Arrival at Newstead Abbey
Sophia Hyatt or ‘The White Lady’ as she is widely remembered, arrived at Newstead Abbey in around 1818. This would have been soon after Major Wildman purchased the Byron ancestral home. She arrived by coach at The Hutt looking to find lodgings in the vicinity of the Abbey. Owen Mealey (Byron’s steward) and his wife were unable to accommodate her, and she lodged with Mrs Hardstaff at Weir Mills Farm. Two rooms were prepared for her, and she stayed there for several months.
She was drawn to the Abbey by reading Byron’s poetry. She clearly idolised the author and sought to walk in his footsteps and seek out his favourite locations in the area. It was not long after Wildman had purchased the Newstead estate that he made a visit for the purpose of planning much needed repairs and alterations.
“As he was rambling one evening, after dusk, in company with his architect, a small female figure, in white, flitted by without speaking a word, or indeed, appearing to notice them.” (Washington Irving)
According to Washington Irving, it was whilst passing by the old mill in front of the Abbey, that Wildman spoke to some of the inhabitants standing in the doorway.
“Oh, Sir, you mean the little White Lady? She lives in the Weir Mill farmhouse. She comes to the Abbey every morning, keeps about it all day, and goes away at night. She speaks to nobody, and we are rather shy of her, for we don’t know what to make of her.’’
Unaware of her background, it was her appearance, manner and behaviour that gave rise to concern. Sophia Hyatt was described as:
- Possibly in her mid-sixties
- Very small in stature and light in weight
- Having pale and translucent skin – with visible veining
- Very frail
- Quite deaf and dumb – only able to speak in a whisper; any attempts to raise her voice resulted in a high shriek
- Suffering impaired vision
- Very shy, introverted and silent – she tended to avoid contact with others (especially strangers) and sought no companionship
- Melancholy and prone to violent bursts of temper
- Whilst walking around the Newstead Abbey estate, she was always seen wearing a white gown and a white hat – with a veil that screened the upper part of her face
“Her dress was black or white, when she walked to Newstead Abbey she would dress in white – so she got the name of The White Lady – at other times generally black – silk or bambazine (sic.) and a large bonnet black or white, made by herself and covering her small face till people had to peep, in a way to see it: The only colour I ever saw her wear was blue ribbon tied round the waist or neck, but very rarely”
“Her laugh was strange and seldom – more frequent was the melancholy shake of the head… her temper at times very violent – a very Tygress – only subdued by force.” (Rebecca Heath’s memoirs)
She was clearly a well-educated lady. However, her behaviour seemed somewhat strange to observers. Sophia wandered about the more remote parts of the Abbey grounds often focusing upon those areas which had a close association with the Poet – sitting by the tree in Devil’s Wood where he had carved his name or at the foot of Boatswain’s memorial monument, walking through the Monks Garden and around the Eagle Pond. She carried a slate upon which she wrote her poetry and communicated with others as the need arose.
Allegedly, Sophia was sometimes accompanied on her walks by a Newfoundland dog – thought to have been previously owned by Lord Byron?
The White Lady Walk
Newstead Abbey Gardens Map
She was always seen wearing white when visiting the Abbey grounds. Key places she loved included:
Entrance to The Gardens Byron’s Oak c. 1870
The Monks Stew Pond Entrance to Eagle Pond
The Devil’s Wood
Boatswain’s Tomb Monks Garden
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The Eagle Pond and Abbey Gardens |
Devil’s Wood was where George Byron and his half-sister, Augusta Leigh, had spent time together. They engraved their names on the bark of an elm tree as a means of creating a lasting memento of their love and friendship.
“I searched the grove for some time before I found the tree on which Lord Byron had left his frail memorial. It was an elm of peculiar form, having two trunks, which sprang from the same root, and, after growing side by side, mingled their branches together.” (Washington Irving)
“He had selected it, doubtless, as emblematical of his sister and himself. The names of BYRON and AUGUSTA were still visible. They had been deeply cut in the bark, but the natural growth of the tree was gradually rendering them illegible…” (Washington Irving)
Sophia Hyatt – Life at Newstead Abbey
Back at the farmhouse in the evening, Sophia spent time in a small sitting room – often transferring to paper the verses she had written on her slate while roaming the Abbey grounds.
It is not given for us to know;
We grow with feelings undefined,
Nor can explain from whence they flow.
“Written with considerable harmony of versification… illustrative of that singular and enthusiastic idolatry with which she almost worshipped the genius of Byron…” (Washington Irving)
She only cared for Byron’s poetry and was very protective of the books that she owned. She desired to know if there was a lady in the locality answering the description of the lady in ‘The Dream’. This poem was originally published in 1816. The ‘lady’ was Mary Ann Chaworth of Annesley Hall – a distant relative through the marriage in 1660 of William, 3rd Baron Byron and Elizabeth, daughter of John 2nd Viscount Chaworth. George and Mary first met as teenagers in 1803. Byron, aged fifteen, felt himself to be deeply in love. Mary famously repelled his advances and declared that she had no interest in a ‘lame, bashful, boy lord.’ Sadly, Sophia Hyatt and Lord Byron never met.
At the time of his funeral on 16 July 1824, she was staying in the Old Portland Farmhouse at Hucknall Torkard. She was well remembered by Thomas Widdowson, who was a little boy when she came to seek shelter in his father’s house.
Sophia wrote a heartfelt sonnet in recognition of the death of her hero - and her loss.
I never saw thee – never heard thy voice,
Yet my soul seemed to claim affiance with thee.
Rebecca Heath’s memoirs point to “severe illness at the age of thirteen that in a measure paralyzed her.” This illness impacted upon her physically but did not initially seem to affect her mental state. As a result of her infirmities, she was forced to live a lonely and restricted life, largely rejected by society. Arguably, toward the end of her life she became aware of some form of mental derangement developing – perhaps caused partly by her severe obsession with the Poet.
“She had his poems, the only book she seemed to care for, she read them and wrote poetry, sheets of paper and small bits I have seen.” (Rebecca Heath’s memoirs)
“Most of her peculiar and lonely habits arose from the misfortune of being deaf and dumb...She saw but imperfectly... a lonely, desolate being, cut off from society by her infirmities.” (Washington Irving)
Sophia Hyatt’s ancestry and her age were unclear to the tenants and staff during her time at Newstead Abbey.
“Some thought her a relative of the Byron family, She said she was not, others thought she was a cast-off mistress of the Poet which I thought was wrong, she declared that she had never seen Lord Byron and I have no reason to doubt her veracity.” (Rebecca Heath’s memoirs)
It has been suggested that Sophia Hyatt was born in July 1768 in Bedford, the daughter of Bartholomew Hyatt and Pleasance Lowden. They were country booksellers, and both her parents had passed away some time ago. She lived on a small annuity provided by her brother Charles Hyatt, the captain of a merchant vessel, who had emigrated to America. He died in October 1819 on board the Two Catherines off the San Blas Islands in the West Indies. Her annuity ceased, and she was forced to rely upon a very small allowance supplied by a distant cousin who lived in England - but was not known to her personally.
In a letter to Rebecca Heath (26th August 1820), Sophia wrote of her intention to visit the family in America – with no hope of ever returning to Newstead Abbey.
“Complel’d to relinquish every hope of returning to a place whose blissful seclusion from a world I detest would alone have endeared it to me – where I had foolishly flattered myself I should have been permitted to end my days in peace… The idea of departed happiness for ever haunts me, for I was happy while amongst you, the only period of my life (since childhood) of which I can say this – and whom would it have injured had I been suffered to enjoy that happiness still?’’
Words from me are vainer still
But them thoughts we cannot bridle
Force the way, without the will.
Sophia had written to the Wildmans explaining the underlying reasons for her frequent and protracted visits to the Abbey. These proved to be firmly entrenched in -
“A singularly enthusiastic idolatry of the genius of Lord Byron, and a solitary and passionate delight in haunting the scenes he had once inhabited.”
Thomas Wildman was a school friend and admirer of Byron’s poetry. When the Wildmans learned how fond Sophia Hyatt was of Byron’s works, they encouraged her to renew her visits to the Abbey and allowed her to wander around the grounds whenever she wanted. There is no clear evidence that The White Lady ever entered the house itself – although it is likely that she roamed around the cloisters.
Her activities were not, however, confined to Newstead Abbey alone. They embraced other locations connected to Lord Byron which were identified in his poetry – notably the groves and gardens of Annesley Hall (The Dream). Rebecca Heath’s memoirs recall the trip to Diadem Hill - located within the Misk Hills. These hills consist of a gently undulating sandstone plateau between Hucknall and Annesley. They are described in ‘The Dream’ as follows -
Arising from such rustic roofs: the hill
Was crowned with a peculiar diadem
Of trees, in circular array, so fixed,
Not by the sport of nature, but of man.
“She soon got a person to go with her to the top of the ‘Diadem’ Hill where she paddled about a long time in hopes she might set foot on the spot where Lord Byron had set his… The hill with its noble avenue of trees is there – but the diadem is gone and the fine view from its summit down the valley of the Leen is hidden by the trees that are growing round its base.” (Rebecca Heath’s memoirs)
Sophia was sorely embarrassed by her lack of income and wrote to her brother’s relations in America – but received no reply. Col. Wildman offered his assistance to resolve matters and used his own agents to initiate an investigation into her brother’s affairs. He also forwarded her letters to America.
Just as Byron had expressed his wishes to be buried with his dog in the vault beneath the memorial monument to Boatswain, Sophia started to identify her own death wishes. She wished to be interred beneath a tree associated with her idol at Crowton Hill (a part of Newstead village).
While by thy foot this earth is pressed,
Think, here the wanderer’s ashes be -
And wilt thou say, sweet be thy rest.
Six months later, matters had not been resolved. Sophia’s letters remained unanswered and Wildman’s enquiries failed to achieve the desired result. This prayed on her mind, and she became increasingly depressed – experiencing bouts of severe morbidity and fear of decaying mental faculties. She talked of leaving Newstead for London to start legal proceedings to ascertain and enforce her brother’s will.
“I have long too sensibly felt the decay of my mental faculties, which I consider as the certain indication of that dreaded calamity which I anticipate with such terror. It is not ordinary insanity I so much apprehend, but something worse – absolute idiotism…Yet I can-not help thinking from peoples’ behaviour to me at times, and from after, reflections upon my conduct, that the symptoms of the disease are already apparent.” (Washington Irving)
In September 1825, she finally fixed in her mind a date for her departure to London - she could wait no longer.
Shall meet the fond gaze of the pilgrim no more;
No more may she roam through the walks and thy bowers,
Nor muse in thy cloisters at eve’s pensive hour.
Oh how shall I leave you, ye hills and ye dales,
When lost in sad musing, thou sad not unblest
A lone pilgrim I stray – Ah! In these lonely vales,
I hoped, vainly hoped, that the pilgrim might rest.
On the eve of her departure, she paid a farewell visit to the Abbey, wandering over grounds and lingering at those places she most loved. She delivered a letter Col. & Mrs. Wildman along with a bundle of papers. She asked them not to open them until the following day. However, Mrs. Wildman could not bear the suspense and upon retiring to her room in the evening – she opened the package.
In her ‘voluminous’ letter, Sophia Hyatt explained not only her pecuniary circumstance, but also her sense of insecurity and state of mind. She felt humiliated and despondent –and felt that she could wait no-longer for the results of the enquiry. She expressed her profound gratitude to the Wildmans and wished them well.
Below are some extracts from the letter - according to Washington Irving –
“My infirmaties entirely exclude me from the sweet intercourse of kindred spirits… Of all the pleasures of polished life... There is not one that I have so ardently coveted as that sweep reciprocation of ideas, the supreme bliss of enlightened minds in the hour of social converse.”
“The utter loneliness of my lot – without one natural connection, one earthly friend to appeal to, to shield me from the contempt, indignities, and insults, to which my deserted situation continually exposed me.”
“If Providence should enable me again to support myself with any degree of respectability, and you should grant me some little humble shed, with what joy shall I return and renew my delightful rambles.”
“O madam! may you never know, nor be able to conceive the agony I endure in tearing myself from all that the world contains of dear and sacred to me: the only spot on earth where I can ever hope for peace or comfort.”
“May every blessing the world has to bestow attend you, or rather, may you long, long live in the enjoyment of the delights of your own paradise, in secret seclusion from a world that has no real blessings to bestow.”
“Could you see my heart at this moment, how needless would it be to assure you of the respectful gratitude, the affectionate esteem, this heart must ever bear you both.”
Inside the packet Mrs. Wildman discovered several of Sophia’s poems.
“Products of your own garden, and most of them written there. In my little tablet, while sitting at the foot of ‘my Altar’ (Bosun’s tomb) … Memorial of the many happy hours I have there enjoyed.”
The Wildmans responded immediately - intending to offer Sophia permanent accommodation on the estate. A servant was sent with a letter to intercept her. Discovering that Sophia had already left for Nottingham, he was told to travel on to the Maypole Yard to intercept the London coach.
Accidental Death in Nottingham City Centre
The precise location of the accident is somewhat unclear as the L-shaped yard could be approached either from Clumber Street or Long Row East. Some sources state that she was ‘knocked down’ by a horse and cart whilst approaching one or other of the Maypole Yard entrances – most likely the entrance located alongside the Black Boy Hotel on Long Row East. Other sources suggest that she had already arrived and ‘fell’ whilst standing in the yard, outside the Maypole Inn, waiting for the coach to arrive.
“Standing in the doorway of the Inn – the coach just coming up the narrow yard, she fell – the coach passed over her, and she was killed upon the spot.” (Rebecca Heath’s memoirs)
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Location of Maypole Yard, Nottingham 1825 |
The inquest recorded ‘Accidental Death’ and The Nottingham Date book for September 1825 refers to the following:
‘Sophia Hyatt, the mysterious ‘White Lady’ of Newstead was accidentally run over, in Maypole Yard, in this town by Potter, the Loughborough carrier. She was very deaf, and the fore-horse knocked her down, the cartwheel went over her back and killed her instantly.’
‘Her remains were interred in Hucknall Churchyard as near as possible to the vault containing those of the immortal bard.’
SOPHIA HYATT, THE WHITE LADY
(FROM THE NOTTINGHAM REVIEW)
In our last, we recorded the melancholy death of Sophia Hyatt, who was, in consequence of her extreme deafness, accidently run over by a carrier’s cart at the entrance of the Maypole Inn yard, on Wednesday week, and unfortunately killed. At that time we stated that she had come that morning in a gig from Newstead, Papplewick, or some where in that neighbourhood, and we again advert to the lamentable occurrence, because some very singular and mysterious circumstances are connected with the melancholy accident.
The unfortunate deceased, Sophia Hyatt, had been, for the last three or four years, a lodger in one of the farmhouses belonging to Colonel Wildman, at Newstead Abbey. No one knew exactly from whence she came, nor what were her connections. Her days were passed in rambling about the gardens and grounds of the Abbey, to which, from the kindness of Colonel Wildman, she had free access; her dress was invariably the same ; and she was distinguished by the servants at Newstead, as the ‘‘White Lady.’’ She had ingratiated herself with the Newfoundland dog which came from Greece with the body of Lord Byron, by regularly feeding him ; and on the evening of the fatal accident which terminated her existence, she was seen, on quitting the gardens, to cut off a small lock of the dog’s hair, which she carefully placed in her handkerchief. On that same evening also, she delivered to Mrs. Wildman a sealed packet, with a request that it might not be opened til the following morning. The contents of the packet were no less interesting than surprising ; they consisted of various poems in manuscript, written during her solitary walks, and all of them referring to the mighty bard to whom Newstead once belonged, and whose fame is imperishable. A letter, addressed to Mrs. Wildman, was inclosed with the poetry, written with much elegance of language and native feeling it described her friendless situation, alluded to her pecuniary difficulties, thanked the family for their kind attentions towards her, and stated the necessity she was under of removing for a short period from Newstead. It appeared from her statement that she had connections in America, that her brother had died there, leaving a widow and family ; and she requested Colonel W.’s assistance to arrange certain matters, in which she was materially concerned. She concluded with declaring, that her only happiness in this world consisted in the privilege of being allowed to wander through the domain of Newstead, and to trace the various spots which had been consecrated by the genius of Lord Byron. A most kind and compassionate note was conveyed to her immediately after the perusal of the letter, urging her, either to give up her journey, or return to Newstead as quickly as possible.- With the melancholy sequel our readers have been made acquainted and it now only remains to say, that Colonel Wildman took upon himself the care of her interment, and that she has been buried in the churchyard of Hucknall, as near as possible to the vault which contains the body of Lord Byron. We have been favoured with a sight of the last poem she composed ; and the public will perhaps feel gratified by its insertion. It seems to have been dictated by a melancholy foreboding of what was so shortly to take place :-
Article clipped from Freeman’s Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser
Dublin, Ireland – Tue, 4 Oct 1825 Page3 (newspapers.com)
Burial Arrangements at St Mary Magdalene Church, Hucknall Torkard
The burial was carried out by the Rev. Charles Nixon who had officiated at Lord Byron’s funeral in July 1824. Sophia Hyatt was laid to rest in the churchyard, interred in an unmarked grave as close to Lord Byron’s final resting place as possible. The Burial register states that she was aged 66 years at the time of her death.
“When Col. Wildman was informed of it - he gave directions to have the body brought back to Hucknall and buried in the churchyard as near Lord Byron as might be – and paid the expences of the funeral for it was found she had not paid her fare nor had money enough to pay it with.” (Rebecca Heath’s memoirs)
“Her remains were interred in Hucknall Churchyard as near as possible to the vault containing those of the immortal bard.” (Nottingham Date Book for September 1825).
The Hucknall Torkard Parish record (No. 471) states her name and age (70) and describes her as A Stranger. The word ‘stranger’ had been used by Sophia Hyatt herself when describing her own isolated position in society.
“By all I am considered as a stranger and an alien... I seem not to belong to the human species.” (Washington Irving)
The location of the grave is still up for debate!
My best guess is that despite the architectural growth of the church in the late 1800s, the grave remained outside the church itself. The corner under the St Stephanos window in the Sensory Garden – by the downpipe from the roof of the nave, would appear to me to be the most likely location.
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Location of Sophia Hyatt’s Coffin (identified by the white flower) |
My conclusion is because there was no enlargement of the church until 1887-1888. This is confirmed by JH Beardsmore (article 1907):
- removal of chancel 24ft eastwards and gap filled with transepta
- chancel then reconstructed in its former state
- clerestory (high windows) added to the nave roof
One can only speculate that either the location of the coffin (some 6ft. deep in the ground) was not discovered - or that its removal was unnecessary since it would not interfere with the groundworks. The idea that the coffin was removed is unlikely as there are no church records or memorabilia to support such a notion.
St Mary Magdalene Church, Hucknall Torkard – 2025
Looking to identify the location of Byron’s coffin in the family sepulchre, Washington Irving visited the church.
“I have since visited his tomb. It is in an old grey country church, venerable with the lapse of centuries. He lies buried beneath the pavement, at one end of the principal aisle. A light falls on the spot through the stained glass of a Gothic window, and a tablet on the adjacent wall announces the family vault of the Byrons.”
The location of the Byron family vault in The Chancel
Augusta Mary Leigh placed a marble tablet on the Chancel wall to the left of the vault in memory of George Gordon Noel Byron. She was his half-sister and five years older than he. She had written to him regularly and became his confidant.
“A relation whom I love, a Friend in whom I can confide. In both these lights my Dear Augusta I shall ever look upon you.” (Lord George Byron)
The 23rd September 2025 was the bi-centennial of Sophia Hyatt’s burial at St Mary Magdalene Church in Hucknall. Her last poem is a beautiful memorial and focal point for remembrance. It also confirms her status as a poet in her own right.
MY LAST WALK IN THE GARDENS OF NEWSTEAD ABBEY
Lone, but in communion high,
Kindred spirits greet me - yonder
Glow’s the form that's ever nigh.
Wrapt in blissful contemplation,
From that hill no more I gaze
On scenes as fair, as when creation
Rose - the theme of Seraphs’ lays.
And thou, fair sylph, that round its basis
Driv'st thy car, with milk-white steed;
Oft I've watch’d its gentle paces,-
Mark’d its track with curious heed.
Why, oh ! why thus interesting
Are forms and scenes to me unknown?
Oh you the muses’ power confessing
Define the charms your bosoms own,
Why love to gaze on playful fountain,
Or lake, that bore him at its breast?
Lonely to wander o’er each mountain,
Grove, or plain his feet have pressed?
It is because the muses hover,
And all around a halo shed;
And still must every fond adorer
Worship the shrine the Idol fled.
But ‘tis past ; and now for ever
Fancy's vision’s bliss is o'er;
But forget thee, Newstead? – never,
Though I haunt thy shades no more.’
