The Abney family of Willesley Hall
The
Abney family's ownership of the Manor of Willesley lasted from 1424 until
the death of Thomas Abney in 1791. Many family members are buried in the adjacent
Church of St. Thomas Willesley or the Church of St. Mary de Castro in Leicester.
A house existed on the site for over 500 years until the hall was demolished
in 1953. Throughout its history it was enlarged and improved. The most significant
building works were undertaken by James Abney, who served as High Sheriff
of Derbyshire (in which for many years Willesley was situated before local
government boundary changes). The house was further enlarged by Sir Edward
Abney early in the 18th Century and later in the same century the park was
laid out and a 24 acre lake was created submerging, it is thought, the village
of Willesley.
Sir Edward Abney was appointed a judge in the court of King's Bench and subsequently elected as MP for Leicester in 1690. He inhereted Willesley Hall from his father in 1693 and died there aged 96 in 1728, having been blind for the last 20 years of his life.
Subsequent substantial work was undertaken by the then new owner, Sir Charles Edward Abney Hastings in 1840 to 1845 whose father had married the last surviving Abney, Parnell.
All that remains of Willesley Hall is the church and the former grand entrance to the stable block which gives an idea of the grandeur of the house itself. The site is now owned and occupied by the Ashby and Coalville District Scouts. The house was so well constructed that seven attempts were made to blow it up in 1953.
All the letters in Letters to My Father were sent to James Abney at Willesley Hall.
