Rolleston Hall was a country house originally built in the early 17th century in

Rolleston-on-Dove Rolleston on Dove, also known simply as Rolleston, is a village in Staffordshire, England near Burton upon Trent. Sir Oswald Mosley, the founder of the British Union of Fascists spent some of his earlier years at the family seat here. Rollest ...

, Staffordshire which had been substantially renovated after a fire in 1871 and was demolished in 1928.

History

A house had stood on the Rolleston site, owned by the Rolleston family, since the early 13th century. In 1622 the estate was purchased by Sir Edward Mosley (or Mosely), Attorney-General of the Duchy of Lancaster. He replaced a wooden house with a stone-built one and died unmarried in 1638, after which the property passed to his nephew Sir Edward Mosley, 1st Baronet and in turn to his son, Sir Edward Mosley, 2nd Baronet. It later devolved to Oswald Mosley, (

High Sheriff of Staffordshire This is a list of the sheriffs and high sheriffs of Staffordshire. The sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. The sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities ass ...

for 1715), who was created a baronet (the second creation of the title) in 1720. The property then passed down to John Parker Mosley, who was also created a baronet (the third creation of the title) in 1781. Oswald Mosley Vanity Fair 1898-09-01

During the ownership of Sir Tonman Mosley, 3rd Baronet in 1871 the hall was devastated by fire and subsequently rebuilt to a higher standard. The last Mosley to be connected with Rolleston Hall was

Sir Oswald Mosley Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet (16 November 1896 – 3 December 1980) was a British politician during the 1920s and 1930s who rose to fame when, having become disillusioned with mainstream politics, he turned to fascism. He was a member ...

, the 6th Baronet and well-known founder of the

British Union of Fascists The British Union of Fascists (BUF) was a British fascist political party formed in 1932 by Oswald Mosley. Mosley changed its name to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists in 1936 and, in 1937, to the British Union. In 1939, f ...

(BUF). He was the Labour M.P. for Harrow from 1918 to 1924 and for

Smethwick Smethwick () is an industrial town in Sandwell, West Midlands, England. It lies west of Birmingham city centre. Historically it was in Staffordshire. In 2019, the ward of Smethwick had an estimated population of 15,246, while the wider b ...

from 1926 to 1931. The estate however was sold in his father's lifetime in 1923 and after unsuccessful efforts to sell the hall it was largely demolished in 1928. Some remnants were converted into flats. The GWR Hall Class locomotive 5973 "Rolleston Hall" was named after the house.

References

* * {{coord, 52.8465, -1.6545, type:landmark_region:GB-STS, display=title Country houses in Staffordshire Buildings and structures demolished in 1928

History

See also

References