A Benedictine priory was established at Canwell in the parish of Hints, Staffordshire on the north eastern edge of Sutton Coldfield in 1140. It was never a wealthy establishment, its endowment never supporting more than four or five monks and often fewer. The Bassets of Drayton were patrons for many years being descended from the founder, and they funded the building of the church and priory house in the 14th century. Ralph Bassett, the last of the Bassetts died in 1390. Later patrons were the Beauchamps ( Earls of Warwick) and the Lisles

The Priory was dissolved in 1524 and its assets surrendered to the Crown. The proceeds were used by Cardinal Wolsey to establish Cardinal College at Oxford. ( See www.british-history.ac.uk under the heading ‘Houses of Benedictine Monks’ )

The buildings were ruinous by 1526 and little is known about the estate thereafter. It is possible that it was held by the Harmans ( Bishop Veseys family) for some time, also by Anthonye Raynoldes, and later Sir William Peshall held a 99 year lease in 1631 and lived there until at least 1653.

In around 1660 the estate was acquired by Sir Francis Lawley 2nd Bart of Much Wenlock, Shropshire.

Sir Francis initially built a house at Canwell Gate and later his son built a substantial house ( probably on the ruins of the priory house). On the death of Sir Thomas 3rd Bart in 1729 the inventory disclosed a house of thirty nine rooms.

Sir Robert 5th Bart, having married well, commissioned architect James Wyatt to rebuild in grand style and the Lawleys continued to live there until the 1820s when the 8th Bart came into the Escrick estates of his wife's family and moved to Yorkshire.

The Lawleys benefited considerably from the land distribution brought about by the Sutton Coldfield enclosures of 1824. Many acres of Slade and Weeford being added to the estate.

The house was let out to various tenants; in 1861 Lord Newford and in 1871 Colonel Ferrar Loftus and in 1872 the whole estate, comprising some 1747 acres , was sold for £207,475 to Abraham Briggs Foster, son of John Foster a wealthy millowner of Northowram Hall, Halifax. On his death in 1904 the estate was valued for probate at £501,309. His widow and son Philip Staveley Foster MP continued to live there until 1920 when the estate was acquired by the Birmingham Corporation.

Canwell Hall was later used as a Convalescent Home , between 1931 and 1953 as a childrens specifically babies’ hospital and was eventually demolished in 1957.

SEE LAWLEY

In 1528 the Manor and township of Sutton Coldfield was held by the Crown. By the Charter of that year Henry V111 granted the Crown estate to a new local Corporation to be known as the Warden and Society.

The Charter appointed William Gibbons, son in law of Bishop Vesey, as the first Warden but thereafter on All Souls Day the Warden was to be appointed annually by the members of the Society. As head of the Corporation the Warden was to act as clerk of the Market and as Coroner.

The Society was to comprise 24 members elected for life from among  'discreet society’ and, in a provision that did nothing for local democracy, any vacancies were to be filled by the vote of the remaining members.

The townsfolk were to enjoy rights on the chase and common land, to hunt, fish and fowl with dogs and bows and arrows. Also those that could afford it were entitled to claim up to 60 acres of common land to enclose at a rent of 2 pence an acre for the building of a house.

After the Restoration Charles 11 granted a new Charter confirming the old rights and adding some new ones but essentially leaving the status quo. Eventually the antiquated proceedures gave under the pressure of the towns rapid expansion in the 19th century, and by a further Charter of 1886 the assets, rights, duties and obligations of the Warden and Society wre transferred to a new Municpal Corporation

SEE WARDEN AND SOCIETY

SEE HIGH STEWARD

Nicholas Willett Chavasse born in abt 1763 at Northleach, Glos married Ann Scott in Walsall in 1791 and practiced there as a surgeon. Their son Thomas born in Walsall in 1800 also became a surgeon. He was in partnership in Birmingham as Surgeons and Apothecaries with V W Blake until the partnership dissolved in 1848 and he moved to Sutton Coldfield. He married twice and had ten children between 1830 and 1856.

He was a man of some importance in Sutton being Warden of the town in 1862 and 1863 and also deputy Coroner. He is referred to in the Holbeche Diary as an old fashioned family doctor ( possibly about 1860) seen being driven about town by his coachman William Barrett. In 1881 he was living in some style with five domestic servants at Donnington House, Wylde Green. He died aged 84 in 1884.

Two of his sons lived in Sutton. Joseph Hodgson Chavasse b. 1856 is found living ‘ on own means’ in 1880 in USA, but in 1891 is at Alton Place, Wylde Green, Sutton Coldfield, in 1898 in Victoria Road and in 1901 in Shenstone. Charles Edward b.1840 became a wine merchant. In 1865 he acquired premises at ‘Mount Pleasant’ Erdington . He married Frances Lucy Evans of West Hallam, Derbys, the sister of Dr Alfred Evans of Sutton, and in 1881 was living and working as a wine  merchant in High Street, Sutton with eight children, three domestic servants and nine employees.

Their son Howard Sidney Chavasse b. 1867 became a physician and surgeon in Sutton. He was also a great horseman and owner with stables in Anchorage Road

Suttons first cinema, known as Roselle’s was operating in 1915 from a hired hall in Mere Green and from the first floor assembly rooms in the Town Hall in Mill Street.

A 1916 advertisement refers to a new purpose built cinema situated on the Parade. Unfortunately this building was on somewhat unstable ground ; the site of drained pools and the building was erected on piles as the Ebrook flowed almost directly beneath. Woolworths later built a store on the site.

Another new cinema ‘The Empress’ opened on 1st January 1923. this which cost £40000 was also not without its problems being erected on the site of the drained Jeromes and Skinners pools. The building incorporated a restaurant and a ballroom and later a twelve table snooker hall. It was closed and demolished to make way for the Central Library and Sainsbury Centre in 1973.

The Odeon, built on the site of the White House, Maney was one of over 200 Odeon cinemas opened in the 1930s. Built in Art Deco style the building has Listed Building protection.

The railway vastly increased the number of visitors to the clean airs of Sutton Park and Job Cole ( born in Somerset in 1819 ) saw an opportunity to improve their visit and his earnings simultaneously. In 1868 he converted his market garden site at Windley into a pleasure ground and built a Crystal Palace; an immitation of famous Great Exhibition of London building.( The site is now occupied by the Clifton Road Youth Centre)

The attractions of his site included a hotel, stabling for 30 horses, accomodation for parties of up to 2000 people, 30 acres of grassland, steam and rowing boats on the pools, amusements, dancing, military bands, a fun fair and later zoological gardens.

The gardens included a fernery, an Italian garden, croquet lawns, a bowling green, cricket, archery, an ornamental lake and ‘ shady avenues for spooning’

By 1890 ownership was in the hands of Charles Earle. He introduced a minature railway in 1907. In about 1910 Pat Collins a famous showman, acquired the business. He enlarged the funfair with modern and exciting equipment. In 1950 he sold the Big Dipper from Sutton to the organisers of the 1951 Festival of Britain.

Over the years public interest waned and the site and attractions deteriorated. The funfair was closed and the Crystal Palace demolished in 1962