Francis Leigh (died 1625)
Encyclopedia
Sir Francis Leigh was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons
between 1597 and 1622.
Leigh was the eldest of Sir William Leigh of Newnham Regis and his wife Frances Harrington, daughter of Sir James Harington of Exton, Rutland. He entered Middle Temple
in 1597 and in the same year was elected Member of Parliament
for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis
. By 1600 he was a member of the Antiqarian Society. In 1601 he was elected MP for Oxford
. He was knighted with the Order of the Bath
in 1603 and was a gentleman of the privy chamber to James I. He was re-elected MP for Oxford in 1604. In 1614 he became master of requests and in the same year, he was elected MP for Leicester
. He was High Sheriff of Warwickshire
from 1618 to 1619 and by 1621 was a J.P.
for Warwickshire. In 1621 he was elected MP for Warwickshire
.
Leigh died between 7 February 1625 when he made his will and 6 January 1626 when it was proved.
Leigh married Mary Egerton, daughter of Thomas Egerton, 1st Viscount Brackley
before 1601 and had two sons and three daughters. His son Francis
became Earl of Chichester
.
House of Commons of England
The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...
between 1597 and 1622.
Leigh was the eldest of Sir William Leigh of Newnham Regis and his wife Frances Harrington, daughter of Sir James Harington of Exton, Rutland. He entered Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
in 1597 and in the same year was elected Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis
Weymouth and Melcombe Regis (UK Parliament constituency)
Weymouth and Melcombe Regis was a parliamentary borough in Dorset represented in the English House of Commons, later in that of Great Britain, and finally in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was formed by an Act of Parliament of 1570 which amalgamated the existing boroughs of Weymouth and...
. By 1600 he was a member of the Antiqarian Society. In 1601 he was elected MP for Oxford
Oxford (UK Parliament constituency)
Oxford was a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom. It comprised the city of Oxford in the county of Oxfordshire, and elected two Members of Parliament from its creation in 1295 until 1881...
. He was knighted with the Order of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
in 1603 and was a gentleman of the privy chamber to James I. He was re-elected MP for Oxford in 1604. In 1614 he became master of requests and in the same year, he was elected MP for Leicester
Leicester (UK Parliament constituency)
Leicester was a parliamentary borough in Leicestershire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1918, when it was split into three single-member divisions.-History:...
. He was High Sheriff of Warwickshire
High Sheriff of Warwickshire
The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere or are now defunct, so that its functions...
from 1618 to 1619 and by 1621 was a J.P.
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
for Warwickshire. In 1621 he was elected MP for Warwickshire
Warwickshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Warwickshire was a parliamentary constituency in the Warwickshire in England. It returned two Members of Parliament , traditionall known as knights of the shire, to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system.-Boundaries and franchise:The...
.
Leigh died between 7 February 1625 when he made his will and 6 January 1626 when it was proved.
Leigh married Mary Egerton, daughter of Thomas Egerton, 1st Viscount Brackley
Thomas Egerton, 1st Viscount Brackley
Thomas Egerton, 1st Viscount Brackley PC was an English Nobleman, Judge and Statesman who served as Lord Keeper and Lord Chancellor for twenty-one years.-Early life, education and legal career:...
before 1601 and had two sons and three daughters. His son Francis
Francis Leigh, 1st Earl of Chichester
Francis Leigh, 1st Earl of Chichester was a Royalist politician and courtier around the period of the English Civil War....
became Earl of Chichester
Earl of Chichester
Earl of Chichester is a title that has been created three times in British history. It was created for the first time in the Peerage of England in 1644 when Francis Leigh, 1st Baron Dunsmore, was made Earl of Chichester, in the County of Sussex, with remainder to his son-in-law Thomas Wriothesley,...
.