Introduction to the Study
A part of understanding who we are, is knowing where we came from. Besides, we need to save something of the past for the future. That is the reason for this study.

Perhaps it should be made clear at the outset that this all began with an attempt to merely find the father of my great grandfather John, which turned out to be a George. So I then decided to find George’s father. Very soon I had transcribed all the Battye entries from both the Kirkburton and Almondbury Parish registers and accumulated mounds of other data. Some ten years later I am markedly more guarded in allowing my curiosity such free rein, but I thought I should use the data anyway.

This study, of the Battye families who lived in the ancient Graveship of Holme, begins with a number of introductory chapters that seek to place the family histories in something of an historical context. These chapters focus on how individuals survived economically and on the family as a social and economic unit, at the function of the church and, later, the school. Only incidentally does it glance at events outside the families’ direct experience.

There were two large families, one originating in Upperthong and the other in Scholes. After some contemplation it was decided to divide these families into more manageable branches. Originally this was done to facilitate organizing of the data. Later the divisions were kept as it was thought that it might make it easier for the reader. We shall see! Each of the families has their own introduction. Where able, in these introductions, material has been included that is not easily available elsewhere.

In outlining the family histories, where the information came from is generally indicated. This is usually in the form of a two or three letter code, the key to which is contained at the back of this study. Where no code is present the source is indicated in the family history. In laying out each history, family members are listed in the order of their birth.

There is a kind of protocol in laying out the family history. The number in bold type, that precedes the name of a person, indicates a Battye and the generation. For example: the author is generation 14; his great grandfather John is generation 11. After the name John comes the word “millwright,” indicating the kind of work he did. This is followed by his “bmd” – details of his birth, marriage and death. Further, readers should assume that, if no country is named regarding an entry, the country is England. Likewise, if no county is stated, the reader should assume the county is Yorkshire.

Some forty Wills and Letters of Administration were obtained, the Letters of Administration proving of little value. The various Wills were more rewarding, by providing some insight, through their possessions, into the kinds of lives our ancestors had lived. The Wills also corroborated family relationships, confirming some of the information found in the registers and, in a few rare cases, adding to it. The greatest value of the Wills, however, was the guidance they gave in respect to the marriages of female family members. With those female members who married, these have generally not been followed for more than two generations. This is entirely due to limitations of space.