Former priory and home of poet Lord Byron, located in Nottinghamshire, England, that is said to be haunted by several ghosts. The priory was built around 1170 for the Order of St. Augustine and was bought in 1540 by Sir John Byron who turned it into a mansion. It remained the Byron family home for three centuries. According to superstition, turning a religious house into a house for secular use is a recipe for misfortune and over the years the Byron family experienced more than its fair share of bad luck and declining fortune.
The romantic Poet Lord Byron (1788-1824) was the last of his family to own the house, and when he inherited the estate it was in a state of disrepair. His father, known as "the wicked lord", lived and died alone in the scullery, the only room that was intact against water. In 1817, Byron went to live in Venice and sold the property. The bad luck stayed with successive owners who were plagued by misfortune after misfortune.
The Black Friar Ghost is the most famous ghost to allegedly appear at Newstead Abbey. The appearance of this phantom was thought to be a bad omen for the Byron family. Byron claimed to see The Black Friar on the eve of his wedding in 1815, which he later described as the unhappiest event of his life. The marriage ended after a year.
A white lady is also to haunt the property. It is said that she is the ghost of Sophia Hyett, a bookseller's daughter, who was infatuated and obsessed with the dashing poet.
Although Byron is not said to haunt the house, his beloved dog "Bosun" is. Byron had his dog buried alongside the site of the priory's high altar, and wished to be buried next to Bosun when he himself died. But his wishes were ignored. Some say that is why the ghost of Bosun wanders the property looking for his master.
