(636) Birch and Wyrley-Birch of Harborne House, Hamstead Hall, Wretham Hall and Armitage Lodge.

Birch of Wretham Hall

This family were settled as farmers and nailmakers in the villages north of Birmingham by the 16th and early 17th centuries. They were kin to the Birch family of Birch Hall, Manchester (who, although an ancient family, will not be the subject of a post as they never owned a country house), although the precise connection between the two is obscure. The genealogy below begins with George Birch (1616-60), who leased Harborne House (Staffs) in the late 17th century, and was the father of at least two sons. The elder, George Birch (1652-1722), was heir to his father's property at Harborne, while the younger, Thomas Birch (1654-1724?), was the ancestor of the Birches of Armitage Lodge, also considered in this post. George Birch (1652-1722) bought the freehold of Harborne House in about 1710, and also purchased an estate at Birchfield in Handsworth (Staffs) in about 1700. His eldest son, George Birch (b. 1689) evidently died in the lifetime of his father, so it was his second son, Sir Thomas Birch (1690-1757), kt., who inherited his father's estate. Sir Thomas was educated at the Inner Temple and became a successful lawyer, ending up as a judge in the court of common pleas, while two of his younger brothers went to university and became clergymen. Another brother, James Birch (1698-1772) was the ancestor of the Birch-Reynardson family and will be considered in my next post.

Although Sir Thomas inherited his father's property and was High Sheriff of Staffordshire in 1715-16, his legal duties kept him in London a good deal, and he lived chiefly in chambers there, and at Southgate in Edmonton (Middx). He had three sons, none of whom followed him into the law. His heir was George Birch (1739-1807), who inherited Hamstead Hall in Handsworth from his first cousin once removed, John Wyrley Birch (1707-75), and subsequently sold Harborne House. He rebuilt Hamstead Hall in the late 18th century as a comfortably elegant classical country house. George's brother Thomas inherited some lands at Harborne from his father and also in 1776 an estate at Erdington (Warks) from his uncle, the Rev. John Birch, but died without issue in 1795. George himself had only one son, Wyrley Birch (1781-1866), who was named for the family which had long held the manor of Hamstead and from whom it had passed by marriage to the (Manchester) Birches. 

As a result of his marriage settlement and the fortuitous accumulation of legacies, Wyrley Birch (1781-1866) became much wealthier than his forebears had been. This allowed him to sell the small Hamstead Hall estate and purchase Wretham Hall in Norfolk, which was a relatively new house of similar size, but set on a much larger estate. He also expanded the estate so that by the time of his death it ran to over 6,400 acres. He and his wife had an exceptionally large family of fifteen children, but rather than share his property out among them, he insisted that his sons should all follow professions and make their own way in the world. His eldest son, George Wyrley Birch (1805-55), who farmed in Lincolnshire and later on the Wretham estate, having died in his lifetime, he handed on his estate intact to the latter's eldest son, Wyrley Birch (later Wyrley-Birch) (1837-1901). The younger Wyrley, who as an army officer had served in the Crimea and the Indian mutiny, seems to have run into some financial difficulties, for although at first he occupied Wretham Hall, he sold it in 1879 and moved to Cromer on the Norfolk coast. The house at Wretham burnt down in 1906 and was subsequently rebuilt, but finally demolished in 1948.

Thomas Birch (1654-1724?), the younger son of George Birch (1616-60), seems to have settled at Brereton in Rugeley (Staffs), where he was succeeded by his only recorded son, Thomas Birch (1697-1771). The latter's only surviving son, Andrew Birch (1728-98) also lived at Brereton, and several of his children became nonconformists in religion. His two daughters occupied Brereton House after his death and endowed a Methodist school and almshouses at Brereton in the mid 19th century. His younger son, Edmund John Birch (1776-1829) was set up in business as a pottery manufacturer by his father, but in about 1810 he gave this up and put his capital into a bank at Stafford. He continued to be closely associated with the pottery industry, however, for in 1821 his second marriage was to Mary, daughter of Josiah Spode II (1754-1827). Andrew's eldest son, Thomas Birch (1774-1837), inherited his lands Brereton but added to them additional lands in the adjoining parish of Armitage. These probably included an existing house, which he greatly enlarged and remodelled to form a new seat called Armitage Lodge, which was complete by 1808, and in the grounds of which he built an independent chapel. His only son, Thomas John Birch (1808-95), was educated at Glasgow University and became a solicitor. He also became a major shareholder in a local colliery company, of which he was chairman for the last fifteen years of his life. He married the daughter of a London and Devonshire banker, and had one son and four daughters. He seems to have fallen out with his son, Lightwood Thomas Birch (1851-1903), perhaps on account of the latter's separation from his wife in about 1891. At all events, Lightwood was cut out oof his will, and the Armitage Lodge estate was left jointly to the four daughters, who sold it in 1896. Until the 1890s, Lightwood had pursued an unremarkable career, serving as an officer in the Staffordshire militia and becoming a JP, but after splitting from his wife - who kept their house in Lichfield - he dropped out of local society and went to live at Hastings (Sussex). Here, in 1901, he was cohabiting with a much younger German woman - claiming at the time of the census to be her uncle, though that seems improbable. Starved of resources by his father's testamentary dispositions, he left a paltry estate of £72 at his death in 1903.

Harborne House (now Bishops Croft), Harborne, Staffordshire

Nothing is known of the manor house occupied by the Birch family, which was replaced in about 1780 by a new house that was probably built for Thomas Green, a Birmingham manufacturer who acquired the manor of Harborne. His house is a three-storey brick cube, with an entrance front of three widely-spaced bays, with a plain dentil cornice and parapet. The Adam-style doorcase has half columns and plaster garlands in the frieze. To either side are pedimented wings which are co-eval with the house, although the connecting links between the house and the wings were enlarged as part of alterations by A.S. Dixon of 1902-03 for Archibald Kenrick. On the garden front, the centre is of five bays with a Doric porch in front of the central bay. The symmetry of the facade is disturbed by a one-and-a-half storey extension to the right of the central block that accommodates Dixon's dining room. The tall chimneys which tower above the wings are also Dixon's work. 

Harborne House (now Bishop's Croft): entrance front in 2001. Image: J.J. Sheridan/Historic England

Harborne House (now Bishop's Croft): garden front. 

Inside, the off-centre entrance hall has an Adam-style ceiling with delicate flowers, circular and diamond-shaped panels, and a frieze of lyres and garlands. The axial corridor has a similar frieze, and there is more 18th century plasterwork on the first-floor landing. Dixon provided a new open-well timber staircase to the right of the hall, with alternating octagonal and twisted balusters, but the most important interior is the dining room,which has full-height panelling and an excellent deep plaster frieze by G.P. Bankart decorated with garlands of roses, berries and other fruit, and a metalwork fireplace designed by the Birmingham Guild. Dixon also created the billiard room (now the bishop's study) in the west wing, with further plasterwork decoration by Bankart.

The house was acquired in 1921 as a residence for the Bishop of Birmingham, and in 1923 Dixon added a chapel in red-blue brick at the south-west corner of the house. Inside, the chapel is wainscoted to above head height, and has a plain groined vault. A fine screen divides a lobby from the chapel proper, which is arranged with plain stalls against the walls, like a college chapel.

Descent: Crown granted 1553 to Edward, Lord Dudley (d. 1586); to son, who sold 1604 to Sir Charles Cornwallis (d. 1629); to grandson, Charles Cornwallis, who sold 1661 to Thomas Foley... Philip Foley sold c.1710 to George Birch (1652-1722); to son, Sir Thomas Birch (1690-1757), kt.; to son, George Birch (1739-1807), who leased 1781 and sold 1785 to Thomas Green (1731-1803); to nephew, Thomas Green Simcox (d. 1828); to son, Rev. Thomas Green Simcox (1810-76); sold to Harry Heaton (d. c.1900); sold to John Archibald Kenrick (1869-1933); sold with 17 acres in 1921 for £10,000 to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners as a residence for the bishops of Birmingham.

Hamstead Hall, Handsworth, Staffordshire

The original Hamstead Hall, which may have been the manor house of Handsworth, stood in a small park close to Hamstead Mill on the River Tame, but was replaced by a house on a new site further west in about 1775, by which time the park had disappeared. Pipe-laying works in 1933 revealed some of the foundations of the old house and suggested a tentative dating to the 15th century. 

Hamstead Hall: view of the house in about 1799, from Stebbing Shaw's History of Staffordshire.

The new house, built for George Birch after he inherited the house in 1775, was a two-storey block of five by nine bays, with the main entrance under a pedimental gable containing a Diocletian window in the short elevation, which faced slightly west of south. The longer east elevation had a slightly recessed three-bay centre, with the three bays at either end crowned by similar pedimental gables to the south front. Irregular extensions and service accommodation lay to the north and west. Inside, the house was tastefully decorated in the Adam manner, and the drawing room was hung with a Chinese wallpaper. In 1884, when it was advertised to let, the house contained a spacious entrance hall, morning, dining, and drawing rooms, a library, billiard room, and twenty bedrooms. The partly wooded grounds sloped down to the River Tame, and a walled garden with a large greenhouse stood between the house and the river to its north.

Hamstead Hall: the house shortly before demolition in 1936. Image: Library of Birmingham.

Hamstead Hall: the drawing room chimneypiece in the Adam style. Image: Library of Birmingham

After the estate was sold to the Earls of Dartmouth in the early 19th century, it was rented out to a succession of local industrialists, who kept it in fairly good repair, although the proximity of the Hamstead Hall Colliery did not improve the amenities of the property. In 1935, however, the house was in the way of the relentless suburban expansion of Birmingham, and it was advertised for sale with a view to demolition. It was pulled down shortly afterwards, as a press reporter observed the process of dismantling in January 1936 and a demolition sale was held in June that year. By 1939 a housing estate had been laid out on the site.

Descent: Humphrey Wyrley (fl. 1615); to son, Sir John Wyrley (c.1607-87), kt.; to brother, Humfrey Wyrley (d. 1689); to son, Humfrey Wyrley (b. 1648; fl. 1705); to daughter Sibyll, wife of Rev. Dr. Peter Birch, prebendary of Westminster; to son, John Wyrley Birch (1707-75); to kinsman, George Birch (1739-1807); to son, Wyrley Birch (1781-1866), who sold about 1813 to William Legge (1784-1853), 4th Earl of Dartmouth... sold for demoliton, 1935. After the sale to Lord Dartmouth, the house was generally let, and tenants included William Wallis (d. 1825), merchant; John Lewis Moilliet (1770-1845), a Swiss banker, later of Abberley Hall (Worcs); Charles Smith Forster (1786-1850), banker and MP; William Bagnall (d. 1863) and his son, William Henry Bagnall; Charles Kirkham (fl. 1881-84), who opened the grounds as a short-lived commercial pleasure park; George Kynoch MP (d. 1891), ammunition manufacturer; and Joseph Boston (fl. 1900-09). 

Wretham Hall, Norfolk

The Wretham estate belonged to King's College, Cambridge from the 15th century to the early 19th century. In 1790 the college leased the estate to William Colhoun, who built the first country house here. It is marked on Faden's map of Norfolk in 1797 as 'New House' and was probably still under construction at the time of his survey. Wyrley Birch, who became tenant in 1812, subsequently purchased the freehold and expanded the estate to some 6,400 acres. It was no doubt he who laid out the park, which incorporated several natural meres and the ruins of the former parish church. Creating the park required the diversion of several roads and the removal of some houses. During the later 19th century the property was noted for the excellence of its shooting.

Wretham Hall: the south front of the house built in the 1790s, before the fire of 1906.

A surviving photograph and map evidence show that the Georgian house was a rectangular block with two semi-circular bows on the short east elevation, while the entrance was on the six-bay south front and a service wing extended to the west. The north front was pedimented and had a more elegant seven-bay facade, and may have been the original entrance front. Rather curiously, while the house was generally of two storeys, on the south front there were three storeys, with the two lower floors corresponding to the tall ground floor on the other elevations; the south windows of the room behind the bow were blind. This suggests that a small earlier house - perhaps the 'Pretyman's Farm' marked on a map of 1759 - was incorporated into the building. The fourth bay of the south front was stepped forward and was evidently altered in the 19th century, when banded rustication was applied to the angles of the breakfront and a balustraded single-storey porch was built in front of the projecting bay. Little seems to be known of the layout or decoration of the interior, but when the house was advertised for sale in 1910 it was said to comprise three good reception rooms and fourteen bedrooms; the two main reception rooms were probably behind the bow windows, which commanded views over the park.

Wretham Hall: the north front after the fire of 1906, showing how the house was completely gutted.

Wretham Hall: the temporary residence on the estate in 1910.
Image: Country Life.

A fire in 1900, occasioned by a beam being ignited in the kitchen chimney, was put out with only moderate damage, but on the night of Boxing Day 1906 a second fire, apparently from the same cause, largely destroyed the house and all its contents, with only the drawing room furniture being saved. No effort seems to have been made to repair or replace the lost mansion, but a building on the estate called 'the manor house' in 1910 was evidently fitted up as a temporary residence. In 1910 the Wretham estate was sold to the engineer, Sir Saxton Noble (1863-1942) for £42,750. He at once set about clearing the site and building a new house to the designs of Sir Reginald Blomfield. This was at first intended to be a small shooting box, but it grew prodigiously during the design process. It also went through considerable stylistic changes, with one drawing showing it with high hipped roofs of almost French proportions, while in the end it was a more traditional two-and-a-half storey H-shaped red brick building with Portland stone doorcases, in the 'Wrenaissance' tradition, symmetrical about two axes. The new house stood on approximately the same site as the old one, but was differently aligned.

Wretham Hall: the new house in 1917. Image: Historic England.

Wretham Hall: aerial view of the house in the 1930s.

The long east and west elevations were of nine bays and eleven bays respectively, with the two bays at either end of both fronts projecting; the short elevations were of seven bays, with the central three bays articulated by giant pilasters and slightly stepped forward. A service wing projected at the north end. A cornice ran round the building above the two main storeys, and in the attic above the windows were circular above the wings and doorcase on the entrance front, and between the wings on the garden front. Inside, the main entrance on the west led into a passage, flanked by a cloakroom and the owner's business room, to a large hall on the east front. The south end of the house was occupied by the drawing room and library, while the north end contained the dining room, billiard room, staircase, and a card room. In accordance with Victorian tradition, the layout was designed to maximise the distance from drawing room to dining room to facilitate a stately progression between the two. The interior was extensively panelled, but had murals in the dining room painted in 1918-19 by the Spanish artist, J.M. Sert, who also decorated the music room at Sir Saxton's London home, Kent House, Knightsbridge.

The magnificence of Sir Reginald Blomfield's new hall was short-lived, for the property changed hands several times in the early 20th century. On the death of Sir John Dewrance in 1938, the estate was put up for sale in lots, and some 3,347 acres were sold to the Forestry Commission, but the house and park remained with his daughter. In 1939 the house was used to house evacuated children from Dr Bernardo's Homes, but following the construction of an airfield at East Wretham in 1940, it became an officers' mess for the RAF (and for the USAAF from 1943-45). With no resident representative of the owners to exert control, the building had been badly damaged by military occupation, and in 1948 it was advertised for sale with just four acres of land. When it failed to find a buyer the owners held a demolition sale in October 1948 and the house was pulled down soon afterwards, after an existence of less than thirty-five years.

Descent: King's College, Cambridge leased 1790 to William Colhoun and later to Lord Paget and Wyrley Birch (1781-1866), who bought the freehold; to grandson, Wyrley Wyrley-Birch (1837-1901), who sold 1879 to William Morris (d. 1890); to nephew, Sydney Morris (c.1851-1924); burnt 1906 and sold 1910 to Sir Saxton William Armstrong Noble (1863-1942), 1st bt., who rebuilt the house; sold 1926 to Sir John Dewrance (1858-1937), kt.; to daughter, Claire (1887-1942), widow of Maj. Ernest Evelyn Rich (d. 1917); sold 1943 after her death to William Spruce, William Seamon and Anthony Seaman, Norwich grain merchants; demolished c.1948.

Armitage Lodge, Staffordshire

The history of this house is unusually obscure, but there may have been a building on the site before the elevations illustrated here were built, as the roofing plan suggests that the house had quite a complicated development history. The elevations that existed in the 20th century appear to date largely from the early 19th century, and it seems possible that they date from after the estate was acquired by Thomas Birch, who obtained a mortgage on the property in 1813 but was already resident by 1808. Alterations and improvements are also said to have been made for the Rev. Edward Sansom after he retired to the house in 1896.

Armitage Lodge: an aerial view of the house from the north in the mid 20th century.

Armitage Lodge: west front (though labelled south), from an early 20th century postcard.

When the house was advertised for sale in 1921 it was said to contain four reception rooms and nineteen bedrooms. Thereafter, it changed hands fairly frequently, and in the 1950s became first a club or hostel and then was partially converted to flats. In 1974 it began to be affected by mining subsidence, which progressed quickly to the point where the house became uninhabitable and it was vacated. Vandalism of the empty property followed, and it was demolished in 1975. Outline planning permission for a replacement dwelling on the site was obtained soon afterwards, but a succession of detailed schemes were rejected by the local authority, partly because of the subsidence risk, and partly for other reasons. Not until 1991 were plans approved on appeal for a new two-storey house.

Armitage Lodge: north front after the partial collapse of a retaining wall, 1974.

Descent: built or remodelled for Thomas Birch (1774-1837); to son, Thomas John Birch (1808-95); to daughters, who sold 1896 to Rev. Edward Samson (d. 1921); to daughter, Mrs Fowler Butler (d. 1949), who sold c.1925 to R.E. Moore; sold 1931 to Cuthbert Bailey, Managing Director of Doulton, pottery manufacturers, who established a poultry farm in the grounds; sold 1951 to Mr & Mrs E.A. Wooldridge as a hostel called Five Estates Club; sold 1956 to Mr & Mrs Lury, who occupied part of it and divided the rest into seven flats; demolished 1975.

Birch family of Harborne House, Hamstead Hall and Wretham Hall

Birch, George (1616-60?). Son of Thomas Birch and his wife, born 1616. He married Catherine [surname unknown] and had issue, perhaps among others:

(1) George Birch (1652-1722) (q.v.);

(2) Thomas Birch (1654-1724?) [for whom see below, Birch family of Armitage Lodge]

He became tenant of Harborne House in the late 17th century.

He is said to have died 4 December 1660. His wife's date of death is unknown.

Birch, George (1652-1722). Son of George Birch (1616-60?) and his wife Catherine, baptised 22 May 1652. He married, 4 February 1688/9 at Castle Bromwich (Warks), Mary (1662-1747?), daughter of Thomas Forrester of Castle Bromwich, and had issue:

(1) George Birch (b. 1689), born 14 November and baptised at Harborne, 26 November 1689; died unmarried, probably in the lifetime of his father;

(2) Sir Thomas Birch (1690-1757), kt. (q.v.);

(3) Rev. John Birch (1692-1776), born 20 February and baptised at Harborne, 8 March 1692/3; educated at Pembroke College, Oxford (matriculated 1708; BA 1712*); rector of Binfield (Berks), 1721-67; lived at Henley-on-Thames (Oxon), where he was a schoolmaster; inherited his father's lands at Erdington (Warks); married, 13/23 January 1731 at Kinver (Staffs), Elizabeth Wood, but had no issue; died 28 June 1776; will proved in the PCC, 20 July 1776;

(4) Mary Birch (1694-1784), born 27 January and baptised at Harborne, 8 February 1694/5; married, 8 January 1719/20 at Harborne, William Greene, and had issue; died aged 90 on 29 March, and was buried at Harborne, 4 April 1784;

(5) James Birch (1698-1772) [for whom see my forthcoming post on the Birch-Reynardson family]

(6) Rev. Samuel Birch (b. 1700), born 4 August and baptised at Harborne, 19 August 1700; educated at Pembroke College, Cambridge (matriculated 1716; BA 1719; MA 1722); said to have married and had issue; death not traced;

(7) Elizabeth Birch (1703-32), born 4 August and baptised 17 August 1703; married, 27 March 1722, as his first wife, Abraham Spooner (1691-1788), iron merchant, of Rookery Hall, Erdington and Elmdon Hall (Warks), and had issue one daughter; buried at Harborne, 6 May 1732.

He purchased the Birchfield estate in Handsworth from his cousin, John Birch, in about 1700. He inherited the lease of Harborne Hall from his father and purchased the freehold c.1710.

He was buried at Harborne, 12 February 1721/2. His widow is said to have died in 1747.

* Although his name is given in the graduation records as Richard.

Sir Thomas Birch (1690-1757) 

Birch, Sir Thomas (1690-1757), kt. Second, but probably eldest surviving, son of George Birch (1652-1722) and his wife Mary, daughter of Thomas Forrester, said to have been born 1690 and baptised 25 February 1690/1. Educated at Inner Temple (admitted 1709; called 1715). High Sheriff of Staffordshire, 1715-16. Barrister-at-law; Serjeant-at-Law, 1730-45; King's Serjeant, 1745-46; Judge of the Common Pleas, 1746-57. He became a member of the court of the New England Company, 1722. He was knighted in 1745. He married, 9 October 1733 at Edmonton (Middx), Sarah (1705-54), daughter and co-heir of John William Teshmaker of Edmonton, and had issue:

(1) Mary Birch (1734-86?), born 4 October and baptised at St Clement Danes, 22 October 1734; lived at Southgate (Middx); died unmarried and was probably the woman of this name buried in the Countess of Huntingdon's Connection graveyard at Spa Fields, London, 7 November 1786;

(2) Esther Barbara Birch (1736-1812), baptised at St Clement Danes, London, 23 November 1736; married, 18 May 1779 at St Marylebone (Middx), Rev. Thomas Lane (1746-1802), rector of Handsworth 1776-1802, son of Thomas Lane of Bentley (Staffs), but had no issue; buried at St Marylebone, 4 May 1812;

(3) George Birch (1739-1807) (q.v.);

(4) Thomas Birch (1742-95), baptised at St Clement Danes, London, 15 December 1742; educated at Queens' College, Cambridge (matriculated 1761) and Inner Temple (admitted 1761); farmer at Redhall, Harborne and inherited his uncle's lands at Erdington (Warks) in 1776; died without issue, 11 March, and was buried at Harborne, 14 March 1795;

(5) John William Birch (1744-95), baptised at St Clement Danes, London, 5 September 1744; an officer in the Royal Horse Guards (Cornet, 1761; Lt., 1764; Capt., 1771; retired 1777); died unmarried, 20 April, and was buried at St Marylebone, 25 April 1795.

He inherited Harborne House from his father in 1721, but lived chiefly at Southgate, Edmonton (Middx).

He died 14 March and was buried at Edmonton, 22 March 1757. His wife died 16 June, and was buried at Edmonton, 22 June 1754.

Birch, George (1739-1807). Eldest son of Sir Thomas Birch (1690-1757), kt., and his wife Sarah, daughter of John William Teshmaker, baptised at St Clement Danes, London, 26 July 1739. Educated at Queens' College, Cambridge (matriculated 1857) and Inner Temple (admitted 1755). High Sheriff of Staffordshire, 1803-04. In 1789 he purchased a steam engine from his neighbour, James Watt, the engineer, 'to wash his house [Hamstead Hall] with'. He married, 5 February 1776 at Handsworth, Anne (1751-1806), third daughter of Thomas Lane of Bentley and granddaughter of John Lane by his wife Mary, eldest daughter of Humphrey Wyrley, and had issue:

(1) Mary Ann Birch (1776-1820), born 24 November 1776; married, 8 December 1801, Richard Congreve (1778-1857) of Burton (Ches.) and had issue five sons and five daughters; died 5 August and was buried 12 August 1820 at Burton, where she is commemorated by a fine marble monument;

(2) Esther Barbara Birch (1778-91), baptised at Handsworth, 28 February 1778; died young and was buried at Handsworth, 2 May 1791;

(3) Sarah Birch (1780-1836?), baptised at Handsworth, 15 January 1780; died unmarried and was probably the woman of this name buried at Handsworth, 12 June 1836;

(4) Wyrley Birch (1781-1866) (q.v.);

(5) Ann Birch (1785-1848), baptised 21 September 1785; married, 15 September 1812 at Handsworth, Joseph Jeanes Durbin (1774-1848), an officer in the 2nd Somerset Militia (Maj.), son of Sir John Durbin (1734-1814), 1st bt., of Walton Manor House, Walton-in-Gordano (Som.), mayor of Bristol in 1778, and had issue four sons and six daughters; died 3 April and was buried at Holy Trinity, Cheltenham, 8 April 1848.

He inherited Harborne House from his father in 1757 but leased it from 1781 and sold it in 1785. He inherited Hamstead Hall in 1775 from his first cousin once removed, John Wyrley Birch (1707-75), and rebuilt the house.

He died 7 February, and was buried at Handsworth, 14 February 1807; his will was proved in the PCC, 4 May 1807. His wife died 12 February and was buried at Handsworth, 20 February 1806.

Birch, Wyrley (1781-1866). Only son of George Birch (1739-1807) and his wife Anne, third daughter of Thomas Lane of Bentley, baptised at Handsworth (Staffs), 11 September 1781. Educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge (matriculated 1800). JP for Norfolk; High Sheriff of Norfolk, 1848. A Liberal in politics. His obituarist described him as a man with an inflexible sense of duty who was a strict disciplinarian in his own home, but possessed of a natural bonhomie. He married, 19 July 1804 at St Marylebone (Middx), Katharine Sarah (1780-1861), third daughter and co-heiress of Jacob Reynardson of Holywell Hall (Lincs), and had issue:

(1) George Wyrley Birch (1805-55) (q.v.);

(2) Thomas Jacob Birch (1806-68), born 15 October 1806; educated at Eton, Brasenose College, Oxford (matriculated 1823; BA 1828; MA 1831) and Inner Temple (admitted 1828; called 1831); barrister-at-law on the Norfolk circuit; Recorder of Thetford (Norfk), 1847-68; JP for Norfolk (where he was joint chairman of Quarter Sessions) and County Mayo; with his next brother, purchased a farm at Ballycroy, Ballina (Co. Mayo) about 1850, to which he intended to retire; he was unmarried and died unexpectedly at Ballycroy, 24 April 1868 and was buried at Wretham; will proved 1 July 1868 (effects under £20,000);

(3) Katherine Mary Anne Birch (1808-68), born 1 January and baptised at Handsworth, 6 February 1808; died unmarried, 3 January 1868, and was buried in the Protestant Cemetery at Rome (Italy); will proved 17 April 1868 (effects under £45,000);

(4) Henry William Birch (1809-78), born 26 September and baptised at Handsworth, 20 October 1809; educated at Eton and St John's College, Cambridge (matriculated 1829; BA 1833; MA 1836); solicitor in Lincoln's Inn Fields, London; with his next elder brother, purchased a farm at Ballycroy, Ballina (Co. Mayo); died unmarried, 8 April, and was buried at Brompton Cemetery (Middx), 12 April 1878; will proved 3 June 1878 (effects under £40,000);

(5) Jemima Lucy Birch (1811-92), baptised at Handsworth, 18 August 1811; married, 31 August 1841 at St James, Piccadilly, Westminster (Middx), as his second wife, Richard Longfield (1802-89) of Longueville (Co. Cork), MP for County Cork, 1835-37, and had issue three sons and two daughters; died 15 January 1892; will proved in Dublin, 1 June 1892 (effects £8,441);

(6) Rev. Frederick Lane Birch (1812-50), baptised at Handsworth, 15 November 1812; educated at Charterhouse and St John's College, Cambridge (matriculated 1831; BA 1836; MA 1840); ordained deacon, 1835, and priest, 1836; rector of East and West Wretham (Norfk), 1836-50; died unmarried, 30 May, and was buried at Wretham, 3 June 1850; his rather remarkable will, which left sealed instructions to his executors which were not to be opened or acted upon until after his father's death, was proved in the PCC, 19 August 1850;

(7) twin, Frances Augusta Birch (1813-97), born 1 July and baptised at Handsworth, 24 July 1813; married, 23 July 1833 at Wretham, William Peere Williams-Freeman (1811-73) of Arniston (Midl.), Fawley Court (Bucks) and Pylewell Park (Hants), and had issue five sons and two daughters; died at Walliscote (Oxon), 15 January 1897, and was buried at South Baddesley (Hants), where she and her husband are commemorated on a gravestone in the churchyard;

(8) twin, Charlotte Etheldred Birch (1813-58), born 1 July and baptised at Handsworth, 24 July 1813; died unmarried and was buried at Wretham, 14 September 1858;

(9) Juliana Maria Birch (1815-98), born 31 May and baptised at Wretham, 13 July 1815; married, 3 November 1840 at Wretham, Henry Fowler Broadwood (1811-93), piano manufacturer, of Lyne House, Newdigate (Surrey) (which he rebuilt c.1865), son of James Shudi Broadwood, piano maker, and had issue two sons and five daughters; died 2 April 1898 and was buried at Rusper (Sussex); will proved 6 June 1898 (effects £7,128);

(10) John Charles Birch (1816-18), born 22 August and baptised at Wretham, 22 September 1816; died young, 25 October, and was buried at Wretham, 30 October 1818;

(11) Peregrine Birch (1817-98), born 21 December 1817 and baptised at Wretham, 23 February 1818; educated at Rugby; a committee clerk in the House of Lords, 1836-78; married, 5 September 1843 at Hayes (Middx), Anna Charlotte (c.1823-1901), daughter of Gen. James Grant of Hayes Park, and had issue six sons and five daughters; died 26 June and was buried at Forest Row (Sussex), 30 June 1898; his will was proved 25 July 1898 (effects £43,123);

(12) Elizabeth Caroline Birch (1819-1906), born 11 December and baptised at Wretham, 24 December 1819; married, 20 August 1844 at St James, Piccadilly, Westminster (Middx), Robert Pryor (1812-89) of Weston Park and High Elms (Herts), barrister-at-law, son of Thomas Marlborough Pryor, and had issue at least three sons; died 15 March and was buried at Leavesden (Herts), 17 March 1906; administration of goods granted 14 June 1906 (estate £13,279);

(13) Anna Sophia Birch (b. & d. 1821), born 12 March and baptised at Wretham, 15 April 1821; died in infancy and was buried at Wretham, 18 April 1821;

(14) Laurence Birch (1823-95), born 16 November 1823 and baptised at Wretham, 19 February 1824; educated at Rugby and St John's College, Cambridge (matriculated 1842); a committee clerk in the House of Lords (Clerk of the Journals, 1873-84); JP for Wiltshire; lived in retirement at Fisherton Delamere House (Wilts), which he leased from 1871 and purchased in 1881, but which was sold after his death; married, 13 November 1855 at St John, Hampstead (Middx), Elizabeth Gertrude (1832-77), daughter of David Powell of Heath Lodge, Hampstead, and had issue one son and one daughter; died 28 March 1895; will proved 1 June 1895 (effects £30,497);

(15) Agnes Ellen Birch (1824-1910), born 21 December 1824 and baptised at Wretham, 2 January 1825; married, 12 September 1850 at the Episcopal Chapel, Melrose (Roxb.), Rev. James Park Whalley (c.1818-1911), rector of Illington (Norfk) and later of Wretham, second son of Frederick Whalley of Westminster, and had issue five sons and two daughters; buried at Westhampnett (Sussex), 28 January 1910; administration of goods granted 18 February 1910 (estate £3,277).

He inherited Hamstead Hall from his father in 1807, but sold it about 1813. He leased Wretham Hall (Norfk) from 1812 and purchased the freehold soon afterwards. In 1825 he obtained an Act of Parliament allowing him to exchange an estate at Shipdham (Norfk) for additional lands in East and West Wretham. He also owned property at Somerby (Lincs).

He died 24 December 1866 and was buried at Wretham; his will was proved 27 April 1867 (effects under £80,000). His wife died 11 October 1861.

Birch, George Wyrley (1805-55). Eldest son of Wyrley Birch (1781-1866) and his wife Katharine Sarah, third daughter of Jacob Reynardson of Holywell Hall (Lincs), born 8 April and baptised at St Marylebone (Middx), 15 May 1805. Educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge (matriculated 1824). An officer in the army (Ensign, 1825; Lt., 1826; retired 1830). Farmer at Roxholm Hall, near Leasingham (Lincs) and later at Wretham. He married, 17 January 1833 at Burton (Ches.), his first cousin, Jane (1810-77), third daughter of Richard Congreve of Burton, and had issue:

(1) Katherine Sarah Wyrley Birch (1833-71), born 19 October and baptised at Rauceby (Lincs), 5 November 1833; died unmarried, and was buried at Great Yarmouth (Norfk), 16 March 1871;

(2) Jane Marianne Wyrley Birch (1834-87), born 18 December 1834 and baptised at Rauceby, 25 January 1835; died unmarried, 6 October, and was buried at Great Yarmouth, 7 October 1887;

(3) Wyrley Birch (later Wyrley-Birch) (1837-1901) (q.v.);

(4) Richard Jacob Wyrley Birch (1838-1901), born 8 September and baptised at Leasingham, 18 November 1838; educated at Marlborough; an officer in the army (Cornet, 1858; Lt., 1859; Capt., 1861); married, 31 October 1867 at Montreal (Canada), Catherine Leonora Margaret (b. 1843), second daughter of Alexander Home Vass of Montreal, and had issue three sons and one daughter; died at Quebec (Canada), 1 September 1901; administration of goods granted 31 July 1911 (estate in England, £281);

(5) Henry William Wyrley Birch (1840-58), born 17 March and baptised at Leasingham, 7 May 1840; educated at Marlborough; midshipman in Royal Navy; presumed drowned in the loss with all hands of HMS Sappho between South Africa and Australia, 31 January 1858;

(6) Ethel(dred) Louisa Wyrley Birch (1841-87), born 2 December 1841 and baptised at Wretham, 12 June 1843; lived with her sister Eleanor at Great Yarmouth and later Bournemouth (Hants); died unmarried, 28 May 1887; will proved 28 June 1887 (effects £3,283);

(7) George Anthony Wyrley Birch (c.1842-66), baptised at Wretham, 12 June 1843; educated at Marlborough; an officer in the Royal Navy (Cadet, 1856; Midshipman, 1859; Lt., 1865); died unmarried and was buried at Great Yarmouth, 17 July 1866;

(8) Eleanor Frederica Wyrley Birch (1845-1908), baptised at Wretham, 28 October 1845; lived with her elder sister, Etheldred, at Great Yarmouth and later Bournemouth; died unmarried at Christchurch (Hants), 18 October 1908; will proved 4 December 1908 (estate £692);

(9) John Philip Wyrley Birch (1848-1910), born 15 May and baptised at Wretham, 12 June 1848; educated at Marlborough; rancher and landowner at Pampa (Argentina); married and is said to have had issue in Argentina; died 18 October 1910; administration of goods granted 23 November 1910 (estate £384);

(10) Frances Elizabeth Birch (1851-99), baptised at Wretham, 10 March 1851; married, 18 July 1894 at Whitchurch (Oxon), Edward Ferdinand Melly (b. c.1857), mining engineer, son of Charles Pierre Melly, but had no issue; died 20 September 1899; will proved 23 December 1899 (estate £536);

(11) Thomas Samuel Wyrley Birch (1853-1919), born 8 April and baptised at Wretham, 20 June 1853; lived at Llangarren (Herefs) and Buenos Aires (Argentina); married, 6 October 1888 at St Anne, Highgate Rise (Middx), Elizabeth (1865-1939), daughter of John Williams, and had issue three sons; died 27 July and was buried at Putney Vale Cemetery (Surrey), 30 July 1919; will proved 18 October 1919 (estate £17,781).

He lived at Roxholm Hall near Leasingham (Lincs) until about 1842 and later at Forest Lodge, Wretham (Norfk) on his father's estate.

He died in the lifetime of his father, 5 April 1855, and was buried at Wretham, where he is commemorated by a monument. His widow died at Telegraph House, Great Yarmouth, 18 February 1877; her will was proved 17 April 1877 (effects under £1,000).

Birch (later Wyrley-Birch), Wyrley (1837-1901). Eldest son of George Wyrley Birch (1805-55) and his wife Jane, third daughter of Richard Congreve of Burton (Ches.), born 3 June and baptised at Leasingham (Lincs), 9 July 1837. Educated at Marlborough. An officer in the army (Ensign, 1855; Lt., 1855), who served in the Crimean War (fighting at Sebastopol and the Redan) and in the Indian Mutiny. JP and DL for Norfolk. He took the additional surname Wyrley by deed poll, 1888. He married, 27 November 1862 at St Anne, Dublin, Rebecca Katharine (c.1840-1914), eldest daughter of Ven. Samuel Moore Kyle (1801-90), archdeacon of Cork, and had issue:

(1) Henrietta Katherine Jane Wyrley-Birch (1863-93), born 26 October 1863; lived latterly at Cromer (Norfk); died unmarried, 30 January 1893; administration of goods granted to her brother, 19 June 1902 (effects £2,500);

(2) Amy Louise Wyrley-Birch (1865-1954), baptised at Watton (Norfk), 5 August 1865; volunteer social worker in Suffolk and Hoxton (Middx); died unmarried, 28 October 1954; will proved 25 January 1955 (estate £3,451);

(3) Emmeline Gertrude Wyrley-Birch (1866-1929), baptised at Watton (Norfk), 5 August 1866; married, 14 January 1891 at Great Witchingham (Norfk) (sep. 1909), Cecil Edward Bourchier (1866-1919) of Great Plumstead Hall (Norfk), son of Maj. James Johnes Bourchier, and had issue one daughter; died 27 April 1929;

(4) Wyrley Edwin George Wyrley-Birch (1867-1920), born 12 November 1867 and baptised at Wretham, 1 January 1868; educated at Hove (Sussex); lived at Harpsden (Oxon); married, 3 July 1899 at St Peter, Eaton Sq., Westminster (Middx), Muriel Alberta (1878-1932), daughter of Richard Edmund Longfield of Longueville (Co. Cork), and had issue two sons; died 1 June 1920 and was buried at Harpsden; his will was proved 13 July 1920;

(5) Sibyll Agatha Wyrley Wyrley-Birch (1869-1930), baptised at Wretham, 15 April 1869; married, 5 August 1909 at Holy Trinity, Brompton (Middx), as his second wife, William Meath Baker (1857-1935) of Hasfield Court (Glos), but had no issue; died 10 July 1930; will proved 30 December 1930 (estate £3,470);

(6) A daughter (b. & d. 1870), born prematurely, 5 November 1870, and died a few hours after her birth.

He inherited Wretham Hall from his grandfather in 1866, but sold it in 1879. He lived latterly at Cromer (Norfk).

He died 10 October 1901; his will was proved 15 November 1901 (estate £27,087). His widow died 18 June and was buried at Wretham, 23 June 1914; her will was proved 24 July 1914 (estate £691).

Birch family of Armitage Lodge

Birch, Thomas (1654-1724?). Second son of George Birch (1616-60?) [for whom see above] and his wife Catherine, baptised at Stafford, 3 August 1654. He married, 19 June 1687 at Harborne, Mary Guest (d. 1731?), and had issue, perhaps among others:

(1) Anne Birch (b. 1694), baptised at Rugeley, 10 October 1694;

(2) Thomas Birch (1697-1771) (q.v.);

(3) Lydia Birch (b. 1699), baptised at Rugeley, 20 August 1699.

He probably settled at Brereton in Rugeley (Staffs).

He was probably the man of this name buried at Rugeley, 20 October 1724. His wife was probably the woman of this name buried at Rugeley, 14 June 1731.

Birch, Thomas (1697-1771). Son of Thomas Birch and his wife Mary, born 29 January and baptised at Rugeley, 8 February 1696/7.  He probably married, c.1714 (licence 18 November), Ann Hughes (c.1693-1733). and had issue including:

(1) Thomas Birch (1721-43); died unmarried, 20 May 1743, and was buried at Rugeley;

(2) Mary Birch (b. 1724), baptised at Rugeley, 29 May 1724;

(3) Andrew Birch (1728-98) (q.v.).

He lived at Brereton (Staffs).

He died 15 August 1771 and was buried at Rugeley; administration of his goods was granted 1772. His wife died 15 July 1733 was buried at Rugeley, 18 July 1733.

Birch, Andrew (1728-98). Second but only surviving son of Thomas Birch (1697-1771) and his wife, born 11 July and baptised at Rugeley, 9 August 1728. He was a founder member of the Rugeley and district Association for the Prosecution of Felons, 1771. He married, 15 February 1770 at Colton (Staffs), Mary (1751-1817), daughter of John Pegg of Newlands (Staffs), and had issue:

(1) Anne Birch (1771-1834), baptised at Rugeley, 10 May 1771; a Methodist in religion, she lived at Brereton House; died unmarried, 16 October, and was buried at Rugeley, 20 October 1834;

(2) Elizabeth Birch (1772-1842), baptised at Rugeley, 16 October 1772; a Methodist in religion, she lived at Brereton House; she endowed a Methodist school at Brereton in 1838 and built six almshouses; died unmarried, 2 January 1842 and was buried in the grounds of Brereton Methodist Chapel;

(3) Thomas Birch (1774-1837) (q.v.);

(4) Edmund John Birch (1776-1829), born 31 August and baptised at Rugeley, 27 December 1776; set up by his father as a pottery manufacturer at Hanley (Staffs), and was noted for his production of black basalt ware; gave up this business about 1810 and became a banker at Stafford in partnership with Charles Yates; lived at Fradswell Hall (Staffs), which he leased; married 1st, 19 July 1800 at Stoke-on-Trent (Staffs), Anna Maria (1780-1810), daughter of John Yates of Shelton, and had issue four sons and two daughters; married 2nd, 11 June 1821 at Stoke-on-Trent, Mary (1781-1850), daughter of Josiah Spode II (1754-1827), potter; died 29 December 1829.

He lived at Brereton (Staffs).

He died 15 January and was buried at Rugeley, 19 January 1798; his will was proved in the PCC, 31 July 1798. His widow died 24 December 1817.

Birch, Thomas (1774-1837). Elder son of Andrew Birch (1728-98) and his wife Mary, daughter of John Pegg of Newlands (Staffs), born 6 November and baptised at Rugeley (Staffs), 30 November 1774. He became a nonconformist (Congregationalist) in religion by 1811, and built a small chapel in the grounds of his house c.1820, which he transferred to trustees as a place of public worship in 1831. He married, 18 December 1806 at Yoxall (Staffs), Mary (1785-1842), daughter of William Smith of Longdon (Staffs) and granddaughter and heiress of Edward Lightwood of Yoxall (Staffs), and had issue:

(1) Mary Smith Birch (1807-78), born 16 November 1807 and baptised at Armitage, 9 September 1808; married, 18 June 1843, William Taylor Smith (1808-49) of Hill Ridware (Staffs), son of Edward Smith of Rugeley (Staffs), but had no issue; died at Rugeley, 1 April 1878; will proved 23 April 1878 (estate under £7,000);

(2) Thomas John Birch (1808-95) (q.v.);

(3) Frances (k/a Fanny) Birch (1810-64), born 25 March 1810 and baptised at Armitage, 11 July 1819; died unmarried and was buried at Rugeley, 10 September 1864;

(4) Jane Birch (1812-76), born 12 April 1812 and baptised at Armitage, 11 July 1819; died unmarried, 8 July 1876; will proved 5 September 1876 (estate under £7,000);

(5) Anne Barbara Birch (1817-1909), born 2 December 1817 and baptised at Armitage, 11 July 1819; married, 10 March 1841 at Lichfield (Staffs), as his second wife, Richard Dutton (d. 1880) of Stanthorne Hall (Ches.), and had issue six sons and three daughters; died 14 November 1909; will proved 10 December 1909 (estate £10,658);

(6) Harriet Elizabeth Birch (1821-79), born 10 June and baptised at Armitage Independent Chapel, 3 July 1821; died unmarried, 18 December, and was buried at Brereton (Staffs), 23 December 1879.

He lived at Brereton until he purchased property at Armitage (Staffs), where he built or remodelled Armitage Lodge before 1808.

He died 10 January 1837 and was buried in the Congregational Chapel at Armitage; his will was proved in the PCC, 18 February 1837. His widow died 3 October 1842 and was also buried in the Congregational Chapel at Armitage.

Birch, Thomas John (1808-95). Only son of Thomas Birch (1774-1837) of Armitage Lodge, and his wife Mary, daughter of William Smith of Longdon (Staffs), born 4 October 1808 and baptised at Armitage, 20 June 1809. Educated at Lichfield Grammar School and Glasgow University. Solicitor. Master Extraordinary in Chancery, 1832. JP for Staffordshire (from 1852). He became a major shareholder in the Cannock and Rugeley Colliery Co., and was its Chairman, 1880-95. A Liberal (later Liberal Unionist) in politics. He married, 27 August 1842 at St John, Lambeth (Surrey), Julia Elizabeth (1814-90), only daughter of John Chanter of Bideford (Devon) and London, banker, and had issue:

(1) Louisa Julia Birch (1844-1923), born 17 March and baptised at Armitage, 16 April 1844; lived with her parents and later at Stoborough (Dorset); died unmarried, 25 August, and was buried at Wareham (Dorset), 29 August 1923; will proved 4 October 1923 (estate £10,464);

(2) Alice Mary Birch (1847-1931), born 19 May and baptised at Armitage, 21 July 1847; married, 6 August 1889 at Armitage, Arthur Claude Arnold (1864-1909), barrister-at-law, but had no issue; lived latterly at Hermitage House, Chieveley (Berks); died 22 December and was buried at Chieveley, 24 December 1931; will proved 5 March 1932 (estate £26,162);

(3) Ada Elizabeth Birch (1848-1932), baptised at Armitage, 21 September 1848; lived latterly with her brother-in-law, Maj. Foster, at Shenley House, Redhill (Surrey); died unmarried at Bournemouth (Hants), 25 March 1932; will proved 13 January 1933 (estate £32,584); 

(4) Lightwood Thomas Birch (1851-1903), born 12 February and baptised at Armitage, 31 March 1851; educated at Rugby, Malvern College and St John's College, Cambridge (matriculated 1870); an officer in the 1st Staffordshire Militia (Lt., 1875; Capt., 1877; retired 1880); JP for Staffordshire from 1878; married, 19 October 1876 at Colton (Staffs) (but separated about 1891*), Mary Cox (1848-1925) (who m2, 28 February 1905 at Christ Church, Broadway, Westminster (Middx), Maj. Reginald Campbell (1858-1941)), daughter of Thomas Berry Horsfall MP of Bellamour Hall (Staffs), but had no issue; lived at Quarry Lodge, Lichfield (Staffs) and later at Hastings (Sussex); died 6 September 1903; will proved 20 March 1905 (estate £72);

(5) Constance Jemima Birch (1855-1937), baptised at Armitage, 22 November 1855; married, 17 April 1879 at Armitage, Maj. Kingsley Osbern Foster (1848-1922) of Shenley House, Redhill (Surrey), and had issue three sons and four daughters; died 18 August 1937; will proved 5 November 1937 (estate £35,784).

He lived at Brereton until he inherited Armitage Lodge from his father in 1837. After his death the property passed to his daughters, who sold it in 1896.

He died 4 May and was buried at Armitage, 8 May 1895; his will was proved 25 June 1895 (effects £132,862). His wife died 2 February and was buried at Armitage, 6 February 1890; her will was proved 10 March 1890 (effects £7,309).

* They were not resident at the same address in 1881, 1891 or 1901, and by the latter year he was living in the household of a much younger German lady (Annie Schmidt) in Hastings; he then claimed to be a widower and her uncle, neither statement being true. It was perhaps the scandal of his separation and/or this liaison (if it began before his father's death) which led his father to exclude him from his will.

Principal sources

Burke's Landed Gentry, 1898, vol. 1, p. 118; Burke's Landed Gentry, 1925, p. 141; VCH Warwickshire, vol. 7, 1964, pp. 58-72; Rugeley Times, 16 February 1974, p. 1; T. Williamson, I. Ringwood & S. Spooner, Lost country houses of Norfolk, 2015, pp. 282-84; A. Foster, Sir N. Pevsner & A. Wedgwood, The buildings of England: Birmingham and the Black Country, 2022, pp. 397-98;

https://armitageops.com/armitage-lodge/.

Location of archives

Birch of Armitage Lodge: deeds, estate and family papers, 1680-1910 [Staffordshire Record Office, D(W) 1752]

Birch of Hamstead Hall and Wretham Hall: no significant archive is known to survive.

Coat of arms

Azure, three fleurs-de-lis argent, a canton of the last.

Can you help?

• Can anyone demonstrate the descent of this family from the Birch family of Manchester?
• Can anyone provide portraits or photographs of the people whose names appear in bold above, for whom no image is currently shown?
• If anyone can offer further information or corrections to any part of this article I should be most grateful. I am always particularly pleased to hear from current owners or the descendants of families associated with a property who can supply information from their own research or personal knowledge for inclusion.

Revision and acknowledgements

This post was first published 25 May 2026.