Newstead Abbey
Nottinghamshire, England

Article written by L. Kuzyk

Although never an abbey in the sense that we perceive, Newstead Abbey in Nottinghamshire, England was a house built from the remains of a twelfth century Augustinian Priory. Its fame is noted as the home of George Gordon Noel Byron, 6th Lord Byron of Rochdale, or more commonly known as the poet, Lord Byron.

In 1170 Henry II of England founded the priory for the black robed monks of the Order of St. Augustine. It remained a Holy Order for over 400 years until the reign of Henry VIII. At the onset of the Reformation when the new religion of Protestantism was spreading across Europe and causing upheaval within Catholic nations, Henry VIII, who had already been excommunicated from the Roman Church for obtaining dissolution of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, eradicated all remnants of Catholicism in his country. He sold the Augustinian Priory in 1540 to Sir John Byron of Colewycke for £810.

Sir John Byron's illegitimate son, who later became known as "Little Sir John with the Great Beard", inherited Newstead Abbey in 1576 by Deed of Grant, and it was his great grandson, another John who became the first Baron Byron of Rochdale in 1643.

"Little Sir John" is or was one of the resident ghosts of Newstead. It has been said that he only made appearances for six months after his death, although many continue to watch for him. Strangely, he and his wife died on the same day only a few hours apart. Soon after, he was seen regularly by the household staff in the State apartments, and sitting in the library reading a book, even making an appearance once in broad daylight.

Newstead, for centuries now, has been a place of curious noises and startling appearances. The Black Friar, also known as the Goblin Friar or "The Monk of Newstead", usually made his appearance before a death or whenever misfortune threatened the Byron family. His identity remains unknown, but he is likely one of the many monks upset with the absolution of the abbey in the sixteenth century. Lord Byron, the poet, and sixth great grandson of "Little John with the Great Beard", declared the Black Friar appeared to him just before his unhappy marriage to Ann Milbanke. This was only one of several occasions that was always followed by a sorrowful event. Lord Byron had many encounters with the monk whom he stated haunted a particular room next to his bedroom, but he had also been awakened in his own bed by the sensation of someone mounting the bed, and on sitting up was faced with a faceless black apparition with two red glowing eyes.

The specter known as the "White Lady" since she was always known to have worn light coloured clothing, was a deaf mute named Sophia Wyatt. Sophia an adorent fan of Lord Byron had moved to a farm near Newstead Abbey. Thomas Wildman had bought Newstead from Byron in 1817, and when he and his wife learned of Sophia's love of Byron's work they allowed her to walk the grounds of their home whenever she pleased. When the relative that financially supported her died, she earnestly set out to contact another of her relatives that had emigrated to America. She wrote to the Wildmans informing them of her intentions, and on hearing of her plight they attempted to send word that they would provide a home for her on the grounds of Newstead for the rest of her life. Having already left on her journey, they sent a horseman to stop the coach and return Sophia to Newstead. He found her sooner than expected. In the Market Square, Sophia had walked into the path of a horse and cart, and being deaf had not heard the warning screams of the driver. She did however return to Newstead, but in spirit. She has been seen by visitors glide out of a wall, move across the room and disappear into the wall on the opposite side, as well as her favourite haunt along the garden paths.

These are not the only ghosts said to visit the living at Newstead, several others have been sighted and noted, such as the Rose Lady, the Cavalier, and a kindly Black Monk as opposed to the malevolence of the above mentioned Friar.

For those of you not familiar with Lord Byron, it is interesting to note that he was best friends with Percy Shelley and his wife Mary Godwin, aka Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein.

If you wish to watch the library at Newstead Abbey in hopes of seeing Little Sir John Byron, click HERE

Written for Haunted Hamilton by:
L. Kuzyk

Also check out:
http://www.newsteadabbey.org.uk/ (Official website for Newstead Abbey)
http://www.saqnet.net/users/kuranda/ghost.htm (More info about its ghosts)