Sutton Coldfield Local History Research Group

In examining the 1841 Census for unusual occupations in Sutton Coldfield, I noticed some entries that indicated canal based employment. From this small amount of information, I set out to discover what happened to some of the families who lived alongside the ‘Cut’ on the southern boundary of the Royal Town.

What is the connection between the following:- (a) An 18th century hovel (b) Eco-warriors (c) The building of the first toll road in Britain for 200 years? All these questions and more are answered, as research into a property named ‘Boundary Cottage’ was undertaken. It is hoped readers will find the journey of interest.

The research traces the various owners of the property from Edward Hill James, a prominent Wine & Spirit Merchant in Birmingham who had the house built between 1883 and 1884, via Millicent Mary Ryland of the well known Ryland Family, Henry Owen a successful Jewellery Manufacturer in the Jewellery Quarter, Alfred Roberts, Alfred Cheatle a partner in the architectural firm of Newton & Cheatle to finally Herbert Smith who was a Lord Mayor of Walsall.

May 2020 was the sunniest calendar month on record, so much so that Sutton Park’s grassland was distinctly yellow because of the lack of rain. Dr. Mike Hodder alerted the author to the emergence of parchmarks on the old Civil Defence Camp site at Powell’s Pool in Sutton Park. This has resulted in a history of the camp site from 1942 to 1958.

Anyone having an interest in local or family history is hugely indebted to the early Victorian and Edwardian photographers for the wealth of pictorial information they have left us. Images bring the past to life and make researching our families, local surroundings, architecture, churches and parks so much more interesting. Frederick Whitlock.

This article uses extensive research done by Roy Woodward-Clarke and his wife, Diane, following their purchase at a stamp auction of a letter written by Agnes Bracken to her mother in 1827. Such was their interest in this letter that it encouraged them to search for further details of the Bracken Family. They have kindly allowed me use of their written notes for this article. Other material was found in Sutton Coldfield Reference Library (references given herein), particularly in the 'Agnes Bracken' folder, also in Keith Jordan's Photographic Collection, the author's own local history collection, www.Ancestry.co.uk. and www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk. Agnes Bracken and Caroline Bracken's photos can be found in Sutton Library.

Baldmore Lake, as it was known, was a sizeable area of water which lay mostly in Sutton Coldfield, with the remainder in Erdington. Why would such a large lake, which gave its name to the district of Boldmere, disappear? Why did some early maps show the lake in one place while present-day residents firmly point to an entirely different location? Did it really disappear without trace? What was the lake like, where exactly was it and why can it no longer be found?

This article by Roger Lea, was first published in The Birmingham Historian (Number 9) in 1993. This was the twice-yearly news journal of the Birmingham and District Association of Local History Societies and was then edited by George Demidowicz.

On December 11th,1875, the trial began in Wolverhampton Crown Court of 2 persons, Frederick Musson (b. 1852) and Anna Maria Hillman (b. 1854). They had been charged with the murder of a young girl, Elizabeth Lowke (b. 1868).

How many readers have travelled along Somerville Road, seen this old “lamp post” but never noticed it. The lamp post in question is, in fact, not a lamp post but a Victorian stench pipe. Why itwas positioned in this particular spot and the story associated with it is unravelled in this research work. Note that readers with a sensitive disposition might be shocked at some of the descriptionsof Victorian Sutton Coldfield.