Staveley Hall dates back over 400 years, but the site on which it's built on can be traced back to the Norman Conquest. William the Conqueror rewarded Hascoit Musard de Bretagne and other members of his family with 25 Manors in six different counties in England, for their service in fighting in his army at the Battle of Hastings. Despite having that many Manors, Hascoit chose Staveley as his main family residence because he claimed it was the biggest and best.

 

The Musards held Staveley from 1066 until about 1300 AD when Nicholas Musard died. His children sadly could not inherit the Manor, because although he was Baron Musard of Staveley, he was also Rector of Staveley and thus was under holy orders. The Manor was left behind to his three sisters instead. Nicholas's eldest sister Amicia married Anker de Frecheville, Baron of Crich, but both had died before Nicholas did, so it was their son Ralph who inherited his mother's one third share of the Manor, which enticed him to live at Staveley.

 

The Staveley Hall we see today was built in 1604 by Sir Peter Frecheville on the same site his ancestors had lived for the past 500 years before him. The plaque above the front door displays the date 1604, his status as a Knight of the Realm, and the Coats of Arms of his father and mother, Peter Frecheville and Margaret Kaye. In 1605 Sir Peter Frecheville married a widow called Joyce Osborne, whose husband was the late Sir Hewett Osborne of Kiveton and Harthill. The Frecheville family lived at Staveley Hall for over 300 years, until John Frecheville retired to his grave in 1682, after having sold the estate to William Cavendish, 3rd Earl of Devonshire the year before.

 

During the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642, Colonel John Frecheville fought for King Charles I in the Royalist Army, raising a troop of horse and garrisoned Staveley Hall at his own expense. John had three daughters, the eldest of which, Christian, married Charles Paulet, Lord St. John of Basing. She died on 22nd July 1653 during childbirth, and one week later her baby son John died as well. They were both buried together in Staveley Church in the Frecheville Chapel, where their effigies now rest. If John Paulet had lived, he would've succeeded his grandfather as Baron Frecheville of Staveley and his father as 2nd Duke of Bolton.

 

William Cavendish, 3rd Earl of Devonshire leased the Hall out for a short time after 1682, but in 1710 his grandson Lord James Cavendish, an MP for Derby, moved into the Hall. When James died in 1751, Staveley Hall was set to be demolished, but was saved by Reverend James Gisborne, Rector of Staveley, who persuaded the Cavendish family to allow the Clergy to live there instead. The Church rented it as a Rectory for the next 200 years, and in the 1860s when Sir George Gilbert Scott did some work on Staveley Church, he also worked on parts of Staveley Hall too.

 

In 1967 the Hall was sold to Staveley Urban District Council for use as their offices, and in 1974, English Heritage granted Staveley Hall Grade II listed status. Today the Hall is owned and operated by Staveley Town Council as their head office, and is now a new location for Brookes Paranormal's Victorian Séance Nights and Ghost Hunts.

Many past residents of this sinister building are believed to still walk the hallways and rooms, from shadow figures and light anomalies, to taps, knocks and disembodied voices.

 

A Little Girl has been sensed in this building, believed to be the daughter of someone who worked for the family of the house at the time. She sometimes comes into the atmosphere with her dog. We're still collecting information of this young spirit, but we believe she's aged anywhere between 6 and 9 years old. Does she come here in visitation, or is she trapped here waiting for her mother and father to return?

 

During our first event here, we all heard a distinct groan or growl from the middle of the seance table in the Frecheville Room. Is this a former member of the Frecheville or Musard family, letting us know they are still around?

 

Outside in the rear of the back garden, a male apparition has been seen by members of office staff, just standing around staring at the Hall and Church next door. A caretaker went to check outside to tell the person to clear off, but when he walked outside towards the back of the garden, the male apparition was nowhere to be seen. Interestingly as mentioned, located next to the Hall is the old Staveley Church which dates back to 1280 AD. An even older Church was built on this site prior, dating back to the time of Edward the Confessor. Inside this Church was where the death of a priest took place. He was killed on the 30th September (Feast of St. Jerome) when a great thunderstorm shot down a bolt of lightning through a stained glass window, killing the priest instantly and severely burning another cleric's right arm. This priest's ghost is said to haunt the Church and Staveley Hall Grounds, and is known to make loud bangs as well as appearing full-bodied wearing his holy cloth. Is this the male apparition seen by office staff during the day?

 

Will any of the Frecheville or Musard families make their presences known to us? Join us as we use our spiritual abilities and traditional Victorian methods of communicating with the dead.

DATE: Friday 30th August 2024

 

TIMES: 9:00pm - 1:00am (arrive 15 minutes early and wait patiently outside the front entrance until a member of our team greets you at the door)

 

LOCATION: Staveley Hall Drive, Staveley, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, S43 3TN

 

PARKING AT EVENT: Car Park onsite.

 

REMAINING BALANCE: Due FOUR WEEKS prior to the event date. Failure to pay your remaining balance before this deadline will result in you forfeiting your places and your places will be sold on.

 

WHAT TO BRING: A torch, a warm coat/jacket, sensible footwear, any equipment you wish to bring along (your responsibility), your positive and open-minded energies.

 

PLEASE NOTE: Bringing alcohol or drugs to this event is strictly prohibited. If anyone arrives at the event under the influence of alcohol or drugs, they will not be allowed to stay for the night and will be asked to leave immediately.