On the twenty-fifth of February 1854, Ann died aged fifty at one of the Walker properties, Cliffe Hill. She left Marian an annual sum in her will and the rest of the Walker estate to Elizabeth’s son, George. After Sutherland’s death and a range of tenants while Ann was alive, Shibden’s ownership returned to distant Lister family members in 1855. Marian Lister never returned to Shibden and died unmarried on the sixth of August 1882. Shibden was occupied until the last Lister resident died childless in 1933, and it was donated to the town of Halifax as a museum and public park. Mariana Lawton died without an heir in 1868.

By the time of her death, Anne had written over five million words in her diaries, along with fourteen volumes of travel notes and countless letters. Anne’s diaries were first read by John Lister, the last Lister to live at Shibden, who published many edited extracts in the local newspaper. He also cracked Anne’s secret code but never revealed any of its content. Anne’s diaries, including the coded sections, were read again over the years by several different people. However, Anne’s lesbian relationships remained secret until Helena Whitbread published sections from Anne’s earlier diaries in 1988. Few people have ever read the diaries in full and no transcripts have yet been published or digitised. Very little is known about Ann Walker.

This fictional account is based loosely on known key dates and events. You can find out more about the real Anne Lister on Shibden Hall’s website and in the introductory book Anne Lister of Shibden Hall, published by Calderdale Museums who look after the Hall.