Editing Batley (section)

==History==

=== Middle Ages ===
Batley is recorded in the ''[[Domesday Book]]'' as 'Bateleia'. After the [[Norman conquest of England|Norman conquest]], the manor was granted to [[De Lacy#Ilbert de Lacy|Elbert de Lacy]] and in 1086 was within the [[Hundred (county division)|wapentake]] of [[Agbrigg and Morley|Morley]].<ref>{{OpenDomesday|OS=SE2424 |name=Batley |display=Batley |accessdate=9 November 2017}}</ref> It subsequently passed into the ownership of the de Batleys, and by the 12th century had passed by marriage to the Copley family. Their residence at Batley Hall was held directly from [[the Crown]]; at this time the district was part of the [[Duchy of Lancaster]].<ref>Batley Official Guide and Industrial Review 1966, page 55. Home Publishing Co Ltd H/12392/B/K</ref> 

There has been a church in Batley since the 11th century. [[All Saints' Church, Batley|Batley Parish Church]] was built in 1485 and contains parts of a 13th-century predecessor.<ref>{{National Heritage List for England|num=1134620|desc=Church of All Saints, Stocks Lane|access-date=19 October 2021}}</ref> Despite Batley being an ancient settlement, this is all that remains of any great antiquity.

[[File:Town Hall - geograph.org.uk - 399209.jpg|thumb|[[Batley Town Hall]]]]

[[Howley Hall]] in Soothill was built during the 1580s by Sir John Savile, a member of the great Yorkshire landowners, the Savile family. The house was besieged during the [[English Civil War]] in 1643 before the [[Battle of Adwalton Moor]] but appears to have sustained no serious damage. It continued to be occupied during the 17th century but fell into disrepair. Howley Hall was destroyed in 1730. Among the numerous ruins that are still present are the cellars of its great hall.<ref>{{National Heritage List for England|num=1016323|desc=Howley Hall; a 16th century country house and gardens|access-date=19 October 2021}}</ref>

[[Methodism]] came to Batley in the 1740s through the evangelism of [[John Nelson (Methodist)|John Nelson]], a [[lay preacher]] from Birstall and frequent companion of the movement's founder [[John Wesley]].<ref name=":0">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Batley, Yorks |encyclopedia=A Dictionary of Methodism in Britain and Ireland |url=https://dmbi.online/index.php?do=app.entry&id=3226 |last=Dews |first=Colin D.}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Nelson, John |encyclopedia=A Dictionary of Methodism in Britain and Ireland |url=https://dmbi.online/index.php?do=app.entry&id=2033 |last=Hargreaves |first=John A.}}</ref> Two leading figures in the early Methodist movement, [[John William Fletcher]] and [[Mary Bosanquet Fletcher|Mary Bosanquet]], were married at All Saints Church in Batley in 1781.<ref>{{cite book |last=Brown |first=Earl Kent |title=Women of Mr. Wesley's Methodism |publisher=Edwin Mellen |year=1983 |isbn=978-0889465381 |location=New York |pages=142}}</ref> By the 1780s meetings were being held in the town and the first Methodist chapel was established around 1800.<ref name=":0" />

=== Industrial Revolution ===
During the late 18th century, the main occupations in the town were [[farming]] and [[weaving]]. The [[Industrial Revolution]] reached Batley in 1796 with the arrival of its first water powered mills for carding and spinning. During the next half century the population grew rapidly, from around 2,500 at the start of the 19th century to 9,308 at the 1851 [[census]]. The parish of Batley at this point included [[Morley, West Yorkshire|Morley]], [[Churwell]] and [[Gildersome]], with a total population of 17,359.

Before the industrial revolution, wool was made in Batley for centuries as a [[Cottage Industry|cottage industry]]. Samuel Jubb, a 19th-century mill owner and local historian, noted that this was "a manufacture for which the place is well adapted, on account of its possessing a good supply of water and coal, and its central situation in relation to the principal local markets, being about equidistant from Leeds, Huddersfield, Bradford, Halifax, and Wakefield."<ref name=":1">{{cite book|last=Jubb|first=Samuel|url=https://archive.org/details/historyshoddytr00jubbgoog|title=The History of the Shoddy-trade: Its Rise, Progress, and Present Position|date=1860|publisher=Houlston and Wright|location=London}}</ref>{{Rp|9–10}} The water he referred to was not the beck but the large [[aquifer]] beneath the town, which was tapped for cleaning and dying wool.<ref name=":1" />

A [[toll road]] built in 1832 between [[Gomersal]] and [[Dewsbury]] had a branch to Batley (the present day Branch Road) which allowed for "the growing volumes of wool, cloth and coal" to be transported. Until then there had only been foot and cart tracks. Around the same time there were [[strike action|strikes]] in the mills, which led to an influx of Irish workers who settled permanently. Initially this led to antagonism from residents, due to the lower wages paid to the Irish workers and general anti-[[Roman Catholic]] sentiment, but this faded in time. By 1853 Catholic services were held regularly in the town; its first Roman Catholic church, [http://www.stmarybatley.co.uk/ St Mary of the Angels], was not built until 1870 and is still in existence.

By 1848 there was a [[Batley railway station|railway station]] in Batley, and in 1853 [[Batley Town Hall]] was erected. It was enlarged in 1905, and is in the [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical style]], with a corbelled [[parapet]] and [[pilaster]]s rising to a centre [[pediment]]. In 1868 Batley was incorporated as a [[municipal borough]], the former [[Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland)|urban district]] of [[Birstall, West Yorkshire|Birstall]] was added to it in 1937.<ref>Batley Official Guide and Industrial Review 1966, pages 20,56. Home Publishing Co Ltd H/12392/B/K</ref>
[[File:Batley - Carnegie Library .jpg|thumb|Batley Library]]
1853 also saw the establishment of a small [[confectionery]] shop by Michael Spedding. His business expanded, moving to larger premises in 1927 becoming [[Fox's Biscuits]]. Today, along with [[Tesco]], it is one of the largest employers in the town.
[[File:The Mill Batley - geograph.org.uk - 1008405.jpg|thumb|The Mill, Batley]]
During the late 19th century, Batley was the centre of the [[shoddy]] and [[Glossary of textile manufacturing#Mungo|mungo]] trade in which wool, rags and clothes were recycled by reweaving them into blankets, carpets and uniforms.<ref>{{cite book|last=Shell|first=Hanna Rose|title=Shoddy: From Devil's Dust to the Renaissance of Rags|publisher=University of Chicago|year=2020|isbn=9780226377759|location=Chicago|pages=19–35}}</ref> In 1861 there were at least 30 shoddy mills in Batley. The owners of the recycling businesses were known as the "shoddy barons". There was a "shoddy king" and a "shoddy temple", properly known as the Zion Chapel. This imposing building in the town centre was opened in 1870, and reflected the popularity of the Methodist movement. The chapel is still active today.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.batleychurch.org.uk/index.html|title=Batley Central Methodist Church|year=2017}}</ref> In 1875 local woman [[Ann Ellis (strike leader)|Ann Ellis]] led a weavers strike against the shoddy mill owners who were planning to reduce wages.<ref>{{Citation |last=Reynolds |first=Melanie |title=Ellis [née Waite], Ann (1843–1919), trade unionist and power- loom weaver |date=2024-06-13 |work=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/display/10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-90000382494 |access-date=2024-06-17 |publisher=Oxford University Press |language=en |doi=10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.90000382494 |isbn=978-0-19-861412-8}}</ref>

At the close of the 19th century, growth in population changed the form of governmental institutions above the parish of Batley; the Morley division of the wapentake of [[Agbrigg and Morley]] was disused as special purpose districts were formed.{{fact|date=June 2024}}

The library was built in 1907 with funds donated by the [[philanthropist]] [[Andrew Carnegie]]. The library has been modernised, with a microfilm viewer, and reels of the Batley News dating back 120 years. The newspaper was founded by James Fearnsides – a local printer. His grandson, Clement, later became the mayor of Batley. The first records of [[coal mining]] in Batley date back to the 16th century at White Lee; the last pit in the town closed in 1973.{{fact|date=June 2024}}

=== Post-industrial history ===
On the nights of 14 and 15 March 1941, the West Yorkshire area as a whole was subject to a Nazi air raid. Batley came through relatively unscathed with one unexploded ordnance being located near the Healey Mill area (opposite Healey Community Centre to be precise) whilst Cleckheaton, located {{convert|2.5|miles|abbr=on}} north-west, suffered from seven bombs that exploded as intended. Leeds, located {{convert|6|miles|abbr=on}} north-east, went through two nights of damage as, "The raid caused more than 100 serious fires, damaged over 4,500 buildings and resulted in 65 people losing their lives."<ref>{{cite web |title=The Leeds Blitz {{!}} Leeds Beckett University |url=https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/school-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/leeds-blitz/ |access-date=9 February 2023 |website=www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk }}</ref>

The manufacture of shoddy continued into the postwar period. A doctor posted to Batley hospital in 1952 described the town as "one of the last reminders of the industrial revolution as described by Dickens", riven by economic inequality and 'Victorian' diseases like [[rickets]]:<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Antia |first=N. H. |date=February 2004 |title=A shoddy town named Batley |url=https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(04)15612-2 |journal=The Lancet |volume=363 |issue=9409 |pages=662 |doi=10.1016/s0140-6736(04)15612-2 |pmid=14987905 |issn=0140-6736}}</ref>

{{Quote|text=In mid-winter, the hospital enjoyed brilliant sunshine on the snow-covered moors on either side of the narrow valley, reminiscent of Wuthering Heights. Nearby were the manor houses of the mill owners, flaunting Rolls-Royces in their porches. The town in the valley was, however, permanently enveloped in a thick blanket of smog spewed from the factory chimneys. The narrow valley was paved with cobbled stones with workers' houses interspersed between the factories. [...] Excess water due to rainfall or melting snow would enter the dwellings over their thresholds.}}

In 1974, responsibility for local government passed to [[Kirklees|Kirklees Metropolitan Council]], with its headquarters in [[Huddersfield]].

=== 21st century ===
Batley's Labour MP [[Jo Cox]] was [[Murder of Jo Cox|shot and stabbed to death]] outside her [[constituency surgery]] in Birstall in June 2016.<ref name="guardian2">{{cite news |last1=Booth |first1=Robert |last2=Dodd |first2=Vikram |last3=Parveen |first3=Nazia |date=16 June 2016 |title=Labour MP Jo Cox has died after being shot and stabbed |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jun/16/labour-mp-jo-cox-shot-in-west-yorkshire |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160616142602/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jun/16/labour-mp-jo-cox-shot-in-west-yorkshire |archive-date=16 June 2016 |access-date=16 June 2016 |work=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=16 June 2016 |title=Jo Cox MP dead after shooting attack |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-36550304 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160616135018/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-36550304 |archive-date=16 June 2016 |access-date=16 June 2016 |work=BBC News}}</ref> The politically-motivated murder, carried out by a local man in the name of [[white supremacy]], was the first assassination of a sitting British MP since 1990.<ref name="guardian">{{cite news |last1=Cobain |first1=Ian |last2=Parveen |first2=Nazia |last3=Taylor |first3=Matthew |date=23 November 2016 |title=The slow-burning hatred that led Thomas Mair to murder Jo Cox |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/nov/23/thomas-mair-slow-burning-hatred-led-to-jo-cox-murder |access-date=19 December 2018 |work=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Rentoul |first=John |date=16 June 2016 |title=Jo Cox Dead: A History of violence against MPs |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jo-cox-dies-mp-politicians-attacks-violence-jo-cox-spencer-perceval-a7085911.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160616171312/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jo-cox-dies-mp-politicians-attacks-violence-jo-cox-spencer-perceval-a7085911.html |archive-date=16 June 2016 |access-date=16 June 2016 |work=Independent}}</ref> Her seat was filled by Labour candidate [[Tracy Brabin]] in a [[2016 Batley and Spen by-election|by-election later the same year]], uncontested by the other major parties.<ref>{{cite web |date=21 October 2016 |title=Tories retain Witney and Labour holds Batley and Spen in byelections |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/oct/21/labour-tracy-brabin-batley-and-spen-byelection-witney-robert-court |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021145319/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/oct/21/labour-tracy-brabin-batley-and-spen-byelection-witney-robert-court |archive-date=21 October 2016 |access-date=21 October 2016 |work=The Guardian}}</ref>

Brabin was elected the first [[Mayor of West Yorkshire]] in 2021, triggering a [[2021 Batley and Spen by-election|high profile by-election]] in which Labour expected to struggle to retain the formerly safe [[Red wall (British politics)|red wall]] seat.<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 May 2021 |title=Is Batley and Spen Labour's next by-election headache? |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/politics-explained/is-batley-and-spen-labour-s-next-byelection-headache-b1844215.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508213725/https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/politics-explained/is-batley-and-spen-labour-s-next-byelection-headache-b1844215.html |archive-date=8 May 2021 |access-date=9 May 2021 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref> Former Labour MP [[George Galloway]] ran for the [[Workers Party of Britain]], on a platform criticising newly-elected Labour leader [[Keir Starmer]] and targetting issues important to the local South Asian Muslim community.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Batten |first=Dave |date=28 May 2021 |title=George Galloway enters Batley and Spen by-election race, vowing to oust Keir Starmer as Labour leader |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/george-galloway-batley-by-election-keir-starmer-labour-b937715.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709182040/https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/george-galloway-batley-by-election-keir-starmer-labour-b937715.html |archive-date=9 July 2021 |access-date=2 July 2021 |website=Evening Standard}}</ref> Labour candidate [[Kim Leadbeater]], the sister of Jo Cox, ultimately won the election by a narrow margin, following a campaign focused on local issues.<ref name="itv-20210610">{{cite news |date=10 June 2021 |title=Batley & Spen: Labour candidate says election is about local area not party leader |url=https://www.itv.com/news/calendar/2021-06-10/batley-and-spen-labour-candidate-says-election-is-about-local-area-not-party-leader |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628204053/https://www.itv.com/news/calendar/2021-06-10/batley-and-spen-labour-candidate-says-election-is-about-local-area-not-party-leader |archive-date=28 June 2021 |access-date=28 June 2021 |work=ITV News}}</ref> The governing Conservative's surprise loss was blamed on poor campaigning and a [[Matt Hancock#Resignation|scandal involving Health Secretary Matt Hancock]] in the weekend prior to the by-election.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Balls |first=Katy |date=2 July 2021 |title=The Batley and Spen by-election was a setback for the Tories – but Matt Hancock was not entirely to blame |url=https://inews.co.uk/opinion/columnists/batley-and-spen-by-election-setback-for-tories-matt-hancock-not-entirely-to-blame-1084960 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702210234/https://inews.co.uk/opinion/columnists/batley-and-spen-by-election-setback-for-tories-matt-hancock-not-entirely-to-blame-1084960 |archive-date=2 July 2021 |access-date=13 July 2021 |work=[[i (British newspaper)|i]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Quinn |first=Ben |date=2 July 2021 |title=Anger over Hancock affair a factor in byelection defeat, says Tory co-chair |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jul/02/anger-hancock-affair-byelection-defeat-tory-batley-and-spen-health-secretary |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702082514/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jul/02/anger-hancock-affair-byelection-defeat-tory-batley-and-spen-health-secretary |archive-date=2 July 2021 |access-date=2 July 2021 |website=The Guardian}}</ref>[[File:AllSaintsChurch-Batley.jpg|thumb|The church of All Saints]] In the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024 general election]], Labour lost the new [[Dewsbury and Batley (UK Parliament constituency)|Dewsbury and Batley]] constituency to [[Iqbal Mohamed]], who was one of four independent candidates who won seats in heavily Muslim areas largely due to Labour's stance on the [[Gaza war]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kiran |first1=Stacey |title=Senior Labour figures admit stance on Gaza cost party seats |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/05/labour-loses-three-seats-to-pro-palestinian-candidates |access-date=18 July 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=5 July 2024}}</ref>