Tag Archives: Schools

St. Mary of the Angels, Batley: One-Place Study Update – 1 to 30 September 2026 Additions

Posted on October 1, 2026 | Leave a comment

The summer holidays are over, so I managed to add a few more posts to the Batley St. Mary of the Angels one-place study in September. The six new posts for the month brings the total number to 492. Two other posts were updated.

Also, thank you to all who attended my talk at St. Mary’s school on Monday 28th September about the early history of the parish and the Irish in Batley. And thank you to Father Eamonn, plus Phil and Jane from the school for facilitating it, and to Stacy who gave up her time to serve tea and coffee. It was a lovely evening, and it was great to be able to put this talk on in the parish.

As I mentioned in the talk, if anyone does have any parish photos, history information or comments on the pieces I have already written they are always welcome. Sourcing photos is particularly tricky, but they really do add colour to the pieces. I am even happy to host guest pieces, such as the one about Skelsey Row written by Brian Foley.

Also, if you came to the Batley cemetery Heritage Open Day event organised by Batley History Group on 20th September, you may have heard me talking about Batley’s nationally acclaimed rat catcher, Thomas Patrick Cassidy. A St. Mary’s parishioner, I have written about him here.

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

I added three posts to the In the Spotlight Section, all about the various amateur dramatic productions in the parish – one is from the 1930s, another from the 1940s and the third is from the 1950s. They include names of many who took part, as well as some photographs too. But is you have other photos, the would be much appreciated. One of the updated posts is the overall section header, which includes details of, and links to, all the posts to date in the section.

The two other pieces are in the May Queen section. They relate to the 1936 and 1937 ceremonies, and again include names and photographs. The second updated posts is the overall section header piece, which has details of and links to all the May Queen posts I have written to date.

As for what is in the pipeline, other than some am-dram pieces I’m working on, next month I hope to re-commence adding some school photos.

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

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

Postscript:
I may not be able to thank you personally because of your contact detail confidentiality, but I do want to say how much I appreciate the donations received which have kept this website going over recent years. They really and truly have helped, and I am incredibly grateful for that support. Thank you.

The website has always been free to use, and if at all possible I want to continue this policy going forward. However, it does cost me money to operate – from undertaking the research and writing it up which can be around 20-30 hours a month, purchasing resources and documents, visiting archives, right down to website hosting costs, which given the number of photos I include pushes those up. It is something I have to consider going forward, given the tough economic climate and an impending unexpected downturn in family finances later this year.

If my website has helped with your family history research, or if you have simply enjoyed reading the various pieces and looking at these photos, please do consider making a donation towards keeping it up and running. No matter how small it really does help and it may make the difference in enabling me to keep everything online in this format.

Please click here be taken to the PayPal donation link. By making a donation you will be helping to keep the website online, updated with new pieces, and freely available for all.

Another way to help is you might want to consider commissioning me to undertake some research for you. My day job is as a self-employed professionally qualified genealogist and house historian. You can find me on the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (AGRA) pages. So, if you would like me to undertake any family, local or house history research for you do please get in touch. More information can be found on my research services page.

Thank you.

Finally, if you do have any information about the parish history, or related photos (I cannot emphasise enough how difficult sourcing photos is), please do get in touch. This includes for any of the pieces I have already written.

I can be contacted at: pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

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

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

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

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

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

Biographies: The War Memorial Men
12. Edward Barber
13. William Barber (Memorial name spelling)
14. Herbert Booth
15. Edmund Battye
16. Dominick (aka George) Brannan
17. Michael Brannan
18. John Brooks
19. Michael Cafferty
20. Patrick Cafferty
21. John William Callaghan
22. Lawrence Carney
23. Martin Carney
24. Thomas William Chappell
25. William Colbeck
26. Michael Cunningham
27. Thomas Curley
28. Peter Doherty
29. Thomas Dolan
30. Thomas Donlan
31. James Edwards
32. John W. Enright
33. Mathew Farrer
34. Thomas Finneran
35. Michael Flynn
36. Thomas Foley D.C.M.
37. Martin Gallagher
38. James Garner
39. Harold Gaunt
40. James Gavaghan
41. Peter Gavaghan (1)
42. Peter Gavaghan (2)
43. Thomas Gavaghan
44. Henry Groark
45. James Groark
46. Michael Groark (also known as Rourke)
47. James Griffin
48. William Hargreaves
49. Michael Hopkins
50. Patrick Hopkins
51. Michael Horan
52. James Hughes
53. Lawrence Judge
54. William Kelly
55. John Leech
56. Michael Lydon
57. John Thomas Lynch
58. Patrick Lyons
William McManus – See William Townsend below
59. Thomas McNamara
60. Clement Manning
61. Patrick Naifsey
62. Austin Nolan
63. Robert Randerson
64. James Rush
65. Moses Stubley
66. William Townsend, also known as McManus
67. James Trainor
68. Richard Carroll Walsh
69. 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)
70. Patrick Cassidy
71. James Delaney
72. Thomas Donlan (senior)
73. Thomas Gannon
74. Michael Rush

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

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

In the Spotlight: Am Dram, Opera and Concerts *UPDATED*
310.1901 – St. Mary’s Schools’ St. Patrick’s Day Concert
311. 1930 – “The “Gondoliers” by St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church Choir *NEW*
312. 1946 – “The Bohemian Girl” by St. Mary’s Amateur Operatic Society, Produced by Anthony “Tom” Farrar *NEW*
313. 1947 – “The Grand Duchess” by St. Mary’s Amateur Operatic Society *NEW*
314. 1947 – “The Grand Duchess” by St. Mary’s Amateur Operatic Society
315.1948 – St. Mary’s Amateur Operatic Society Presents “Our Miss Gibbs”
316.1952 – The Bohemian Girl, St. Mary’s Schoolboys
317 The St Mary’s Amateur Operatic Society 1950 Production of The Gondoliers
318.The 1951 St Mary’s School Production of Maritana for Fr. O’Brien

Maps and Photographs
319. A Description of the Parish Boundaries
320. Aerial View of St Mary’s Church and the Surrounding Streets
321. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1894
322. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1907
323. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1922
324. Batley St Mary’s – Map Published in 1933

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

Occupations and Employment Information
360. Occupations: Colliery Byeworker/Byeworkman/Byworker/Bye-Worker/By-Worker
361. Occupations: Confidential Clerk
362. Occupations: Lamp Cleaner
363. Occupations: Limelight Operator
364. Occupations: Mason’s Labourer
365. Occupations: Office Boy/Girl
366. Occupations: Piecer/Piecener
367. Occupations: Rag Grinder
368. Occupations: Willeyer

School Photos
393. Photo No1
394. Photo No2
395. Photo No3
396. Photo No4
397. Photo No5
398. Photo No6
399. Photo No7
400. Photo No8
401. Photo No9
402. Photo No10
403. Photo No11
404. Photo No12
405. Photo No13
406. Photo No14
407. Photo No15
408. Photo No16
409. Photo No17
410. Photo No18
411. Photo No19
412. Photo No20
413. Photo No21
414. Photo No22
415. Photo No23
416. Photo No24
417. Photo No25
418. Photo No26
419. Photo No27
420. Photo No28
421. Photo No29
422. Photo No30
423. Photo No31
424. Photo No32
425. Photo No33
426. Photo No34
427. Photo No35
428. Photo No36
429. Photo No37
430. Photo No38
431. Photo No39
432. Photo No40

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

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

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

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

Posted on September 1, 2026 | Leave a comment

Despite the summer holidays, gorgeous weather and time off, four more posts were added to the Batley St. Mary of the Angels one-place study in August. This brings the total number to 486. One other post was updated.

I also have news of a parish history event. To mark the 75th anniversary of the Batley St. Mary of the Angels Torchlight Procession, and to celebrate our wonderful parish history, I will be giving a talk about the early history of St. Mary’s and the Irish in Batley up until around the 1880s. This will take place on: Monday 28th September in the St. Mary’s School Hall. Doors open from 6pm for tea and coffee, and the talk will start at 6.30pm. Including time for questions it will last for around 1 hour. The talk is FREE. With thanks to Father Eamonn and the school for facilitating this.

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

I have added a new post about the history of a building integral to the parish community, the Parochial Hall. Parishioners across the ages have used it for wedding receptions, baptism celebrations, funeral teas, dances, sales of work, theatrical productions, torchlight procession pie and pea suppers, even school dinners. You can find out all about its early years in the Miscellany of Information section.

On the subject of theatrical productions a new post as been added to the In the Spotlight section – the 1947 St. Mary’s Amateur Operatic Society’s production of The Grand Duchess. The piece has names of many of those who played a part, either on stage or behind the scenes. There is even a cast photo. The updated post is the overall section header.

The final piece for August is a War Memorial biography, that of William Kelly who died in 1918 and is buried in Batley Cemetery,

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.

The website has always been free to use, and if at all possible I want to continue this policy going forward. However, it does cost me money to operate – from undertaking the research and writing it up which can be around 20-30 hours a month, purchasing resources and documents, visiting archives, right down to website hosting costs, which given the number of photos I include pushes those costs up. It is something I have to consider going forward, given the tough economic climate and the squeeze on my family finances.

If my website has helped with your family history research, or if you have simply enjoyed reading the various pieces and looking at these photos, please do consider making a donation towards keeping the website up and running in its current open access format. No matter how small it really does help in reducing my own personal financial input, and it would be very much appreciated.

Please click here be taken to the PayPal donation link. By making a donation you will be helping to keep the website online, updated with new pieces, and freely available for all.

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

Thank you.

Finally, if you do have any information about the parish history, or photos, please do get in touch. This includes for any of the pieces I have already written, as sourcing photos is particularly difficult.

I can be contacted at: pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

In the Spotlight: Am Dram, Opera and Concerts *UPDATED*
310. 1901 – St. Mary’s Schools’ St. Patrick’s Day Concert
311. 1947 – “The Grand Duchess” by St. Mary’s Amateur Operatic Society *NEW*
312. 1948 – St. Mary’s Amateur Operatic Society Presents “Our Miss Gibbs”
313. 1952 – The Bohemian Girl, St. Mary’s Schoolboys
314. The St Mary’s Amateur Operatic Society 1950 Production of The Gondoliers
315. The 1951 St Mary’s School Production of Maritana for Fr. O’Brien

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

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

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

School Photos
390. Photo No1
391. Photo No2
392. Photo No3
393. Photo No4
394. Photo No5
395. Photo No6
396. Photo No7
397. Photo No8
398. Photo No9
399. Photo No10
400. Photo No11
401. Photo No12
402. Photo No13
403. Photo No14
404. Photo No15
405. Photo No16
406. Photo No17
407. Photo No18
408. Photo No19
409. Photo No20
410. Photo No21
411. Photo No22
412. Photo No23
413. Photo No24
414. Photo No25
415. Photo No26
416. Photo No27
417. Photo No28
418. Photo No29
419. Photo No30
420. Photo No31
421. Photo No32
422. Photo No33
423. Photo No34
424. Photo No35
425. Photo No36
426. Photo No37
427. Photo No38
428. Photo No39
429. Photo No40

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

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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, Talks, The Great War, War Memorial, WW1, WW2, Yorkshire

Tagged 19th Century, 20th Century, Ancestry, Batley, Birstall, Catholic, County Mayo, family history, Family History Talks, genealogy, Great War, History, Home Front, Ireland, Local History, Local History Talks, Occupations, One-Place Study, Roll of Honour, Schools, St Mary's, 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 July 2026 Additions

Posted on August 1, 2026 | Leave a comment

I have had yet another busy month with the Batley St. Mary of the Angels one-place study, both in terms of research, new posts and financially. More about the latter in my Postscript.

With the addition of 14 new posts in July, the Batley St. Mary of the Angels One-Place Study now stands at 482 posts, including lots of new photographs. Two other posts have been updated. Those then are the headlines for the month.

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

I have added three posts to the May Queen Section. Two cover the 1930 and 1934 (photo on the left) May Queens. The third post is a follow-up to the 1930 May Queen, and the accident which resulted in her death four year’s later. It includes many names and locations familiar to people living in Batley today.

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

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.

The website has always been free to use, and if at all possible I want to continue this policy going forward. However, it does cost me money to operate – from undertaking the research and writing it up which can be around 20-30 hours a month, purchasing resources and documents, visiting archives, right down to website hosting costs, which given the number of photos I include pushes those costs up. To give some idea of my costs, in terms of actual payments made in July alone I had some major outlays – running to around £1,000. Whilst July was not the norm it really was a huge hit that has made me think if this is sustainable, especially in the current difficult economic climate.

If my website has helped with your family history research, or if you have simply enjoyed reading the various pieces and looking at these photos, please do consider making a donation towards keeping the website up and running in its current open access format. No matter how small it really does help in reducing my own personal financial input, and it would be very much appreciated.

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

Thank you.

I can be contacted at: pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In the Spotlight: Am Dram, Opera and Concerts
309. 1901 – St. Mary’s Schools’ St. Patrick’s Day Concert
310. 1948 – St. Mary’s Amateur Operatic Society Presents “Our Miss Gibbs”
311. 1952 – The Bohemian Girl, St. Mary’s Schoolboys
312. The St Mary’s Amateur Operatic Society 1950 Production of The Gondoliers
313. The 1951 St Mary’s School Production of Maritana for Fr. O’Brien

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

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

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

School Photos *UPDATED*
387. Photo No1
388. Photo No2
389. Photo No3
390. Photo No4
391. Photo No5
392. Photo No6
393. Photo No7
394. Photo No8
395. Photo No9
396. Photo No10
397. Photo No11
398. Photo No12
399. Photo No13
400. Photo No14
401. Photo No15
402. Photo No16
403. Photo No17
404. Photo No18
405. Photo No19
406. Photo No20
407. Photo No21
408. Photo No22
409. Photo No23
410. Photo No24
411. Photo No25
412. Photo No26
413. Photo No27
414. Photo No28
415. Photo No29
416. Photo No30
417. Photo No31 *NEW*
418. Photo No32 *NEW*
419. Photo No33 *NEW*
420. Photo No34 *NEW*
421. Photo No35 *NEW*
422. Photo No36 *NEW*
423. Photo No37 *NEW*
424. Photo No38 *NEW*
425. Photo No39 *NEW*
426. Photo No40 *NEW*

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

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

St. Mary of the Angels, Batley: One-Place Study Update – 1 to 30 June 2026 Additions

Posted on July 1, 2026 | Leave a comment

With the addition of 12 new posts in June, the Batley St. Mary of the Angels One-Place Study now stands at 468 posts, including lots of new photographs. One other post has been updated. Those are the headlines for the month, which also included me giving a talk about the early history of the parish and Irish migration to Batley for Wakefield Family History Society.

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

One post has been added to the In the Spotlight: Am Dram, Opera and Concerts section, with part of programme from this production pictrured on the left.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In the Spotlight: Am Dram, Opera and Concerts
309. 1901 – St. Mary’s Schools’ St. Patrick’s Day Concert
310. 1948 – St. Mary’s Amateur Operatic Society Presents “Our Miss Gibbs” *NEW*
311. 1952 – The Bohemian Girl, St. Mary’s Schoolboys
312. The St Mary’s Amateur Operatic Society 1950 Production of The Gondoliers
313. The 1951 St Mary’s School Production of Maritana for Fr. O’Brien

School Photos *UPDATED*
387. Photo No1
388. Photo No2
389. Photo No3
390. Photo No4
391. Photo No5
392. Photo No6
393. Photo No7
394. Photo No8
395. Photo No9
396. Photo No10
397. Photo No11
398. Photo No12
399. Photo No13
400. Photo No14
401. Photo No15
402. Photo No16
403. Photo No17
404. Photo No18
405. Photo No19
406. Photo No20
407. Photo No21 *NEW*
408. Photo No22 *NEW*
409. Photo No23 *NEW*
410. Photo No24 *NEW*
411. Photo No25 *NEW*
412. Photo No26 *NEW*
413. Photo No27 *NEW*
414. Photo No28 *NEW*
415. Photo No29 *NEW*
416. Photo No30 *NEW*

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

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Tagged 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, 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 May 2026 Additions

Posted on June 1, 2026 | Leave a comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you.

I can be contacted at: pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

St. Mary of the Angels, Batley: One-Place Study Update – 1 to 30 April 2026 Additions

Posted on May 1, 2026 | Leave a comment

April has been an insanely busy month for the Batley St. Mary of the Angels One-Place Study, with the introduction of a new history topic, and a record 12 posts added, with a further three being updated. It brings the total number of posts to 442.

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

The second new post is one in the Miscellany of Information section. It is one I have been working on for several months. I discovered a list of women who were invited to tea by the Mayor in 1915. They were the wives or widows of men serving in the military, or widowed dependent mothers of those men. Organised by location, because the list covered the whole Borough of Batley, I have spent ages trying to work out which ones were St. Mary’s parishioners. I have highlighted these in bold in the post, but I have retained the names of all the women invited. It is a fantastic piece of history because it covers women on the Home Front, who are often overlooked. It is also a way to identify men who served and survived, and – as I have also found – men who died but were not commemorated on the church or even town War Memorial, because the families had moved.

This leads on to the three updated posts – Cemetery and Memorial Deaths, War Memorial Chronology of Deaths, and Biographies: Men Associated with St Mary’s Who Died but Who Are Not on the Memorial.

But the big news for April is I am immensely grateful to have received a large donation of St. Mary’s school photographs. The exact years are unknown, and the children are unidentified, as is the case with people on many older photographs. I think it is sad, seeing rows of faces, but with no idea who they are. I always wonder if they might possibly be related to my family, and I know this is something many others wonder too. They also bring back memories, and get people talking. So I’ve added a School Photos subject area, and over the course of the coming weeks and months I will be adding them here in the hope that people may recognise themselves, or relatives, and be able to put names to faces. In turn, I will add those names to the posts so there is a permanent record. The response has been amazing in the short time since the, so far, 10 photographs have been uploaded. Many children and teachers have been identified, and their names are now included. But if you can help with the others, or the ones I add in future, please let me know. I do share them on Facebook, so commenting on those posts is an option. Or you can always contact me, details of how are at the end of this post.

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

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

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

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

Thank you.

I can be contacted at: pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

School Photos *NEW*
384. Photo No1 *NEW*
385. Photo No2 *NEW*
386. Photo No3 *NEW*
387. Photo No4 *NEW*
388. Photo No5 *NEW*
389. Photo No6 *NEW*
390. Photo No7 *NEW*
391. Photo No8 *NEW*
392. Photo No9 *NEW*
393. Photo No10 *NEW*

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

The May Queens of Batley St Mary of the Angels
422. 1922 May Queen: Phyllis Doyle
423 1923 May Queen: Katherine Phillips
424. 1925 May Queen: Agnes Judge
425. 1929 May Queen: Mary Collins
426. 1931 May Queen Ceremony: Theresa Judge
427. 1932 May Queen Ceremony: Agnes Kilgallon
428. 1933 May Queen Ceremony: Winnie Colleran
429. 1939 May Queen Ceremony: Kathleen Gooder
430. 1940 May Queen Ceremony: Sheila Rowan
431. 1941 May Queen Ceremony
432. 1950 May Queen Ceremony: Catherine Heaps
433. 1951 May Queen Ceremony: Mary Harkin
434. 1952 May Queen Ceremony: Patricia Anne Cain
435. 1953 May Queen Ceremony: Mary O’Connor

World War Two
436. World War Two Chronology of Deaths
437. Thomas Egan
438. Michael Flatley
439. Frank Higgins
440. Edward Lynch
441. William Smith
442. Bernard Stenchion

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Tagged Ancestry, Batley, Catholic, County Mayo, family history, genealogy, History, Home Front, Local History, Occupations, One-Place Study, Schools, WW1, WW2, Yorkshire

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

Posted on April 1, 2026 | Leave a comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The website has always been free to use, and I want to continue this policy in the future. However, it does cost me money to operate – from undertaking the research to website hosting costs. In the current difficult economic climate I do have to regularly consider if I can afford to continue running it as a free resource.

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

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

Thank you.

I can be contacted at: pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

St Mary of the Angels, Batley: One-Place Study Update – 1 to 31 December 2025 Additions

Posted on January 1, 2026 | Leave a comment

The Batley St. Mary of the Angels One-Place Study ended 2025 on a total of 421 posts, with two new posts being published in December.

The first post of the month was all about the 1953 May Queen ceremony (photograph on the left), which was added to the May Queen section. Mary O’Connor took the starring role, but the piece includes names of many others involved in the procession that day.

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

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

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

Finally, I’d like to end with a thank you for reading my Batley St. Mary of the Angels one-place study posts in 2025. Your support, additional information, photographs and many lovely comments throughout the year have all really been appreciated. I look forward to what 2026 will bring to this parish history collection. Hopefully the first of these will be published next week.

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

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

Thank you.

I can be contacted at: pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Posted in 19th Century, 20th Century, 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

Tagged Ancestry, Batley, Catholic, County Mayo, family history, genealogy, History, Home Front, Local History, Occupations, One-Place Study, Roll of Honour, Schools, War Memorial, WW1, WW2, Yorkshire

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

Posted on January 1, 2026 | Leave a comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you.

I can be contacted at: pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Leave a comment

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

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

St Mary of the Angels, Batley: One-Place Study Update – 1 to 31 October 2025 Additions

Posted on November 1, 2025 | Leave a comment

Because of work commitments, during October 2025 only one new post was added to the Batley St Mary of the Angels One-Place Study, bringing the total number of posts to 415.

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

One of the reason for the lack of additions this month is because in November and December I’m giving a series of talks to various organisations. These include an online talk on 11 November 2025 to the Society of One-Place Studies about the early history of the Irish in Batley, and the parish of Batley St Mary of the Angels up until around the 1880s. This is restricted to members of the Society. However, on Monday 24 November I will be giving more or less the same talk at the Batley History Group meeting in Batley Town Hall. This starts with refreshments at 7pm, with the talk commencing at 7.30pm. It is open to both members (£2) and non-members (£4). So, perhaps I will see some of you there. More details about this, and Batley History Group’s other meetings in 2025/26 can be found here.

*James Harkin, Batley’s 1st Catholic Mayor*

I also have a special thank you this month for someone who has sent me a lovely letter and some photos of James Harkin, Batley’s first Catholic mayor – one of which is included in this piece. I don’t have her contact details to thank her personally, so hopefully she will read my thank you here.

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

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

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

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

Thank you.

I can be contacted at: pasttopresentgenealogy@btinternet.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The May Queens of Batley St Mary of the Angels
397. 1922 May Queen: Phyllis Doyle
398. 1923 May Queen: Katherine Phillips
399 1925 May Queen: Agnes Judge
400. 1929 May Queen: Mary Collins
401. 1931 May Queen Ceremony: Theresa Judge
402. 1932 May Queen Ceremony: Agnes Kilgallon
403. 1933 May Queen Ceremony: Winnie Colleran
404. 1939 May Queen Ceremony: Kathleen Gooder
405. 1940 May Queen Ceremony: Sheila Rowan
406. 1941 May Queen Ceremony
407. 1950 May Queen Ceremony: Catherine Heaps
408. 1951 May Queen Ceremony: Mary Harkin

World War Two
409. World War Two Chronology of Deaths
410. Thomas Egan
411. Michael Flatley
412. Frank Higgins
413. Edward Lynch
414. William Smith
415. Bernard Stenchion

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Posted in 19th Century, 20th Century, Ancestry, 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 19th Century, 20th Century, Ancestry, Batley, Catholic, County Mayo, family history, genealogy, History, Local History, Occupations, One-Place Study, Parish History, Schools, War Memorial, WW1, WW2, Yorkshire

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St. Mary of the Angels, Batley: One-Place Study Update – 1 to 30 September 2026 Additions

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