You may not have come across the Red List of Endangered Crafts before. If you haven’t, the latest edition released in May 2023, is well worth checking out 👉🏻here.👈🏻 The crafts at risk might surprise you.
Published by Heritage Crafts, in Association with the Pilgrim Trust, the 2023 edition shows the incredible range of heritage craft skills we have in the UK. It also highlights the very real risk that many of these skills, which have passed through generations, could be lost forever. Some have indeed now gone, with mouth blown sheet glass making disappearing since the last list was produced in 2021, joining others which have previously disappeared, such as cricket ball making (hand stitched).
The list is divided into those crafts now extinct in the UK, those critically endangered and those endangered. On a more positive note there’s also a section covering those currently classed as viable – but it is something not to be complacent about.
The individual craft entries give a wealth of background information, including their historic area of significance, origin in the UK, history, techniques, issues affecting viability, and the number of currently known craftspeople still undertaking the work, with their names or business names (please support them!)
Some of the entries may come as a shock. For example one I would not have thought of was shoe and boot making. But we are talking traditional heritage crafts and craftspeople, rather than mass production.
Many are regional and/or niche, such as sgian dubh making – the hand making of the small, single-edged ‘black knife’ worn as part of traditional Scottish Highland dress. With Yorkshire’s brass band heritage, there’s also brass instrument making.
Some are linked to ways of life, like the waterway trading community with canal boat painting; traveller peoples and their Vardo art; and the fairground art associated with showmen and fairgrounds, with the historic associations to town feasts and feast weeks.
I was particularly drawn to silk weaving, something I have researched and written about in relation to historic child employment, the first part being here (with links to Parts 2-4).
And in my time working on military ceremonial contracts, albeit in the late 1980’s/early 1990s, a heritage craft I dealt with is plume making. In my day the manufacturers were Jaffé (still going), and the seemingly now-gone Appletons, where I believe Louis Chalmers of The Plumery, the other current manufacturer, undertook his training. Examples of this craft will have been seen during King Charles III’s coronation.
Rope making features too. As a frequent visitor to Hawes, I was saddened that Outhwaite & Sons closed last year. Pre-covid it was always part of our visit there, and included a museum where you could learn about, and watch, the process. Our rope bannister was made by them, as was our dog’s lead. On a positive note the company is being continued in some form by both Askrigg Ropes and Kefi Textiles. So I may still be able to get more dog leads for our pooch.
Ropemaking at Hawes, which closed in 2022 – photos by Jane Roberts
More about Outhwaites, its history and closure can be read in the Yorkshire Post article here.
It is important these crafts, handed down over generations, are supported and preserved, and that other business like Outhwaites are not lost in future. The Red List is part of this work.
This is the latest Batley St Mary’s one-place study update, looking at the posts added during April 2023. This update also contains links to all the posts in the study to date.
If you are new to to this one-place study and want to know what it is all about, click here. Otherwise read on to discover all the other posts, new and old, containing a wealth of parish, parishioner and wider local Batley history.
St Mary’s Church as seen from Batley Cemetery – photo by Jane Roberts
April 2023 saw a St Mary’s one-place study milestone – the 38th War Memorial biography was published, marking the halfway point for these. It was one of eight posts added in April, bringing the total number for the study to 236. Three others were updated.
These additions included four weekly newspaper pages for April 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.
Two new War Memorial biographies were added, John Leech and Michael Lydon. The latter was the 38th War Memorial biography. One further biography – that of John Brooks – was updated with some post-war information family information following the death of his mother in 1918.
More men who served and survived have been identified and are included in that section, though no new biographies were added here this month. They will follow in due course.
Reflecting Easter, a new post was added to the Miscellany of Information section. It deals with the food situation in 1917, including the tea-cake debate, and a suggested weekly meal menus for the family at a time of food shortages. It also covers the hot-cross bun crisis which was a concern for many in the run up to Easter.
The final addition this month is a new school log book, covering the Mixed Department in 1913.
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.
Finally for this month, 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.
Postscript: Finally a big thank you for the donations already received to keep this website going. They really do help.
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.
This is the latest Batley St Mary’s one-place study update, looking at the posts added in March 2023. The update also contains links to all the posts in the study to date.
If you are new to to this one-place study and want to know what it is all about, click here. Otherwise read on to discover all the other posts, new and old, containing a wealth of parish, parishioner and wider local Batley history.
St Mary’s Church – photo by Jane Roberts
March 2023 has been a busy month. It saw the addition of 10 new posts, bringing the total number for the study to 228. Seven others were updated.
The additions included five weekly newspaper pages for March 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.
This month there is one new Memorial biography, James Groark. More men who served and survived have been identified and are included in that section, though no new biographies were added here this month. They will follow in due course. And thanks to information received, a new man associated with the parish who lost his life in the War has been identified, Martin Flatley. He has therefore been added to the section covering Men Associated with St Mary’s Who Died but Who Are Not on the War Memorial. I very much appreciate it when people contact me with information about St Mary’s parishioners to include in this one-place study.
A new occupation post has been added this month – a colliery bye-worker (and other variants by which the job was known).
Following on from this, a new post has been added to the Miscellany of Information section, dealing with a coal mining accident with tragic consequences which involved four parishioners. With thanks to Joanne Harrison for allowing me to use a family photo for this piece.
If anyone does have any photos which could be included in this one-place study, they would be gratefully received.
The last couple of additions this month are two new school log books have been added for the Infants’ school, covering 1919 and 1920.
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.
Finally for this month, if you do have any information about, or photos of, parishioners from the period of the First World War, including any men who served (be it those who died or those who survived), or any parishioners who died in World War Two, it is always gratefully received.
Postscript: Finally a big thank you for the donations already received to keep this website going. They really do help.
The website has always been free to use, but it does cost me money to operate. In the current difficult economic climate I do have to consider if I can continue to afford to keep 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.
This is the latest Batley St Mary’s one-place study update, looking at the posts added in February 2023. The update also contains links to all the posts in the study to date.
If you are new to to this one-place study and want to know what it is all about, click here. Otherwise read on to discover all the other posts, new and old, containing a wealth of parish, parishioner and wider local Batley history.
St Mary’s Church – photo by Jane Roberts
February 2023 saw the addition of six new posts, bringing the total number for the study to 218. Two others were updated.
The additions included four weekly newspaper pages for February 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.
Unfortunately, because I have been in hospital throughout most of February, there have been no new Memorial biographies. And although more men who served and survived have been identified and that page includes these new names, no new biographies were added here this month either.
The posts which were added this month are a new occupation post – that of mason’s labourer. And the 1918 Infants’ School Log Book.
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: Finally a big thank you for the donations already received to keep this website going. They really do help.
The website has always been free to use, but it does cost me money to operate. In the current difficult economic climate I am considering if I can continue to afford to keep running it as a free resource, especially as I have to balance the research time against work commitments.
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.
This is the latest Batley St Mary’s one-place study update, looking at the posts added in January 2023. The update also contains links to all the posts in the study to date.
If you are new to to this one-place study and want to know what it is all about, click here. Otherwise read on to discover all the other posts, new and old, containing a wealth of parish, parishioner and wider local Batley history.
St Mary’s Church – photo by Jane Roberts
January 2023 saw the addition of nine new posts, bringing the total number for the study to 212. Three other pages were updated. Two other categories, looking at statistics for Batley and the parish of St Mary’s, were renamed.
The additions included four weekly newspaper pages for January 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.
January saw the addition of two new Memorial biographies, those for Arthur William Bayldon Woodhead and Martin Gallagher,
More men who served and survived have been identified and that page includes these new names. However, no new biographies were added here this month. They will follow in due course.
And this month there is an unusual tale in the Miscellany of Information section – a post about a bizarre crime which took place in Batley cemetery under cover of black-out darkness in 1942.
As for the renamed categories, Batley Descriptions now becomes Batley Statistics and Descriptions – Population, Health, Mortality, Fertility etc. It will cover general information about Batley. This will provide an overview of the town where St Mary of the Angels is located and therefore some more context to the lives of the parishioners. Two new posts have been added here. One looks at the population of Batley between 1801 and 1939. The other looks at Batley in the 1921 census, with all the changes wrought by the war.
The other renamed category is Population, Health, Mortality and Fertility, which has been renamed Batley St Mary’s Population, Health, Mortality and Fertility Information and Comparisons. This will look at population and health issues at a parish rather than town level, and may draw on information from the town section to enable comparisons.
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: Finally a big thank you for the donations already received to keep this website going. They really do help.
The website has always been free to use, but it does cost me money to operate. In the current difficult economic climate I am considering if I can continue to afford to keep running it as a free resource, especially as I have to balance the research time against work commitments.
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.
The Batley St Mary’s one-place study hit a major milestone in December 2022 – the two hundredth post was published, a little over two years after the study started. More of that later.
If you are new to to this one-place study and want to know what it is all about, click here. Otherwise read on to find out what the milestone post was, and discover all the other posts, new and old, containing a wealth of parish, parishioner and wider local Batley history.
St Mary’s Church – photo by Jane Roberts
December 2022 saw the addition of eight new posts, bringing the total number for the study to 203. Two other pages were updated.
The additions included five weekly newspaper pages for December 1916. 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 were also three new school log books added, for the infants’ department. These covered 1913, 1916 and 1917. And it is the 1917 log book which has the distinction of being the study’s two hundredth post.
Unfortunately, due to other work priorities, this month there were no new Memorial biographies. I hope to begin adding to them once more in the New Year, if time and work permits. And, although more men who served and survived have been identified and that page includes these new names, no new biographies were added here either.
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: My website has always been free to use, but it does cost me money to operate. In the current difficult economic climate I am considering whether I can continue to afford to keep running it as a free resource, especially given the time this research takes.
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.
This is the latest Batley St Mary’s one-place study update. If you want to know more about the background to this one-place study click here. Otherwise read on to discover all the posts, new and old, containing a wealth of parish, parishioner and wider local Batley history.
St Mary’s Church – photo by Jane Roberts
November 2022 saw the addition of six new posts, bringing the total number for the study to 195. Two other pages were updated.
The additions included four weekly newspaper pages for November 1916. 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 written two new War Memorial biographies, those of Thomas William Chappell and Henry Groark.
More men who served and survived have been identified. I have updated that page accordingly. No new biographies were added here in November, but they will follow in due course.
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: My website has always been free to use, but it does cost me money to operate. In the current difficult economic climate I’m having to consider whether I can continue to afford to keep 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.
This is the latest Batley St Mary’s one-place study update. If you want to know more about the background to this one-place study click here. Otherwise read on to discover all the posts, new and old, containing a wealth of parish, parishioner and wider local Batley history.
St Mary’s Church – photo by Jane Roberts
October 2022 saw the addition of seven new posts, bringing the total number for the study to 189. Two other pages were updated.
The additions included four weekly newspaper pages for October 1916. 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 written one new War Memorial biography, that of Patrick Hopkins.
More men who served and survived have been identified. I have updated that page accordingly. No new biographies were added here in October.
The Infant School log book for 1915 has been added to the School Log Books section.
Finally for this month there is one new piece in the Miscellany of Information section, about the Batley Peace Medal. Although written from a St Mary’s perspective, this is of far wider Batley local history interest.
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: My website has always been free to use, but it does cost me money to operate. In the current difficult economic climate I’m having to consider whether I can continue to afford to keep 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.
This is the latest update of the pages relating to my Batley St Mary’s one-place study. If you want to know more about the background to my one-place study click here. Otherwise read on to discover all the posts, new and old, containing a wealth of parish, parishioner and wider local Batley history.
St Mary’s Church – photo by Jane Roberts
September 2022 saw the addition of 10 new posts, bringing the total number for the study to 182. Two other pages were updated.
The additions included five weekly newspaper pages for September 1916. 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 written two new biographies for War Memorial men – Michael and Patrick Cafferty. There is also a new biography for a parishioner who died but is not on the Memorial – Thomas Gannon
More men who served and survived have been identified. I have updated that page accordingly. One new biography has been added to this section in September – that of another Thomas Gannon.
Finally for this month there is one new piece in the Miscellany of Information section, about the 1929 service of consecration of the church and the new altar.
Below is the full list of pages to date. I have annotated the *NEW* ones, plus the *UPDATED* pages, so you can easily pick these out. Click on the link and it will take you straight to the relevant page.
Postscript: If you have enjoyed reading this post and would like to make a donation towards ensuring the continued running of this website, it would be very much appreciated.
Please click here to be taken to the PayPal donation link.
This is the latest update of the pages relating to my Batley St Mary’s one-place study. If you want to know the background and what this one-place study involves click here. Otherwise, read on and dive right into the latest monthly update.
St Mary’s Church, the old school and convent – photo by Jane Roberts
August 2022 saw the addition of eight new posts, bringing the total number to 172. Two others were updated.
The additions included four weekly newspaper pages for August 1916. 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 written two new biographies for a War Memorial man – those of James Garner and James Trainor.
More men who served and survived have been identified. I have updated that page accordingly. No new biographies for these men have been added this month. They will follow in due course.
Finally for this month there are two new school log books. These are for the Boys’ Department in 1920 and the Infant School in 1914.
Below is the full list of pages to date. I have annotated the *NEW* ones, plus the *UPDATED* pages, so you can easily pick these out. Click on the link and it will take you straight to the relevant page.
Postscript: If you have enjoyed reading this post and would like to make a donation towards ensuring the continued running of this website, it would be very much appreciated.
Please click here to be taken to the PayPal donation link.
Past To Present Genealogy 