page_title: Alfreton Hall
section_title: The Palmer-Morewood family
hierarchical_section_title: Alfreton Hall / The Palmer-Morewood family
caption_attribution_description: English: Patience Mary Palmer-Morewood, lived at Alfreton Hall
context_page_description: Alfreton Hall is a country house in Alfreton, Derbyshire. It was at the heart of local social and industrial history in the county. The history of the estate goes back to Norman times, but by the 17th century it was owned by the Morewood family, who were linked to local industry, mainly in coal mining.
  The original hall was on the site of Hall Farm to the east of the present building and was the seat of the Lord of the Manor. A new hall was built on the estate around 1724–25 by Rowland Morewood, with an additional wing added in 1855 by William Palmer-Morewood. This made the hall a very substantial property.
context_section_description: William Palmer-Morewood was born in 1780. His parents were Charles Palmer of Ladbroke and Anne Goodwin the sister of Ellen Morewood. In 1815 he married Clara Blois, second daughter of Sir Charles Blois of Cockfield Hall in Suffolk. The couple had four children, two boys and two girls.
  While she was living at Alfreton Hall Clara kept a recipe book during the 1830s which was recently acquired by the Derbyshire Records Office. It contains recipes with medicinal and veterinary cures as well as beauty treatments.  According to the Records Office it is a great example of the books of this time with recipes for fashionable foreign dishes such as ‘fromage fondue’, petit choux and ‘Spanish fritters’, but also ‘a cure for dogs who are troubled with the snort’, lip salve and a recipe to wash chintz amongst other delights. Some of the pages from the book are on their website and can be viewed here
  William Palmer Morewell died in 1863 and his eldest son Charles Rowland Palmer-Morewood (1819–1875) inherited the Hall. In 1842 Charles had married Georgiana Byron. She was the daughter of Admiral George Anson Byron 7th Lord Byron who had inherited the title from his famous cousin Lord Byron the poet. The couple had nine children, four daughters and five sons.
  The 1871 Census shows the household members at this time. There was Charles and his wife Georgiana and some of their children. The servants included a governess, a cook, a butler, nine maids, a coachman, two footmen, a groom and an usher.
  Charles died in 1875 and his eldest son also called Charles Rowland Palmer Morewood inherited the property. His photo is shown. In 1873 he married Patience Mary Hervey (photo shown) daughter of Rev. Lord Arthur Charles Hervey. The couple had three children, two sons and a daughter. The youngest son died in infancy in 1889 and Charles erected the Palmer-Moorwood Mausoleum in the churchyard of St Martins at Alfreton. It is still there today and a photo is at this link.
  In 1882 Charles was involved in a dispute with his four younger brothers and was described in numerous newspapers. In 1881, a Christmas party was held at Alfreton Hall where Charles invited his four brothers. After the meal they all retired to the library where the host was set upon by the four brothers, one of whom had a revolver. They tried to force him to sign over outstanding inheritances, and it was claimed that they had drawn lots to decide who would kill him should he not agree. However, he did not yield, and although he was not shot he was found naked and bleeding by his servants. He lodged charges against his brothers, who all skipped bail and went abroad. At the same time this scandal was occurring the sister of these brothers Ellen Mary Palmer-Morewood who had married Alfred Miller Mundy deserted this family and eloped with Charles John Chetwynd-Talbot, the Earl of Shrewsbury.
  She later married him and became the Countess of Shrewsbury. A painting of her is shown.
  Charles died in 1910 and his son Rowland Charles Arthur Palmer-Morewood inherited Alfreton Hall. He lived there for the next 50 years and several years after he died in 1957 Derbyshire Council bought the property.
caption: Patience Mary Palmer-Morewood, wife of Charles Rowland Palmer Morewood (1843–1910)
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