 In 1845 W. S. Macleay insisted his family move out of the house and then took it over the payment of the debts himself.Macleay's library and the drawing room furniture were sold to pay creditors.William Sharp Macleay (1792-1865), public servant, scholar and naturalist, and eldest son, inherited his father's insect collection, and stayed alone at the house until his death in 1865.