We are Sir Christopher and Lady Musgrave and we own and run Barn Farm.
Sir Christopher is descended from the 'ancient and warlike family of Musgrave' (as they are often described in contemporary books and journals) which founded the villages of Great and Little Musgrave, Westmorland after fighting in William's army at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.. It is believed that the family name is derived from the German 'Mass graf' meaning Lords of the Marshes.. Often knighted and raising armies for the Crusades, the Scottish borders, Ireland, etc., plus being members of parliament, they were created Baronets of Hartley Castle in 1611 for services to the Crown.. Sir Philip, 2nd Baronet, was elevated to the peerage after his defence of the Isle of Man in the Civil War, though he never took out the patent or sat in the House of Lords.. Hartley Castle was demolished in the 1700's to rebuild and extend Eden Hall, near Penrith, where the family moved after inheriting it through marriage.. This was sold in the early 1900's when the family moved to London but several deaths close together with consequential heavy death duties crippled the family financially..
Sir Christopher spent his formative years helping his father with his various agricultural holdings learning something of animal husbandry and ecology.. In his early 20's he rebuilt and re-rigged a Danish sailing ship built in 1899 and took her via Europe and Africa to the Caribbean where he was shipwrecked.. Returning to the U.K. he sailed as master in the Merchant Navy around Europe before coming ashore, marrying, and becoming involved with the engineering industry for nearly twenty years.. The ending of his first marriage in 1991, followed by nervous exhaustion and 'burn out' in 1995 left him with clinical depression so he was forced to change his life..
Lady Musgrave, nee' Lawson was born in Hampshire though her family hailed originally from Yorkshire where they had interests in textiles.. She is a direct descendant of a family branch which included Samuel Lawson the clockmaker..
Also connected to agriculture as a child and her first husband a farmer, Lady Musgrave however decided to wear rather more glamorous apparel than wellies and spent most of her life as a model or running her own agency!. She was heavily involved with the Whitbread round the world yacht race and mounted her own challenge in conjunction with the Services. The Song" Rise and Shine" was written for the Challenge by her cousin Paul and Lady Musgrave (then nee Lawson) sung the song live at London Boat Show. When Lady Musgrave was in her forties, she decided to add to her already wide range of skills and attended Portsmouth University acquiring a certificate in Adult Education in 1993 to improve her counselling abilities and other teaching skills.. After being an active member for nearly 20 years, she became president of the Fareham Chamber of Commerce in 1995 and oversaw the amalgamation with Southampton - a piece of history in the making - and is now an Honorary Member of the new Southampton and Fareham Chamber of Commerce.. She stood for Council in 1982, has been Chair of the Police Liaison Committee, and involved with many other projects in the community..
Although Sir Christopher and Lady Musgrave first met through sailing in 1994, they found that they had frequented the same pubs in the early seventies on the River Hamble.. As they both were rather wild at that time it was probably just as well that they did not meet then!. Friends of the couple had often remarked that they felt they had come together for a reason though it took some time for this to become apparent, but now they both feel they can concentrate on the farm by helping others realise their potential by offering work to people with long term illness and disabilites. During 2000 to 2007 there have been many changes also it has been a great learning curve in the world of Farming! Barn Farm is now part of the ACCESS TO FARMS Programme with Trained Personnel. Lady Musgrave is now writing a Cookery Book and also involved in a Script for a Childrens Film/Book.
Three Personal Projects on the cards is to make an Official Visit to Lady Musgrave Island with Sir Christopher. Also take a Diving trip to the Carribean so Sir Christopher can check out the wreckage of his Danish ship National. Lady Musgrave is learning to fly light aircraft.