Lordship over the whole of Hallamshire was held by the Manor of Sheffield: the Duke of Norfolk was lord of the Manor, and several minor lords and landowners created subsidiary manors before the 14^th century.

One of these was Owlerton Manor, though very little is known of its early history. It was then in the ancient parish of Ecclesfield. There are deeds and charters which show that it had been held by Ralph de Sheffield, and he died before 1293. His son Thomas inherited. Subsequently their descendants held the lordship until about 1420, but little more is known until 1534 when, on the 12^th October, a William Power leased the Manor to Thomas Creswyke for 40 years at an annual rent of £3.6.0. Ownership had presumably passed to the Powers by purchase or by marriage. The Powers were already selling land from the Manor to the Creswicks, as evidenced by deeds granting, by Edward Power, William’s brother, 6 acres of land at Wadsley to John Creswick on the 22^nd August 1534.

From this time we are on firmer ground in tracing the activities of the Creswicks ( There are excellent sources from which all this information comes, and many of them can be found at he LDS Family History Centres).

So, Thomas Creswick (about 1480 - 1537) became Lord of the Manor of Owlerton in 1534, held it leasehold until he died in 1537, and passed the holding to his eldest son Thomas (1510 – 1569) by his Will. This son Thomas was described as a cutler, and at times also as yeoman, in numerous deeds of the time. He bought the freehold of the Manor from William Power at Easter 1565, and held it ‘of the chief lord’ at Sheffield. Soon after this accession, Thomas completed building Owlerton Hall, which had no doubt been in hand for many years, probably begun by his father. He was certainly living in the Hall in 1549.

The Manor then passed by the will of Thomas in 1569 to his eldest son John called John the Elder and also John of Owlerton.. He died young, leaving an infant son Thomas, who is known to have been Lord of the Manor holding Courts Baron at Owlerton Hall in1601 and 1607. In 1613 he sold the the Manor to a Robert Stacey and the Creswicks ended nearly 80 years of Lordship.

Owlerton Hall still remained until the May 1934, although the Lords had not lived there since about 1640. In its later years it was split into several houses, as can be seen in this photograph taken in 1931, shortly before the Hall was demolished . Stone from it was used to build the North Porch of Woodthorpe Hall at Holmesfield, a village south of Sheffield.

T.W.Hall, a researcher of Sheffield district history, wrote in 1934 "the Lord of the Manor, Thomas Creswick, whose family derived its name from the small village, or hamlet of Creswick, also in Ecclesfield Parish, and from there spread in many directions from Sheffield".

This photograph of OWLERTON HALL was taken about 1930, just in time to record it before demolition for new roads and housing