Gawsworth Old Hall

Gawsworth Old Hall is a country house in the village of Gawsworth.  The hall is a Grade I listed building and the gardens are graded by the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens as Grade II.

The original house was Norman and this was rebuilt in 1480 and extensively remodelled in 1701. The estate belonged to the Fitton family and one of the daughters of the family was Mary Fitton who served as maid of honour to Queen Elizabeth I. Mary was dismissed from court after she became pregnant by the Earl of Pembroke. Mary Fitton is one of the candidates for the “Dark Lady” of Shakespeare’s sonnets. After the death of Sir Edward Fitton, 2nd Baronet of Gawsworth, in 1642, the inheritance of the estate was in dispute. Settlement in 1663 passed the estate to Charles Gerard, later Earl of Macclesfield, nephew of Sir Edward.  A later dispute between descendants of the Fittons led to a famous duel in 1712 in which both protagonists, Lord Mohun and the Duke of Hamilton were killed.

The last professional jester in the country, Samuel “Maggoty” Johnson, lived in the house and is buried nearby.

In the early 19th century the hall was described as being a ruin.

Gawsworth Old Hall - The Lake

Originally the hall was set in a park of some 600 acres and contained a tilting ground and an Elizabethan pleasure garden of around 30 acres.  To the south of the house is an area which is almost square surrounded by a red brick wall, the western stretch of which is 300 yards long.  Its southern boundary curves outwards in an arc. It is now a grassed area which it is believed was once divided into separate areas. At the southwestern corner is a mound of earth which would have been used to survey the garden as a whole. There was a similar mound in the southeastern corner but this was removed during the Second World War.  The pleasure garden was further developed in the 1960s.  The gatehouse to the hall dating from the middle of the 17th century, a pair of gate piers from the late 17th or early 18th century, the 16th century garden walls, and the tomb of Samuel “Maggoty” Johnson in a nearby wood, are all listed Grade II.

Today the hall is owned by the Richards family and is open to the public during the summer months. During the year events are organised, weddings can be held, and in the summer months concerts and plays are performed in an open air theatre in the grounds.

For further information visit http://www.gawsworthhall.com/