William Kirkpatrick Riland Bedford was rector of Sutton Coldfield for 42 years.

His family had long filled the incumbency in Sutton, and he played a leading role in the affairs of the town.

Riland Bedford was the founder of the Sutton Coldfield Institute which, throughout the second half of the 19th century, arranged lectures and musical evenings at the town hall in Mill Street, and was prominent in the campaign to replace the unelected warden and society with an elected town council.

He also offered great encouragement to the cricket, golf and archery clubs of the town.

Riland Bedford lived in the rectory, an impressive 13-bedroom house built in the early 18th century and situated in its own parkland.

It was reached through a beautiful avenue of limes. Sadly the house was demolished in 1936, but Rectory Park survives.

Letter

In November 1870 Riland Bedford received an anonymous letter threatening to kill him and blow up the rectory.

He handed the letter to the police super intendent who oversaw Sutton, but already had his suspicions about the identity of the author. He believed that it was Frederick Smith, a man he knew well but with whom he had recently had an angry exchange aboutthe behaviour of a dog.

The case was heard before two magistrates at the Petty Sessions in Sutton. A letter written by Smith was produced and it was concluded that the handwriting resembled that in the threatening letter which the rector had received. It was now deemed a serious case and, in March 1871, was heard before two magistrates sitting with a jury at the Quarter Sessions at Warwick.

Here a letter from Smith was presented in which he denied that he had written the threatening letter and that he had nothing but respect for the rector: The matter had become the talk of Sutton and Riland Bedford, clearly keen to bring it all to an end, declared that he believed Smith and a verdict of not guilty was returned.

A few months later Riland Bedford was again involved in a legal case. A boy was charged with stealing apples and gooseberries from the garden ofthe rectory.

This time there was no settling of the matter - the boy was sentenced to one day in the cells with the additional recommendation that his father severely admonish him.

For the magistrates of those days, the defence of property, whatever it was, was paramount.

Glimpses into Sutton's Past Parts I, II & III by Stephen Roberts can be ordered from Amazon, priced between £4.99 & £5.49.

Associate Professor
Stephen Roberts