Bishop Vesey (1452-1554) is known as the great benefactor of Sutton Coldfield. He secured a charter which gave the town the powers of self-government, built a grammar school, a town hall and 51 stone cottages, paved the roads and provided inhabitants with grazing and other rights in the park.
In 1928 the 400th anniversary of the granting of the charter was reached. The town council was determined to mark this in a truly spectacular way. They decided on a pageant in which, over three days in
July, local actors would tell Sutton's story.
Conceal
The site chosen for this historical pageant was Holly Hurst in Sutton Park. Flat and with trees at the back in which actors could conceal themselves until it was their turn to perform, it was a perfect place to stage this ambitious re-enactment. The script was written by John Willmott, a prominent councillor, and the music was arranged by Graharn Godfrey, the music master at Bishop Vesey's Grammar School.
The whole production was over-seen by Henry Miller, who managed a theatre in the town. In total 1,200 Suttonians were recruited to recreate key moments in the history of the town.
In the weeks before the pageant rehearsals took place in private gardens. All the costumes were designed and made in Sutton, and students at the School of Art designed posters to publicise the event.
Reproduced courtesy of Sutton Coldfield Library.
Admission charges for this rernarkable celebration ranged from Is 6d to 7s 6d. It was hugely popular with local people - combining the four performances together, 30,500 tickets were sold.
The role of Bishop Vesey was taken by the Rev F.S. Golden of St. Peter's, Maney - amongst others who appeared were Roman soldiers, Falstaff, Oliver Cromwell and Tom King, a highwayman. There were very favourable reports in the newspapers about the whole event.
Painting
A copy of John Willmott's script can be found in Sutton Library. To mark the silver jubilee of George V in 1935, Wilmott wrote another play about Bishop Vesey, taking the lead role himself.
A painting of John Willmott as Bishop Vesey can be seen in Big School at Bishop Vesey's Grammar School.
- Sutton Park: A Social History 1900-1950 by Stephen Roberts can be ordered from Amazon, £5.
Associate Professor
Stephen Roberts