Thomas ABNEY

     Thomas ABNEY, son of Sir Thomas ABNEY C. B. and Frances Burton, was born on 2 January 1725 at Willesley in Leicestershire, England.² He was the last Abney Lord of Willesley, having inherited the estate from his father in 1750. The Abney family's ownership of the Manor of Willesley lasted from 1424 until the death of Thomas Abney in 1791. Many family members are buried in the adjacent Church of St. Thomas Willesley or the Church of St. Mary de Castro in Leicester. A house existed on the site for over 500 years until the hall was demolished in 1953. Throughout its history it was enlarged and improved. The most significant building works were undertaken by James Abney, who served as High Sheriff of Derbyshire (in which for many years Willesley was situated before local government boundary changes). The house was further enlarged by Sir Edward Abney early in the 18th Century and later in the same century the park was laid out and a 24 acre lake was created submerging, it is thought, the village of Willesley.

Thomas married Parnell Villars on 11 May 1754 at Saint Clement Danes, Westminster in London, England. She was the daughter and co-heir of George Villars, Esq. of Hanbury, Staffordshire.

Thomas ABNEY died on 15 August 1791 in Willesley, Derbyshire, England, at age 66.¹ He was buried in Ashby de la Zouch Cemetery, Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire, England.