High Steward of Sutton Coldfield
Encyclopedia
The High Steward of Sutton Coldfield was an office relating to the government of the town of Sutton Coldfield
, Warwickshire
, England
.
of 1528, Walter Devereux, Lord Ferrers of Chartley
held the office of under the Crown
. He also held office as Bailiff of the Manor, Keeper of the Rolls and Keeper of Coldfield Walk. The salaries for these posts, under a grant of 1525 were to be paid at the rate of £16 a year to him and his son Henry for life.
On the granting of the Charter the town was to be held by a Warden and Society (roughly equivalent to Mayor and Corporation) and the inhabitants of the town. The Charter granted the right to appoint a High Steward
although this right was not exercised until 1547. The High Stewards were appointed for life and were to be entitled to a Deputy to assist in the High Steward's duty of holding courts. At least in the 16th century the High Steward was expected to have a knowledge of English law but the role soon became symbolic, the duties largely ceremonial and latterly the work was done entirely by Deputies.
The High Stewards were all persons of standing and mostly members of aristocratic Warwickshire and Staffordshire
families.
In 1974 the Corporation of Sutton Coldfield merged with that of Birmingham
and the office of High Steward became extinct.
Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield is a suburb of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Sutton is located about from central Birmingham but has borders with Erdington and Kingstanding. Sutton is in the northeast of Birmingham, with a population of 105,000 recorded in the 2001 census...
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
History
Prior to the Royal CharterRoyal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
of 1528, Walter Devereux, Lord Ferrers of Chartley
Walter Devereux, 1st Viscount Hereford
Walter Devereux, 9th Baron Ferrers of Chartley, created 1st Viscount Hereford was an English Peer.-Family:...
held the office of under the Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
. He also held office as Bailiff of the Manor, Keeper of the Rolls and Keeper of Coldfield Walk. The salaries for these posts, under a grant of 1525 were to be paid at the rate of £16 a year to him and his son Henry for life.
On the granting of the Charter the town was to be held by a Warden and Society (roughly equivalent to Mayor and Corporation) and the inhabitants of the town. The Charter granted the right to appoint a High Steward
High steward (civic)
High steward is an honorary title bestowed by the councils or charter trustees of certain towns and cities in England. Originally a judicial office with considerable local powers, by the 17th century it had declined to a largely ceremonial role. The title is usually awarded for life, and in some...
although this right was not exercised until 1547. The High Stewards were appointed for life and were to be entitled to a Deputy to assist in the High Steward's duty of holding courts. At least in the 16th century the High Steward was expected to have a knowledge of English law but the role soon became symbolic, the duties largely ceremonial and latterly the work was done entirely by Deputies.
The High Stewards were all persons of standing and mostly members of aristocratic Warwickshire and Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
families.
In 1974 the Corporation of Sutton Coldfield merged with that of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and the office of High Steward became extinct.
List of High Stewards
- 1547 John ThrockmortonJohn ThrockmortonSir John Throckmorton was a lawyer and member of the English Parliament during the reign of Queen Mary I. He was also a witness to Queen Mary's will.-Biography:...
. - 1582 Henry GoodereHenry GoodereSir Henry Goodere was an English nobleman, the son of Francis Goodere of Polesworth Hall.The earliest records that use the Goodere name are in Poynton, Cheshire, England. The Gooderes intermarried with the noble Warren family and could claim the title 'Lord of Poynton'. The Goodere name is spelled...
. - 1595 Richard Repington.
- 1612 Robert Devereux (later Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of EssexRobert Devereux, 3rd Earl of EssexRobert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex was an English Parliamentarian and soldier during the first half of the seventeenth century. With the start of the English Civil War in 1642 he became the first Captain-General and Chief Commander of the Parliamentarian army, also known as the Roundheads...
). - 1646 Richard Newdigate, 1st Baronet St Vincent.
- 1679 Thomas Thynne (later Thomas Thynne, 1st Viscount Weymouth).
- 1714 Thomas Willoughby, 1st Baron MiddletonThomas Willoughby, 1st Baron MiddletonThomas Willoughby, 1st Baron Middleton was a Baron in the Peerage of Great Britain.He was born at Middleton Hall, Middleton, Warwickshire, the second son of Francis Willughby, the famed mathematician and naturalist , and was educated at St Catharine's College, Cambridge and Jesus...
. - 1729 Francis Willoughby, 2nd Baron MiddletonFrancis Willoughby, 2nd Baron MiddletonFrancis Willoughby, 2nd Baron Middleton was a baron in the Peerage of Great Britain.He was educated at Eton and at Jesus College, Cambridge, graduating MA in 1712....
. - 1758 Francis Willoughby, 3rd Baron MiddletonFrancis Willoughby, 3rd Baron MiddletonFrancis Willoughby, 3rd Baron Middleton was an English nobleman, the eldest son of Francis Willoughby, 2nd Baron Middleton.He was educated at Bury St Edmund's School, and entered Jesus College, Cambridge in 1744....
. - 1774 Thomas Willoughby, 4th Baron MiddletonThomas Willoughby, 4th Baron MiddletonThomas Willoughby, 4th Baron Middleton was an English nobleman, the second son of Francis Willoughby, 2nd Baron Middleton.He was educated at Bury St Edmund's School, and entered Jesus College, Cambridge in 1745...
. - 1781 Thomas Thynne ( later Thomas Thynne, 1st Marquess of BathThomas Thynne, 1st Marquess of BathThomas Thynne, 1st Marquess of Bath KG was a British politician who held office under George III serving as Southern Secretary, Northern Secretary and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Between 1751 and 1780 he was known as Lord Weymouth...
). - 1796 Heneage Finch ( later Heneage Finch, 4th Earl of AylesfordHeneage Finch, 4th Earl of AylesfordHeneage Finch, 4th Earl of Aylesford PC, FRS, FSA , styled Lord Guernsey between 1757 and 1777, was a British peer, politician and artist.-Background and education:...
). - 1812 Henry Willoughby, 6th Baron MiddletonHenry Willoughby, 6th Baron MiddletonHenry Willoughby, 6th Baron Middleton was an English nobleman, the only son of Henry Willoughby, 5th Baron Middleton....
. - 1835 Heneage Finch ( later Heneage Finch, 5th Earl of AylesfordHeneage Finch, 5th Earl of AylesfordHeneage Finch, 5th Earl of Aylesford was a British peer, the eldest son of Heneage Finch, 4th Earl of Aylesford.He was styled Lord Guernsey until he succeeded his father in 1812....
) - 1859 William Henry Leigh, 2nd Baron Leigh of Stoneleigh
- 1905 Sir John Benjamin StoneJohn Benjamin StoneSir John Benjamin Stone , known as Benjamin, was a British Conservative politician, and noted photographer.Stone was born in Aston, Birmingham the son of a local glass manufacturer...
- 1925 Sir Francis Alexander Newdigate-Newdegate
- 1936 Sir Henry Ramsay Cameron Fairfax-Lucy
- 1944 Vacant
- 1951 Rupert William Dudley Leigh, 4th Baron Leigh