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Here are some Bannister stories and accounts over the years:

Early Bannisters

An ancient pedigree of this family, preserved in a petition on the rolls of Parliament, began with Robert Banastre who held Prestatyn, one of the hundreds of Flintshire, under Robert de Ruelent.  Robert, the son of Robert Banastre, withdrew with all his people into Lancashire where they were found holding extensive possessions under the Earls of Chester.

Bank Hall was for centuries the manorial residence of the Banastres or Banisters, lords of the manor of Bretherton.

Banastre's Rebellion

The Banstre rebellion of 1315 was a rising directed against Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, and his favorite, Sir Robert Holland.  Sir Adam Banastre was the leader of the insurgents.  They all met at Wingates in Westhoughton and took an oath to live and die together.

Soon the party set forth for Wigan, gaining adherents on the way.  They took Clitheroe castle, laid seige to Liverpool castle extracting ransom, and later captured Preston.  But there the sheriff, acting on behalf of the Earl of Lancaster, arrived with 300 men and utterly defeated the insurgents.

Sir Adam Banastre and a companion, after hiding in the woods and moors for a week, were betrayed by the man in whose house they had taken refuge.  Another account states that there was a final struggle in a barn where Banastre made a stout resistance before being captured.  He was taken to Leyland Moor and executed.

Ethne Bannister and the Coniston Hotel

The Bannisters had bought the 1,800 acre estate in Craven in the Yorkshire dales in 1969.  Their first decision was a heart-breaking one: the old hall, an early Victorian pile with 100 yards of frontage, had to be completely demolished.  It was ridden with dry rot and might have fallen down of its own accord.

But Ethne's husband Michael was used to making tough decisions.  His family had for generations been in the textile business, first in wool and then cotton, and had built up a major business in East Lancashire. However, by the late 1960's, the writing was on the wall for British textile manufacturing and the decision was made to move into the retail side of the business.

That business acumen was also put into play at Coniston Gold.  Although the old hall was demolished, all the wonderful old stone, laboriously transported by horse and cart from Halifax in the 1840's, was carefully stored.  They then built a new house overlooking the lake, much smaller but much more elegant.  Because the old stone was used, it is very difficult to tell that the house is just thirty years old.

Ethne's three sons grew up to have very different careers.  Nicholas became a banker and went to New York.  Richard took over the retail textile business in Colne.  And the youngest Tom, who went to the Royal Agricultural College, came home with an eye for change.  Tom today manages the hotel complex at Coniston.

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