Background
Batley was born Alice Ethel Murray in December 1876 in Wigan, north-west England, the second daughter of an iron merchant.
Batley was born Alice Ethel Murray in December 1876 in Wigan, north-west 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, an actor from East London. Ethyle"s first directing cr 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, Batley was one of the most active directors of patriotic films.
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".