Nigel Cameron
19 Sept 2016
The idea for this talk and book on the subject came from a donation of two paintings to the safe-keeping of the Solihull Local History Circle. The donation came from Ruth Moston. A lady who lived in Cheshire. Members of her family had lived in Solihull. The paintings were a watercolour of Chad Hill Cottage in Edgbaston and a view of St Alphege Church, Solihull. The church view was by Ruth Moston’s great grandmother’s brother – Henry Thornhill Timmins (1856-1908). The watercolour of Chad Hill Cottage was by his wife Laura (1857-1943). This donation also included the reminiscences of her great uncle, Charles Payton, of his life in Solihull as a schoolboy.
The story starts with Joseph Payton (1770-1842) who was an auctioneer in Dudley. The family prospered and several of his children moved to Birmingham, Walsall, rural Warwickshire, and even to York. The Paytons founded a family business of brass and iron merchants in Birmingham and the Black Country. Their trading interests reached out to South America and the Iberian Peninsula. Edward Payton (1807-1882) and his family moved to Solihull in 1852. This was the year that the village’s railway station opened on the Oxford – Birmingham line. The talk revolved around the memories of Charles Lawrence Payton. He was born in Birmingham in 1891. His grandmother at that time still lived at Chad Hill Cottage in Edgbaston. Because of illnesses in the city his father decided to move the family to Solihull, They settled down at Lyndhurst in Herbert Road close to the Roman Catholic Church. Many of his happy memories concern the festivities associated with Christmas. In the years 1895/6 the family’s Merchant business suffered severe losses in South America. Expenses had to be severely cut down. Around 1900 the family transferred their home to a newly built house called Oakmeadow which stood opposite Malvern Park. Charles Payton recorded in detail his school life at Solihull Grammar School and his activities with his friends. Much of the talk linked the Payton family with their Solihull friends and relatives. This included the biographies of many prominent Solihull citizens. Interesting details were revealed concerning the Rev. Robert Wilson who became headmaster of Solihull Grammar School, the actor Roger Watkins-Pitchford and his brother Denys, an author and illustrator and the Solihull businessman Simon Leitner.
A complete account of the family was published by Solihull Local History Circle in 2016. The book, written by Nigel Cameron, is entitled The Paytons of Solihull and is available to buy at any of our meetings.