He was named after his mother's ancestor, the Dutch patriot Johan de Witt.

[1] He was educated at St Paul's School, London and Balliol College, Oxford.

[3] Batty trained for ordination at Wells Theological College, and was ordained deacon in 1903 and priest in 1904.

He was cremated and his ashes interred with William Tyrrell at St John's Anglican Cemetery, Morpeth.

In his obituary in The Times, he was described as being "one of the most outstanding Englishmen ever to dedicate his life to public service in Australia".