| Administrative History | The Mundy family owned the Manor of Allestree from 1516 until Francis Noel Clarke Mundy sold it to Thomas Evans in 1781.
Bache Thornhill was born in 1747, educated at Oxford University and in 1761 inherited his father's estate of Stanton Hall. Bache Thornhill bought the land at Allestree in 1795, demolished the house already there, and commissioned architect James Wyatt to build the present Allestree Hall. In 1805 he sold the Hall to John Charles Girardot (born in 1771 to a French Huguenot family). John Charles lived at Allestree Hall for nearly 20 years, and then sold it to William Evans in 1824.
William Evans was born in 1788 in Derbyshire, and was the son of William Evans. Upon his father's death he inherited a share in the Derby Bank, Darley cotton and paper mills, Derby waterworks and Bonsall lead smelting business. He was lord of the manors of Brailsford, Alkmonton, Parwich and Newton Grange. In 1820 William married Mary Gisborne and had one child together, Thomas William Evans. William became a politician and associate of William Wilberforce, joining together in the fight against slavery. William lived at Allestree Hall for nearly 30 years, from 1824 until his death in 1856 aged 68.
Sir Thomas William Evans (1821-1892) inherited Allestree Hall from his father in 1856. He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge and graduated with a Master of Arts in 1846. He married his cousin Mary Gisborne, and had no issue. In 1857 Thomas William became a parliamentarian, and was also prominent in local politics as he was the first Chairman of the Derbyshire County Council. He became Mayor of derby in 1869, and was made a baronet in 1887. He died at Allestree Hall in 1892. The Hall passed to his brother-in-law William Gisborne.
William Gisborne (1825-1898) immigrated to New Zealand at aged 22 to become Commissioner of Lands and had a successful Civil Service career. In 1869 he resigned and became a politician in the New Zealand Legislative Council, and maintained this for 12 years. In 1861 William married Caroline Gertrude Bridgen in Auckland, and together had three daughters and one son. In 1881 the family returned to England to manage the Gisborne estates which William had inherited from his elder brother. In 1892 William inherited Allestree Hall and lived there for six years. He died at Allestree Hall in 1898 aged 73, leaving his son Lionel Guy Gisborne to inherit the estate. Lionel lived at Allestree Hall for a few years, but in 1902 rented it to Sir Herbert Raphael.
Sir Herbert Raphael (1859-1924) was educated at Cambridge University and graduated with an honours degree in law in 1866. After a few years he decided to become a politician and was an MP for South Derbyshire between 1906 and 1918. In 1884 he married Rosalie Coster, and had no issue. Although he lived in London, he rented Allestree Hall in order to live in his electorate. During WWI Herbert joined as a Private in the 2nd Sportsmen's Battalion and was promoted to become a Major. In 1913 Lionel Gisborne sold Allestree Hall to Colonel Herbert Johnson, so Herbert and Rosalie had to leave.
Colonel Herbert Alfred Johnson (1866-1923) was educated at Cambridge University, and took over the management of his father's wire company with his brother Richard Johnson and Nephew. In 1895 he married American Ethyl Barnard in New York City, and together had one daughter and one son. He bought Allestree Hall in 1913 and joined the army at the outbreak of WWI, becoming Colonel of the 17th Manchester Battalion. He was wounded at Montauban and sent to a hospital in London to recover. He returned to Allestree Hall after the war. In 1923 whilst walking in Allestree Park he was struck by lightning during a thunderstorm and died. His wife Ethyl continued to live at the Hall until her death in 1928.
In 1928 Allestree Hall was sold to Commercial Constructions Ltd, who subdivided part of the land and released it in 1936. During WWII the Hall was used by the National Fire Services as the County Headquarters. Other sources state that the Sherwood Foresters Regiment also used the Hall during the war. In 1946 Derby Council bought Allestree Hall and turned the grounds into a golf course. In the 1970s proposals suggested to demolish the Hall but by the mid-1980s Derby museums service drew up a plan to turn the Hall into a natural history museum, but this plan was abandoned by 1988. The building was left to deteriorate. In 2010 the Hall was added to the English Heritage At Risk Register, which judged the interior of the building to be poor but fair overall, and are currently looking for a scheme to suitably redevelop the |
| Custodial History | These items were deposited with Derbyshire Record Office in September 2004. |