Ethyle Batley (born Alice Ethel Murray; 3 December 1876 – 23 April 1917) was a British film director, actress and screenwriter. She made nearly 70 films between 1912 and her early death in 1917.

Early life and career

Batley was born in December 1876 in

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...

, northwest England, the second daughter of an iron merchant. In the late 1890s, she travelled to London to work as a theatre actress, performing under the name Ethyle Gordon Murray. While working with a touring theatre company, Murray met

Ernest Batley Ernest George Batley (East London, 1874-Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the l ...

, an actor from East London. They were married on 22 June 1901 at a

registry office A register office or The General Register Office, much more commonly but erroneously registry office (except in official use), is a British government office where births, deaths, marriages, civil partnership, stillbirths and adoptions in England, ...

ceremony in

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan The London Plan is the statutory spatial development strategy for the Gre ...

, and began their married life living in

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batter ...

. In 1902, Ernest and Ethyle had their first child, actress Dorothy Audrey Batley, who was born on 18 January.

Film career

Ethyle's first directing credit was in October 1912, with the film '' Peggy Gets Rid of the Baby'', which starred Dorothy in the lead role. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Batley was one of the most active directors of patriotic films.

Legacy

Batley's contribution to the early history of cinema in Britain has often been overlooked or understated. In 2009, film historian Gerry Turvey described her as a "unique figure" who "merits fuller recognition than she has so far received".

References

;Bibliography *

External links

* 1876 births 1917 deaths British film actresses British film directors People from Wigan 20th-century British actresses Women film pioneers British women film directors {{UK-film-director-stub