Annesley Hall, Nottinghamshire

Annesley Hall near Annesley in Nottinghamshire, England, is the ancestral home of the Chaworth-Musters family.

The Hall dates from the mid-13th century, but was significantly enlarged and improved by Patrick Chaworth, 3rd Viscount Chaworth.

Mary Chaworth, who lived at the Hall, was the boyhood lover of the poet Lord Byron, who lived at nearby Newstead Abbey. Byron's poem "The Dream" concerns the meeting of two lovers on Diadem Hill, part of The Misk Hills range, which belonged to the Annesley estate.^[1]

The uncle of the poet Byron had killed the then Lord Chaworth in a duel outside the house.

Mary Chaworth eventually married John Musters of Colwick Hall in 1805. Their teenage son, Charles Musters, sailed as a Volunteer 1st Class aboard HMS Beagle with Charles Darwin, but died of malaria in South America on May 19, 1832.

The Chaworth-Musters family became one of the most powerful families in Nottinghamshire.

The hall is now in private ownership. English Heritage have listed the building on the 'Buildings at Risk Register' as high vulnerability and deteriorating.^[2]

Fire

Unfortunately the hall suffered a fire which caused damage to the building in 1997 and the building has not been lived in since.^[3]

Media

In 2004 the television show "Most Haunted" visited the Hall and spent a night exploring in search for ghosts of "Elizabeth" and "William".^[4]

References