations: Colliery Byeworker/Byeworkman/Byworker/Bye-Worker/By-Worker
245. Occupations: Confidential Clerk
246. Occupations: Lamp Cleaner
247. Occupations: Limelight Operator
248. Occupations: Mason’s Labourer
249. Occupations: Office Boy/Girl
250. Occupations: Piecer/Piecener
251. Occupations: Rag Grinder
252. Occupations: Willeyer

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

World War Two
276. World War Two Chronology of Deaths
277. Thomas Egan
278. Michael Flatley
279. William Smith

Leave a comment

Posted in 19th Century, 20th Century, Ancestry, Batley, Catholic, County Mayo, family history, Genealogy, Great War, History, Home Front, In Memoriam, 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, Family History Tips, genealogy, Great War, History, Home Front, Ireland, Local History, Occupations, One-Place Study, St Mary's, The Great War, War Memorial, WW1, WW2, Yorkshire

A Grave Plot: Rest In Peace?

Posted on September 6, 2017 | 2 comments

One of my guilty pleasures is to wander round the local cemetery reading the inscriptions on headstones. I love a good old inscription. I can while away hours strolling along the pathways and across undulating ground, pausing to read the words or simply admire the beauty and variety of these monuments. The joy that discovering a family headstone can bring is a thrill that many family historians will relate to. But I’m not fussy. Even if the family is unrelated to me, if the inscription captures my attention, I will research the story behind it. For example, see my post about a young couple from Batley who died as a result of a wartime seaside cliff fall.

I naively always assumed some kind of permanency with a headstone. That centuries later it would still stand, somewhat weather-worn but erect, a relic of a past era, a witness to a life long gone. But this ideal is far from true. Close to home I’ve witnessed it.

Early 20th Century Postcard of Batley Parish Church Showing Headstones – from Maggie Blanck’s Website at http://www.maggieblanck.com/Land/PhotosBatley.html

The claustrophobic jumble of headstones at All Saints Parish Church in Batley have long since gone. Similarly Mirfield St Mary’s Churchyard lost many of its old headstones, including that of my 5x great grandparents. I only know of it’s existence from a 19th century handwritten transcript of Memorial Inscriptions (MIs), via the Yorkshire Archaeological and Historical Society (YAHS) whose archives are now located in the Brotherton Library, University of Leeds. A local car business on Staincliffe Hall Road, Batley, on the site of a former Methodist Chapel, had the graveyard headstones in its driveway. I clearly remember seeing them as a child, when the Chapel was converted to a baby clinic. More recently they have vanished. I’m not quite sure when, but I would love to know what became of them. One small crumb of comfort is it appears MIs do exist for them, again via the YAHS. Even councils are not immune to headstone destruction. In 2011 Kirklees was criticised for a money-saving scheme whereby headstones, with inscriptions clearly visible, were recycled to build a wall in Netherton.

Weathered Headstones at Tynemouth Priory – Photo by Jane Roberts

Even if they remain in situ, exposure to the elements may take their toll over time, wearing inscriptions to illegibility. They may be laid flat by councils if they are deemed unstable and potentially dangerous. Batley Cemetery, for example, is undergoing a memorial safety programme. I spent 15 unsuccessful minutes on hold with Kirkless Bereavement Services trying to find out what this entailed. From my visit to the cemetery often this means the headstones are frequently placed face-down, so those carefully thought-through lasting tributes are hidden forevermore. And with burial plots decreasing in availability, particularly in urban areas, many local authorities are looking at alternative strategies for public cemeteries. Then there is deliberate vandalism.

Batley Cemetery Headstones – Photo by Jane Roberts

One thing I did not realise until arranging dad’s funeral is the terms under which burial plots are owned. I mistakenly believed if you bought a burial plot it belonged to the family for ever. Not so. You are merely leasing the plot. In the case of Kirklees Council the lease term is 50 years. Some local authorities have leases of as little as 25 years. The maximum is 100 years. In short you are purchasing the exclusive right to say who will be buried in that grave for a set period. The family can choose to renew the lease for a fee. For this reason it is important to keep address and contact details up-to-date with the relevant council bereavement services.

If the lease is not renewed, the headstone can be removed and collected by the owner – or destroyed by the local authority. Existing burials in the plot are not removed or disturbed, but remaining space in the plot may be resold. So, with space for burial plots running low, the permenancy of headstones faces an extra threat. Southwark Council, for example, face opposition to their cemetery plans with claims by Friends of Camberwell Cemeteries that they are a ‘Grave Reuse and Reclamation Burial Strategy‘.

All this means the work of Family History Society volunteers, cemetery friends groups, those conducting one-place studies, projects such as BillionGraves and individuals in recording MIs will become ever more valuable. For example the Mirfield St Mary’s ones I mentioned earlier in this piece are included on the Kirkheaton Info Archive Database.

So do not assume that headstone will be there for ever. Photograph it now and make a note of that inscription just in case. And check out various archives, one-place studies websites, cemetery groups and Family History Societies for MI transcripts.

2 Comments

Posted in Ancestral Tourism, Ancestry, Batley, Cemeteries, family history, Family History Societies, Genealogy, In Memoriam, Mirfield

Tagged Cemeteries, family history, Headstones

My New Book Collaboration: Commemorating Rugby League Players of The Great War

Posted on May 5, 2017 | 4 comments

I am very pleased and excited to announce that I am working on a new book. The scary thing is I have a partner in this venture – my husband.

Chris is a rugby league journalist, covering the sport for over 30 years. He also shares my interest in World War 1 history and has spent many years studying the conflict. He recently completed an Oxford University online course “The First World War in Perspective” and decided to channel his knowledge into a new project.

Many sports have produced books to commemorate their Great War fallen. To date there has been nothing produced to honour all the professional players of the Northern Union, the forerunner of the Rugby Football League. Chris decided to remedy this, and has enlisted my help.

Somme Poppies – Photo by Jane Roberts

It is a huge undertaking. Having written a book for charity about the 76 men on the Batley St Mary’s War Memorial a few years ago I know what a big challenge it will be.

Chris is currently identifying all those players on club books at the outbreak of war. In this endeavour he has received fantastic help from the rugby league community, with in excess of 100 players who died now identified. I have started work on the genealogical research angle.

It is hoped the book will be published later in 2018, the centenary of the Armistice.

If anyone has any information they wish to contribute, Chris can be contacted at chrisiroberts@btinternet.com or chris.roberts@examiner.co.uk

Alternatively my email address is pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

4 Comments

Posted in In Memoriam, Roll of Honour, Rugby League, WW1

Tagged Rugby League, WW1

WW1 Remembrance in Verse: “In Memoriam” and “Roll of Honour” Newspaper Columns

Posted on November 8, 2015 | 1 comment

This is the last of my three blog posts in this period of Remembrance. It focuses on the WW1 period.

Batley War Memorial

As the Great War progressed and the anniversaries of the Fallen came and went, the local newspaper “In Memoriam” and, later, dedicated “Roll of Honour” columns were increasingly filled with moving tributes to lost husbands, sons, fathers, brothers and fiancées. Although less frequent in late 1915 and throughout 1916, this phenomenon became particularly notable from 1917 onwards and endured in the years beyond the end of the conflict.

Many were recurrent standard verses, or variations on standard themes: grief; absence; young lives cut short; a mother’s pain; religious sentiments; Remembrance; doing one’s duty; sacrifice; wooden crosses; graves overseas far from home, or no known grave; not being present in their loved one’s dying moments; occasionally the difficulty of seeing others return; and even reproach for those who caused the war.

Although not war poetry, they are powerful representations of family grief and loss which echo across the ages.

My mother’s brother died in Aden whilst on National Service in 1955. These family tributes from another era are the ones which, in all my St Mary’s War Memorial research, left the greatest impression on her, resonating with her emotions 60 years later.

These “In Memoriam” and “Roll of Honour” notices provide an accessible window into this aspect of the War, the emotions of those left behind. They are also a continuing legacy for family historians. They can provide service details, place and even circumstances of death, names and addresses of family members (including married sisters) and details of fiancées all of which can aid research.

Here is a selection from the local Batley newspapers[1].

Sources:

Batley News – various dates
Batley War Memorial photo by Jane Roberts

[1] These are not confined to those servicemen on the St Mary’s War Memorial

1 Comment

Posted in Ancestry, Batley, Birstall, Dewsbury, family history, Genealogy, In Memoriam, Newspapers, Remembrance, Roll of Honour, WW1

Tagged 11/11, Ancestry, Armistice Day, Batley, Birstall, Dewsbury, family history, genealogy, In Memoriam, Newspapers, November, Poppy Appeal, Remembrance, Roll of Honour, WW1

	pasttopresentgenealo… on Online Talk in April: Brontë C…
	Bridget on Online Talk in April: Brontë C…
	Lynette Mayman on I Left it too Late: Batley…
	pasttopresentgenealo… on The Mysterious Mr Marshall of…
	julie richardson on The Mysterious Mr Marshall of…

Category Archives: In Memoriam

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

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

St. Mary of the Angels, Batley: One-Place Study Update – 1 to 28 February 2026 Additions

St Mary of the Angels, Batley: One-Place Study Update – 1 to 30 November 2025 Additions

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

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

St Mary of the Angels, Batley: One-Place Study Update – 1 to 31 October 2023 Additions

A Grave Plot: Rest In Peace?

My New Book Collaboration: Commemorating Rugby League Players of The Great War

WW1 Remembrance in Verse: “In Memoriam” and “Roll of Honour” Newspaper Columns

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories

Meta

Copyright