The Battye families of the ancient graveship of Holme West Yorkshire 1535 to 2003.
Publisher: John H. Battye
Published: 2004
Place of publication: Nanaimo, Canada
Language: eng
Number of pages: 203
Description: All those I have known or heard of with the name Battye, and who believe they know where their family comes from believe that place of  'origin' to be somewhere close (within about 5 miles) of Holmfirth in West Yorkshire. I guess this is what you call the graveship of Holme.  Hence my father comes from within this area and knows that many generations back his forefoathers were within the said area. The 'Fighting Battyes' of India (mid to late 19th century British Army soldiers) came from there. John Battye 'founder of the UK Stock Exchange' came from there. Dr JS (James Sykes) Battye 'founder of the Western Australia Library' and first Vice Chancellor of Perth University (Australia) came from there. Dr Richard Battye (Cosmologist) comes from there. (Author: Dr JS (John Stephen) Battye of Oxford, UK -- physicist and engineer.)

I am not sure so sure they would have consistently spelled their name "Battye" before circa 1730 when Dr Samuel Johnson published Britain's first dictionary.  I suspect that until circa that date members of any given family were not very consistent about the way they spelled their name, e.g. consider the several ways William Shakespeare spelled his name. I think it likely that at about 1730 + different Branches of the family began constantly spelling their names in different ways, e.g. Batty, or Battye, or Battie and thus these different 'branches' of the family came to be separately identifiable from that point on.  Note that these 'other' branches also seem to originate from within West Yorkshire (Author: JSB of Ox) 

Those who still live in the Holmfirth area today generally seem to believe that those who spell their name, "Batty" 'originate' from around Huddersfield, a town about 25 miles north of Holmfirth.  This could be that one of their earlier family members migrated north, pre circa 1730, to Huddersfield, or visa versa of course, although I suspect the former. (Author: JSB of Ox)

The name Battye, or Batty, or Battie' originates from the familiar name 'Bart' for 'Batholomew', i.e. it has religious origins --- as opposed, for example, to identifying a trade, as in 'Mrs Thatcher', or a place of origin, as for 'Jack London' (the Boxer).  As such it is like the name 'Bates', or Tolley' which have the same origin as Batty. In the case of Batty the ending 'y' or ie' or 'ye' is a more friendly version, as with Ratty' or Toady' in the famous children's book 'Wind in the Willows'. (Author: JSB of Ox)
Notes: I am a descendent of the 3 brothers who were referred to as the 'fighting Battyes'. I have one of the 6 original copies of the Graveship of Holme and a portrait of the founder of the stock exchange.
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