Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire Genealogy

England   Warwickshire England    Warwickshire Parishes

Parish History
SUTTON-COLDFIELD (Holy Trinity), an incorporated market-town and parish, having separate jurisdiction, in the union of Aston, locally in the Birmingham division of the hundred of Hemlingford, N. division of the county of Warwick, 26 miles (N. W.) from Warwick, and 110 (N. W. by N.) from London. Sutton Coldfield Holy Trinity is an Ancient Parish and a market town in the county of Warwickshire. Other places in the parish include: Ashfurlong, Boldmore, Hill, Little Sutton, Hill Hook Moor, Maney, Moor, and Hill Hook.

The increasing population of Sutton Coldfield parish was recognised in the mid-19th century and new ecclesiastical parishes were created from it to better serve the residents of the communities that made up Sutton. The first ecclesiastical parish to be created was Walmley, Warwickshire in 1846, with the recently completed St. John the Evangelist Church becoming the parish church. Hill became the next ecclesiastical parish in 1853, with its church being Mere Green St James, Warwickshire. Boldmere St Michael, Warwickshire parish was created in 1857, with St. Michael's Church becoming its parish church. Holy Trinity Church was further extended with a north outer aisle and vestries in 1874-9. Sutton Coldfield (Holy Trinity).

The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £33. 9. 2., and in the patronage of William Riland Kirkpatrick Bedford, Esq., by whose family the advowson has been held since the year 1691; net income, £2500. The tithes were commuted for land and cornrents in 1824. The church is an ancient structure, originally built in the 12th century, but subsequently enlarged, and combines various styles of architecture; the aisles were added by Bishop Vesey, and part of the nave which fell down about 70 years since has been rebuilt by the corporation, at an expense of £1500. In the chancel is a recumbent figure of the bishop (who died in 1555, at the age of 103, and was buried here), with a miter on his head, and a crosier in his right hand. There are separate incumbencies at Hill and Warmley, in the parish; and the Roman Catholics have a chapel.

From: 'Sutton-Basset - Sutton-Wick', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 274-280. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51320 Date accessed: 22 February 2011.

HolyTrinity is in the Sutton Coldfield deanery of the Diocese of Birmingham.

Sutton Coldfield has a historical connection to the British Royal Family, resulting in it receiving the title of Royal Town when it was a municipal borough in its own right and part of Warwickshire. When the Local Government Act 1972 came into force in 1974, Sutton Coldfield became part of Birmingham and the wider West Midlands county. Within the City of Birmingham metropolitan borough, it comprises the wards of Sutton Four Oaks, Sutton Trinity, Sutton Vesey and Sutton New Hall. Sutton Trinity ward was created in June 2004, at which time the other three wards' boundaries were changed. From 5 April 2004, it has been a council constituency, with many local services managed by a district committee made up of all Sutton's councilors.

Civil Registration
Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day. The civil registration article tells more about these records. There are several Internet sites with name lists or indexes. A popular site is FreeBMD.

See West Midlands BMD

Poor Law Unions
Aston Poor Law Union, Warwickshire

Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Warwickshire Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.

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 * England Jurisdictions 1851
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