BATLEY

batley, a municipal borough in the west riding of yorkshire, england, within the parliamentary borough of dewsbury, 8 m. s.s.w. of leeds, on the great northern, london & north western, and lancashire & yorkshire railways. pop. (1900) 30,321. area 2039 acres. the church of all saints is mainly perpendicular, and contains some fine woodwork, mostly of the 17th century, and some good memorial tombs. the market square contains an excellent group of modern buildings, including the town hall, public library, post office and others. the town is a centre of the heavy woollen trade, and has extensive manufactures of army cloths, pilot cloths, druggets, flushings, &c. the working up of old material as "shoddy" is largely carried on. there are also iron foundries, manufactures of machinery, and stone quarries. the town lies on the south-west yorkshire coalfield, and there are a number of collieries in the district. the borough is governed by a mayor, six aldermen, and eighteen councillors. baton (fr. _baton_, _baston_, from late lat. _basto_, a stick or staff), the truncheon carried by a field marshal as a sign of authority, by a police constable, &c.; in music, the stick with which the conductor of an orchestra beats time; in heraldry, the fourth part of a bend, frequently broken off short at the ends so as to be shaped like a rod; in english coats of arms, only as a mark of illegitimacy, the "baton sinister."