The May Queens of Batley St Mary of the Angels

For a number of years in May, St Mary of the Angels held a service in honour of Our Lady, during which a procession took place and the statue of Our Lady would be crowned by a girl chosen to be the May Queen, an office which would last for a year. Traditionally this ceremony happened on the first Sunday in May. The May Queen would also have a prominent role in the Whitsuntide procession, if held.

This ceremony has long since lapsed, but in its time it was a huge event in parish life – described as one of the most picturesque services of the Catholic Church. It was so popular that the church often could not accommodate all the crowds of people who turned out for the crowning ceremony.

In this section of the website I will, as far as possible, list the May Queens. I fear it will not be full coverage as I’ve not found a single go-to listing. It’s very much a case of me trying to cobble together from multiple sources what information is out there. It means there will inevitably be gaps. If available I will also include a description of that year’s ceremony, with the names of the other participants. If there is no description of the ceremony, and there is one of the Whitsuntide pageant in which the May Queen participated, I will include that.

As I add each year, the links will be included below.

LIST OF MAY QUEENS, WITH LINKS (WHERE AVAILABLE) TO THE YEAR’S CEREMONY
This will be updated as the names are added.

If you do have any memories, photos, or information which I could include please do email me at: pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com.

And it would be great if any of the former May Queens would like to write down their memories of their time in that role to also include in this section.