These are the history pieces which appeared in the Batley St. Mary of the Angels and Birstall St. Patrick’s bulletin during June 2026. As the parishes are jointly administered and a single bulletin produced, the history pieces are not solely focused on St. Mary of the Angels, although St. Patrick’s was not formed as a separate parish until 1905. Prior to that it was part of St. Mary’s.
As part of the St. Mary of the Angels One-Place Study I have written in more detail about some of these events, and where this is the case the link to the fuller piece is included.
06/07 June 2026
On Saturday 06 June 1953, Members of the St. Mary’s Union of Catholic Mothers organised a party for about 180 children and 80 mothers in the Parochial Hall. About 60 children took part in a fancy-dress parade, which was judged by Father Gallon. In addition to a present from Father Gallon, the children received 6d., ice-cream, souvenirs and sweets. Prizes were awarded to the fancy-dress winners, and for statue dancing and games. After tea there was a short show given by John Breslin, Robert Travers, Peter Jones and Robert Mullins.
Jane Roberts – Parish Historian, Website: https://pasttopresentgenealogy.co.uk
13/14 June 2026
On 16 June 1890 the Right Rev. Dr. William Gordon became the second Bishop of Leeds. Only the day before, Sunday 15 June, he celebrated mass and preached at his former parish of Batley St. Mary of the Angels. Born in Thirsk in 1831, he was ordained in 1859. He was appointed parish priest of St. Mary’s in 1872 following Fr. Rigby’s sudden death in a train accident. He was there until late 1878, latterly with his brother Rev. Charles Gordon as his curate. During his time at St. Mary’s, he oversaw the furnishing of the newly built parish church and the expansion of the schools, as well as bringing the Sisters of St. Vincent de Paul to the parish. He remained Bishop of Leeds until his death on 07 June 1911.
Jane Roberts – Parish Historian, Website: https://pasttopresentgenealogy.co.uk
20/21 June 2026
Father Bernard (Brian) O’Reilly of St. Patrick’s was in the news in Ireland this month in 1951, alongside his three brothers and uncle – who were also priests. Born in 1920 in Moyne, on the County Longford/County Cavan border, he was ordained in 1945 and came to Birstall shortly afterwards as curate to Father John Molony. The Irish Independent described Birstall as a textile and market town with 8,000 people, 1,300 being Catholics. It said Father O’Reilly was a keen cyclist, and although Birstall was hilly, his bicycle enabled him to do the maximum amount of visiting without being late for meals. He left Birstall in 1958, thereafter having spells at Hebden Bridge and Goldthorpe, before returning to Birstall in 1968 as St. Patrick’s parish priest.
Jane Roberts – Parish Historian, Website: https://pasttopresentgenealogy.co.uk
27/28 June 2026
At the end of June 1931 there were Catholic school successes for both parishes in the County Minor Examinations. These included for former St. Patrick’s pupil Eric Markey, aged 11, the son of Mr. and Mrs. George Markey, of Gomersal, who was now at St. Bede’s. And three St. Mary’s pupils – 10-year-olds Maria Scanlon and Monica Houston, and 11-year-old Hilda Cairns – who won scholarships for Notre Dame College, Leeds.
Jane Roberts – Parish Historian, Website: https://pasttopresentgenealogy.co.uk
30/31 May 2026
On 05 June 1929 the Mayor of Batley, Councillor C.R. Spedding, took a group of Batley schoolboys on a visit to Goole docks. The two St. Mary’s representatives were Michael Munns and Martin Gallagher. They travelled to Goole in one of the luxurious new “Lion” type “Yorkshire” buses. One highlight was travelling through the docks on the “Ouse Tender” and watching the steamship “Nidd” being loaded with several tons of rags from James Spedding and Son, the firm of Batley rag merchants headed by the mayor. They watched coal being loaded, visited the docks’ engineering works and a power station. Tea was provided at the Lowther Hotel, before the return trip to Batley.
Jane Roberts – Parish Historian, Website: https://pasttopresentgenealogy.co.uk
Past To Present Genealogy 