Tag Archives: genealogy

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

Posted on December 1, 2024 | Leave a comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

I can be contacted at: pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

Biographies: Those who Served and Survived (this includes a list of those identified to date and who will later have dedicated biographical pages) *UPDATED*
60. Patrick Cassidy
61. James Delaney
62. Thomas Donlan (senior)
63. Thomas Gannon
64. Michael Rush

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Loose Ends of Family History

Posted on November 22, 2024 | Leave a comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*A chance to explore what makes your family tree*

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted on November 20, 2024 | Leave a comment

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

Charles the Pigeon and a Yorkshire Spy.
Local Links to the Lusitania.
My Batley St Mary’s One-Place Study. (Covers the history of the Irish in Batley and the Catholic parish of Batley St Mary of the Angels until turn of the 20th century).
The Home Front: the White Lee Explosion of 1914 and the Unlucky History of the Site (available from September 2026).
Tips for Researching your Great War Ancestors. This is based around my book about Northern Union – rugby league – players killed in the First World War. For local history groups, I can drop the research tips aspect, and base the talk solely about the players.
How to Research your Family Tree. This talk will help those embarking on their family history journey, but it will also provide useful reminders and advice for those who have already started out on their ancestral adventure.

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

Charles the Pigeon and a Yorkshire Spy is the story of an unsung Yorkshire hero, living behind enemy lines and carrying out works of espionage and sabotage during World War One. His adopted pigeon Charles played an important part in these wartime exploits. Their daring deeds are more like a boy’s adventure story than real life. But this is a true tale of wartime courage, and one which deserves wider telling.

Local Links to the Lusitania focuses on people with Yorkshire connections on board the Cunard liner, torpedoed and sunk off the Irish coast on 7 May 1915. The sinking did not affect only the rich and famous. Many Yorkshire people were involved. This talk explores some of their stories.

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

My Batley St Mary’s talk is based around my one-place study into the Catholic parish of St Mary of the Angels, with a focus on its early history and period up to the 1880s. It investigates what a one-place study is, why I embarked on one, why I chose this particular study, as well as my findings – including the Irish migration angle, how they were received locally, the building of the church, all with a focus on ordinary parishioners.

The Home Front: the White Lee Explosion of 1914 is a talk based around the events of December 1914 when a devastating explosion, caused during the manufacture of picric acid for the war effort, took place at White Lee. It resulted in deaths and injuries, as well as damage across a vast area of Batley, Heckmondwike and the Spen Valley. It is an event often overlooked because of later explosions in Yorkshire at Low Moor and Barnbow. This talk aims to provide more information about this Heavy Woollen District incident, the forerunner to the later explosions. The talk will explore the unlucky history of the site, as well as the events on the day and the aftermath.

Based on my groundbreaking book The Greatest Sacrifice: Fallen Heroes of the Northern Union about rugby league players who died in World War One, the talk investigates the stories behind some of the men. It is also packed with tips for researching your own Great War Army ancestors.

In this talk I will guide you through building your family tree. I will cover the basics to help you start your research on the right track, give you lots of tips, help you avoid those all-important pitfalls, and provide ideas for taking your research further. If required, I can slant this talk towards Yorkshire ancestral research.

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

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

Tagged family history, genealogy, Local History, Talks

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

Posted on November 1, 2024 | Leave a comment

Despite it being an extremely busy work month during October, I did add five new posts to the Batley St Mary of the Angels One-Place Study, bringing the total number to 363 posts. In addition to the five new posts, a further three were updated.

This update contains the list of all the St Mary’s posts published up to the end of October 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.

Yet again no new War Memorial biographies have been added this month. I know I keep saying it, but I really do hope to write some for next month, work permitting. One though, Robert Randerson, was updated. And I have added more parishioners to the list of those who served in, and survived, the First World War section, so this list has been updated too.

And the other October additions are in the During This Week newspaper section, with four new pages covering the editions of the Batley News published during the month of October 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.

And this month I have a question about the newspaper round-up pieces. I will continue to add the Batley News ones for the First World War period beyond the Armistice date of 11 November 1918. I plan to continue to the end of 1918. My question is, what should I do after that?

Should I continue with the Batley News to June 1919 and the official ending of the war, or should I end at 31 December 1918?
If I end at 31 December 1918, should I then start with the Batley Reporter from August 1914 to December 1918? Whilst there is some overlap between the two newspapers, there are some significant differences too.
Or should I start with the Batley News for the Second World War (September 1939 to September 1945). If that is the preferred option, I may have to edit it down as there will be so much relevant to St Mary’s.

Please do let me know. Either email me at the contact details towards the end of this piece. Or send a comment via the WordPress comments option. Or if you are reading this on Facebook or X (formerly Twitter), just leave a comment 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.

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 *UPDATED*
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

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

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

Maps and Photographs
290. Aerial View of St Mary’s Church and the Surrounding Streets
291. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1894
292. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1907
293. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1922
294. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1933

Miscellany of Information
295. A Colliery Accident with Tragic Consequences
296. A Grave Disturbance in Batley
297. A Part of St Mary of the Angels in Batley Cemetery
298. A “Peace” of Batley History
299. An Appeal to Ireland to Build a Catholic Church in Batley
300. 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
301. A St Mary’s School Sensation
302. A St Mary’s School Trip Souvenir
303. Batley’s Secret Irish Society and the Ammunition Seizure
304. Batley St Mary’s First Torchlight Procession
305. “Daddy’s Death and then Triplets”
306. Heritage Impact Assessment: St Mary’s Catholic Primary School and Convent, Batley
307. Hot-Cross Buns and the Yorkshire Tea-Cake Dilemma. Plus A Suggested Meal Planner for Batley Families in 1917
308. Into the Valley of Death – One of the Six Hundred *NEW*
309. St Mary of the Angels Catholic Church – 1929 Consecration Service
310. The Consequences of a Refusal to Work in 1918
311. The Controversial Role Played by St Mary’s Schoolchildren in the 1907 Batley Pageant
312. The Earliest Published Account of Batley St Mary’s Church and Schools
313. The Great War: A Brief Overview of What Led Britain into the War
314. The Unholy row between St Mary’s Church and the Batley and Birstall Irish Clubs
315. Thomas Ate My Rat
316. Willie and Edward Barber – Poems

Occupations and Employment Information
317. Occupations: Colliery Byeworker/Byeworkman/Byworker/Bye-Worker/By-Worker
318. Occupations: Confidential Clerk
319. Occupations: Lamp Cleaner
320. Occupations: Limelight Operator
321. Occupations: Mason’s Labourer
322. Occupations: Office Boy/Girl
323. Occupations: Piecer/Piecener
324. Occupations: Rag Grinder
325. Occupations: Willeyer

The Bulletin of St Mary of the Angels and Birstall St Patrick – Parish History Section
350. March 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
351. April 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
352. May 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
353. June 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
354. July 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
355. August 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
356. September 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
357. October 2024 Bulletin History Pieces *NEW*

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

World War Two
360. World War Two Chronology of Deaths
361. Thomas Egan
362. Michael Flatley
363. William Smith

Leave a comment

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

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

Posted on October 1, 2024 | 2 comments

Last month I added a Batley St Mary’s One-Place Study post about a parishioner who was one of only around 600 nationwide to participate in an event in British history which is still famous – and taught in schools – today. This includes at St Mary’s. But, until my post, the parishioner’s role had been long-forgotten. More of that later.

In all six new posts were added during September 2024, bringing the total number to 358 posts. This update contains the list of all the St Mary’s posts published up to the end of September 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.

In addition to the six new posts, a further two were updated.

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

Yet again no new War Memorial biographies have been added this month. I really do hope to write some for next month, work permitting. I have, however, updated the names of parishioners who served in, and survived, the First World War section, as more men were identified during September.

As I have mentioned, there is one major new post which can be found in the Miscellany of Information section. It is about a parishioner who took part in the famous Charge of the Light Brigade on 25 October 1854. It really is well worth reading.

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 September 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

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

Electoral Registers 1918-1921
284. 1918 Batley Electoral Register, North Ward, Polling Districts A and B – Naval and Military Voters

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

Maps and Photographs
286. Aerial View of St Mary’s Church and the Surrounding Streets
287. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1894
288. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1907
289. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1922
290. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1933

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

Occupations and Employment Information
313. Occupations: Colliery Byeworker/Byeworkman/Byworker/Bye-Worker/By-Worker
314. Occupations: Confidential Clerk
315. Occupations: Lamp Cleaner
316. Occupations: Limelight Operator
317. Occupations: Mason’s Labourer
318. Occupations: Office Boy/Girl
319. Occupations: Piecer/Piecener
320. Occupations: Rag Grinder
321. Occupations: Willeyer

The Bulletin of St Mary of the Angels and Birstall St Patrick – Parish History Section
346. March 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
347. April 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
348. May 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
349. June 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
350. July 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
351. August 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
352. September 2024 Bulletin History Pieces *NEW*

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

World War Two
355. World War Two Chronology of Deaths
356. Thomas Egan
357. Michael Flatley
358. William Smith

2 Comments

Posted in 19th Century, 20th Century, Ancestry, Batley, Birstall, Catholic, County Mayo, Family History, Genealogy, Great War, History, Home Front, Ireland, Local History, Occupations, One-Place Study, Remembrance, Roll of Honour, 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 August 2024 Additions

Posted on September 1, 2024 | Leave a comment

August 2024 has seen the addition of a key history post to the Batley St Mary of the Angels One-Place Study, alongside the usual eclectic mix of topics. It was also the month that the study topped 350 posts. This update contains the list of all the St Mary’s posts published up to the end of August 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 August 2024, bringing the total number of study posts to 352. Two other posts were updated.

These additions and updates included five new weekly newspaper pages for August 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, however, updated the names of parishioners who served in, and survived, the First World War section, as more men were identified during August.

There is one major new post in the Miscellany of Information section. It is the earliest written account of the history of the parish and school of St Mary of the Angels I have found, dating from 1898.

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

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

Electoral Registers 1918-1921
280. 1918 Batley Electoral Register, North Ward, Polling Districts A and B – Naval and Military Voters

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

Maps and Photographs
282. Aerial View of St Mary’s Church and the Surrounding Streets
283. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1894
284. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1907
285. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1922
286. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1933

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

Occupations and Employment Information
308. Occupations: Colliery Byeworker/Byeworkman/Byworker/Bye-Worker/By-Worker
309. Occupations: Confidential Clerk
310. Occupations: Lamp Cleaner
311. Occupations: Limelight Operator
312. Occupations: Mason’s Labourer
313. Occupations: Office Boy/Girl
314. Occupations: Piecer/Piecener
315. Occupations: Rag Grinder
316. Occupations: Willeyer

The Bulletin of St Mary of the Angels and Birstall St Patrick – Parish History Section
341. March 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
342. April 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
343. May 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
344. June 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
345. July 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
346. August 2024 Bulletin History Pieces *NEW*

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

World War Two
349. World War Two Chronology of Deaths
350. Thomas Egan
351. Michael Flatley
352. William Smith

Leave a comment

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

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

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

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 30 June 2024 Additions

Posted on July 1, 2024 | 1 comment

June 2024 has been my busiest month ever for new posts in Batley St Mary of the Angels One-Place Study. This update contains the list of all the St Mary’s posts published up to the end of last month , including links to them, with June’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.

16 new posts were added during June 2024, bringing the total number of study posts to 338. Two other posts were updated. There’s also a new one-place study section, where I will write about the history of some of Batley’s public buildings and institutions which would have been familiar to the St Mary’s parishioners.

These additions and updates included five new weekly newspaper pages for June 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.

One new War Memorial biography has been added this month, James Hughes. I have also updated the names of parishioners who served in, and survived, the First World War section, as more men were identified during June.

There are two new posts in the Miscellany of Information section, about the first Torchlight Procession. So if you want to know about why this annual parish event started, and read about that inaugural procession, head over to that post. The other is about a famous parishioner, Thomas Cassidy, who was a record-breaking rat catcher. And with the General Election on 4 July, his polling booth exploits are something well worth reading about!

The first posts have been added to the Maps and Photographs section. These include four new maps depicting the area around St Mary’s church and schools from the 1890s to the 1930s. There is also an aerial photo from the 1960s.

There is a new post in the Bulletin for Batley St Mary of the Angels and Birstall St Patrick section – it is the parish history snippets which were included in the bulletins during June 2024.

The final two posts can be found in the public buildings and institutions section. One is about the first 50 years of Batley’s hospital – particularly relevant as the first ever patient treated in the initial cottage hospital was a St Mary’s parishioner. The other is the scene of much success for St Mary’s school children – the public baths. Sadly neither of these buildings function today. The hospital has for years stood derelict, crumbling and in 2017 the scene of a fire. There are plans – apparently – to turn it into apartments. The Grade II Listed public baths stand empty, victims of Kirklees Council cuts.

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 *NEW*
3. The Early History of Batley’s Public Baths *NEW*

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 *NEW*
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

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

Electoral Registers 1918-1921
271. 1918 Batley Electoral Register, North Ward, Polling Districts A and B – Naval and Military Voters

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

Maps and Photographs
273. Aerial View of St Mary’s Church and the Surrounding Streets *NEW*
274. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1894 *NEW*
275. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1907 *NEW*
276. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1922 *NEW*
277. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1933 *NEW*

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

Occupations and Employment Information
296. Occupations: Colliery Byeworker/Byeworkman/Byworker/Bye-Worker/By-Worker
297. Occupations: Confidential Clerk
298. Occupations: Lamp Cleaner
299. Occupations: Limelight Operator
300. Occupations: Mason’s Labourer
301. Occupations: Office Boy/Girl
302. Occupations: Piecer/Piecener
303. Occupations: Rag Grinder
304. Occupations: Willeyer

The Bulletin of St Mary of the Angels and Birstall St Patrick – Parish History Section
329. March 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
330. April 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
331. May 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
332. June 2024 Bulletin History Pieces *NEW*

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

World War Two
335. World War Two Chronology of Deaths
336. Thomas Egan
337. Michael Flatley
338. William Smith

1 Comment

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

Christmas is Coming….

Posted on June 15, 2024 | Leave a comment

Yes, I know it’s only June and the Festive Season might seem a million miles away – though the weather might seem drab enough for winter, with summer so far seemingly deciding to give this year a miss. But if you do want to guarantee some family, local or house history research before Christmas, now’s the time to start making those booking enquiries. Because you will find that popular, expert researchers are in great demand, and they do get booked up months in advance.

Whilst I do my best to slot in requests for last-minute pieces of research, I am already taking bookings for work to start in late September. In fact, I’ve already a piece of work scheduled for December completion.

So if you’re wanting to commission a piece of research for a Christmas gift or, come to that, for any upcoming special occasion or ancestral visit, please get in touch as soon as possible to discuss your requirements.

To re-write a well-known nursery rhyme:

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat,
If you want to research 3x great grandad John, now’s the time for that.
Brick wall, house walls, trees – root and branches too,
Get in touch, book it in, to find out what makes you.

*Christmas Goose at the Crachits – Illustration from “The Jones Fourth Reader”* (https://archive.org/details/the-jones-fourth-reader)
*Wikimedia Commons Public Domain Image*

My research services and fees can be found here.

And here’s more about my research background.

Leave a comment

Posted in Ancestral Tourism, Ancestry, Family History, Genealogy, House History, Local History, Professional Genelaogist

Tagged Ancestry, family history, genealogy, House History, Local History, Professional Genealogist

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

Posted on June 1, 2024 | 1 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 May 2024 , including links to them, with May’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.

Six posts were added during May 2024, bringing the total number of study posts to 322. Two other posts were updated.

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

There is one new post in the Miscellany of Information section. This is a post about the harsh consequences of refusing to work, even if ill. It does not have a happy ending.

There final post this month is in the Bulletin for Batley St Mary of the Angels and Birstall St Patrick section – it is the parish history snippets which were included in the bulletins during May 2024.

No new biographies have been added this month. However, the final updated post is to the men who served and survived the First World War section, with more men being identified during May.

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
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
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
263. 1918 Batley Electoral Register, North Ward, Polling Districts A and B – Naval and Military Voters

Guest Contributions
264. Memories of Skelsey Row – by Brian Foley *NEW*

Miscellany of Information
265. A Colliery Accident with Tragic Consequences
266. A Grave Disturbance in Batley
267. A Part of St Mary of the Angels in Batley Cemetery
268. A “Peace” of Batley History
269. An Appeal to Ireland to Build a Catholic Church in Batley
270. 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
271. A St Mary’s School Sensation
272. Batley’s Secret Irish Society and the Ammunition Seizure
273. “Daddy’s Death and then Triplets”
274. Heritage Impact Assessment: St Mary’s Catholic Primary School and Convent, Batley
275. Hot-Cross Buns and the Yorkshire Tea-Cake Dilemma. Plus A Suggested Meal Planner for Batley Families in 1917
276. St Mary of the Angels Catholic Church – 1929 Consecration Service
277. The Consequences of a Refusal to Work in 1918 *NEW*
278. The Controversial Role Played by St Mary’s Schoolchildren in the 1907 Batley Pageant
279. The Great War: A Brief Overview of What Led Britain into the War
280. Willie and Edward Barber – Poems

Occupations and Employment Information
281. Occupations: Colliery Byeworker/Byeworkman/Byworker/Bye-Worker/By-Worker
282. Occupations: Confidential Clerk
283. Occupations: Lamp Cleaner
284. Occupations: Limelight Operator
285. Occupations: Mason’s Labourer
286. Occupations: Office Boy/Girl
287. Occupations: Piecer/Piecener
288. Occupations: Rag Grinder
289. Occupations: Willeyer

The Bulletin of St Mary of the Angels and Birstall St Patrick – Parish History Section
314. March 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
315. April 2024 Bulletin History Pieces
316. May 2024 Bulletin History Pieces *NEW*

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

World War Two
319. World War Two Chronology of Deaths
320. Thomas Egan
321. Michael Flatley
322. William Smith

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

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