History
The Manor has been around nearly as long as Canada has been a country. Â It has a rich history and culture behind it.
The first patent, or land grant, to be issued in the Township of Georgina was to Captain William Bourchier (1791—1844) in 1819. William Bourchier had come to Canada to serve with the British navy on the Great 
Lakes during the War of 1812. After the war ended, Captain Bourchier received a grant of twelve hundred acres on the shores of Lake Simcoe. His lands included the town sites of Sutton and Jackson’s Point.  William lived with his brother James in a log cabin until April of 1821, when he married Amelia Jackson. In August of that year, William sold most of his land to his brother, and he and Amelia left the country to pursue a career in India. Amelia died during their time in India, and the couple’s only child, Eustace Fane Bourchier (1822—1902), later joined the Royal Engineers.  After William died on January 22, 1844, his second wife, Laura Preston, stayed at the Point only rarely, and in 1872 she sold the land and the house built on it to Frank Sibbald.
James O’Brien Bourchier (1797—1872), like his older brother William, served in the British navy before coming to Upper Canada. James was only twenty-one years old in 1819 when William requested a land 
grant for him.  Two years later, James married Jean Lyall, and the newlyweds moved to his own property in Lot 1, Concession 7 of Georgina Township, where he built a log cabin. He also constructed a dam across the Black River about two miles upstream from the lake and built a sawmill, a grist mill, and a general store. This formed the core of the little village of Bourchier’s Mills, now known as Sutton West.   By l840 James and Jean had lost their log shanty to fire and had built themselves a “manor house.” When this house and the grist mill were also destroyed by fire, James, Jean, and their two sons and seven daughters moved in above the general store. James rebuilt the grist mill a few years later, and then built a new house, called The Manor. This fine red-brick house in the “Loyalist Georgian style,” featured a large verandah and a kitchen wing with a bell tower. Bourchier rang the bell several times a day to inform his men that it was time to start or stop work in the fields. That bell served as the town clock for many years. In 1955 the bell, which had been cast in England around 1845, was donated to Knox United Church in Sutton.
The Manor was equipped with a private schoolroom for the Bourchier children and their friends. Two sisters of Stephen Leacock, whose family lived in nearby Egypt, attended school here.
Both James and William Bourchier were active in the establishment of church and school.  James O’Brien Bourchier died on August 20, 1872, at TheManor, and the flag of the York Pioneers’ Association, of which he had been an active member, was flown at half-mast atop the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto in his honour. Mrs. Bourchier lived at the Manor until her death in 1892.
The Manor was bought by William Pugsley and his wife Carrie Soules Pugsley in 1911, shortly after they were married.  Mr. Pugsley served as a councilor and Reeve of Sutton and County Commissioner of York   He was also preside of the Sutton Agricultural Society.  Mrs. Pugsley lived at the Manor until her death in 1977.
The Manor was bought by Joseph Zammit in 1977.  It was designated a Historic Site in 1991.  The Manor held real estate offices, accounting offices and a dental office.
In 2004, The Manor was sold to Dr. Andrew Abramowicz, who took over the dental office in 1993. Restoration of The Manor began in the spring of 2006 to save it from certain demolition starting with major reconstruction of the main entrance, summer kitchen, roof, windows and shutters as well as the complete rebuilding of the 63 foot covered front porch.  It was found that the porch contained a single beam of red pine spanning the entire 63 feet.
The large beams taken from the porch have been incorporated back into the building. Some of the exterior windows were also re-used as decorative pieces inside the house and fire places were revealed from the walls and showcased their respective rooms. Each room shows a piece of history and the framed documentation displayed in the reception area takes you through the history of both the house and James Bourchier.
In 2009, Dr. Abramowicz received the heritage award from Mayor Robert Grossi for his efforts in preserving a piece of our local heritage and culture. Â It was a very rewarding process and Dr. Abramowicz hopes that the community will enjoy The Manor and its history for decades to come.
