Leghs of Lyme
Encyclopedia
The Leghs of Lyme are a family who owned Lyme Park
in Cheshire
, England, from 1398 to 1946, when the house and estate were given to the National Trust
. In the early days of the family there were variations of both the surname, and the usually-given forename. Variations of the surname include de Legh, a Lee, Leghe and Leyghe, and the given name as Piers, Peers, and Peter. In 1397 the first Sir Piers Legh was granted the family coat of arms by Richard II
.
In order to distinguish between the earlier generations, the convention of adding a Roman numeral
to the name was often used.
Lyme Park
Lyme Park is a large estate located south of Disley, Cheshire, England. It consists of a mansion house surrounded by formal gardens, in a deer park in the Peak District National Park...
in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England, from 1398 to 1946, when the house and estate were given to the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
. In the early days of the family there were variations of both the surname, and the usually-given forename. Variations of the surname include de Legh, a Lee, Leghe and Leyghe, and the given name as Piers, Peers, and Peter. In 1397 the first Sir Piers Legh was granted the family coat of arms by Richard II
Richard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
.
In order to distinguish between the earlier generations, the convention of adding a Roman numeral
Roman numerals
The numeral system of ancient Rome, or Roman numerals, uses combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet to signify values. The numbers 1 to 10 can be expressed in Roman numerals as:...
to the name was often used.
List of persons with the surname Legh
- Piers Legh I (died 1399) married Margaret, the daughter of Sir Thomas Danyers, to whom the estate was granted in 1346. He was executed in ChesterChesterChester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
by Henry BolingbrokeHenry IV of EnglandHenry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
and buried at St Michael's Church, MacclesfieldSt Michael's Church, MacclesfieldSt Michael and All Angels Church, Macclesfield overlooks Market Place in the town of Macclesfield, Cheshire, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of...
. - Sir Piers Legh II (died 16 June 1422 in ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
). He was injured at AgincourtBattle of AgincourtThe Battle of Agincourt was a major English victory against a numerically superior French army in the Hundred Years' War. The battle occurred on Friday, 25 October 1415 , near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France...
in 1415 and died from wounds sustained in a later conflict. He was also buried at Macclesfield in a chapel, the Legh Chapel, which was built to receive him. - Sir Piers Legh III (4 June 1415–November 1478) was knightKnightA knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed in 1460 by the Duke of YorkRichard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of YorkRichard Plantagenêt, 3rd Duke of York, 6th Earl of March, 4th Earl of Cambridge, and 7th Earl of Ulster, conventionally called Richard of York was a leading English magnate, great-grandson of King Edward III...
following the Battle of WakefieldBattle of WakefieldThe Battle of Wakefield took place at Sandal Magna near Wakefield, in West Yorkshire in Northern England, on 30 December 1460. It was a major battle of the Wars of the Roses...
. - Piers Legh IV (died 1468 - before his father).
- Sir Piers Legh V was knighted following the Battle of Hutton Field.
- Sir Piers Legh VI (died 11 August 1527) was wounded at the Battle of Flodden FieldBattle of Flodden FieldThe Battle of Flodden or Flodden Field or occasionally Battle of Branxton was fought in the county of Northumberland in northern England on 9 September 1513, between an invading Scots army under King James IV and an English army commanded by the Earl of Surrey...
. He was buried at St Oswald's Church, WinwickSt Oswald's Church, WinwickSt Oswald's Church, Winwick, is in the village of Winwick to the north of Warrington, Cheshire, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Liverpool, the archdeaconry of Warrington and the...
. - Sir Piers Legh VII (died 6 December 1589), the builder of Lyme Hall, was knighted at LeithLeith-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....
in 1544. He was buried at Winwick. He was also High Sheriff of LancashireHigh Sheriff of LancashireThe High Sheriff of Lancashire is an ancient officer, now largely ceremonial, granted to Lancashire, a county in North West England. High Shrievalties are the oldest secular titles under the Crown, in England and Wales...
in 1550. - Piers Legh VIII (died 10 August 1570 - before his father).
- Sir Piers Legh IX (died February 1636) was knighted at GreenwichGreenwichGreenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
in 1598 and was buried at Winwick. - Peter Legh XPeter Legh (died 1642)Peter Legh was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between1640 and 1642. He died after fighting a duel....
, grandson of the above, was killed in a duel in 1642. - Francis Legh (died 2 February 1643), who held the estate for about one year, was buried at Winwick.
- Richard LeghRichard LeghRichard Legh was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1656 and 1678.Legh was the son of Rev. Thomas Legh, DD of Cheshire and rector of Sefton and Walton, Lancashire. He inherited the Lyme Park estate in Cheshire from his uncle Francis Legh in 1643...
(died 1687) was a minor when he succeeded to the estate and during the period of the Civil WarEnglish Civil WarThe English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. Under the CommonwealthCommonwealth of EnglandThe Commonwealth of England was the republic which ruled first England, and then Ireland and Scotland from 1649 to 1660. Between 1653–1659 it was known as the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland...
he was elected Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA 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 CheshireCheshire (UK Parliament constituency)Cheshire is a former United Kingdom Parliamentiary constituency for the county of Cheshire. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832.As a county...
and after the RestorationEnglish RestorationThe Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
was Lord Lieutenant of CheshireLord Lieutenant of CheshireThis is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire. Since 1689, all Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Cheshire.-Lord Lieutenants of Cheshire:-References:*-External links:*...
and DeputyDeputy LieutenantIn the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
Lieutenant of LancashireLord Lieutenant of LancashireThis is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire.-References:* The Lord-Lieutenant of Lancashire, Lancashire County Council...
. He planted the first avenues of trees in the park at Lyme. Richard was buried at Winwick. - Peter Legh XI (died 1744) was imprisoned in the Tower of LondonTower of LondonHer Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
in 1694 and charged with high treasonHigh treasonHigh treason is criminal disloyalty to one's government. Participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps...
twice but acquitted on both occasions. He then employed the Italian architect Giacomo LeoniGiacomo LeoniGiacomo Leoni , also known as James Leoni, was an Italian architect, born in Venice. He was a devotee of the work of Florentine Renaissance architect Leon Battista Alberti, who had also been an inspiration for Andrea Palladio. Leoni thus served as a prominent exponent of Palladianism in English...
to carry out a major restoration of the hall. He was buried at Winwick. - Peter Legh XII (1706–20 May 1792) was a nephew of the above. He was buried at St Mary's Church, DisleySt Mary's Church, DisleySt Mary's Church, Disley is a Church of England parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of Chadkirk. It is on a hill overlooking the village of Disley, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building...
. - Colonel Thomas Peter Legh (1753 – 7 August 1797), also inherited as a nephew, was buried at Winwick. In March 1794, he was commissioned as Colonel of the Lancashire Light Dragoons.
- Thomas LeghThomas Legh (died 1857)Thomas Legh FRS was a politician in England.He was Member of Parliament for the rotten borough of Newton in Lancashire from 1814 until the borough was disenfrachised at the 1832 general election.- External links :...
(died 8 May 1857), son of the above, was a Fellow of the Royal SocietyRoyal SocietyThe Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
and traveled widely. He carried out the first survey of PetraPetraPetra is a historical and archaeological city in the Jordanian governorate of Ma'an that is famous for its rock cut architecture and water conduits system. Established sometime around the 6th century BC as the capital city of the Nabataeans, it is a symbol of Jordan as well as its most visited...
and wrote about the slave trade in Egypt. At Lyme he commissioned Lewis WyattLewis WyattLewis William Wyatt was a British architect, a nephew of both Samuel and James Wyatt of the Wyatt family of architects, who articled with each of his uncles and began practice on his own about 1805....
to carry our extension alteration to the house. He was buried at Disley. - William LeghWilliam Legh, 1st Baron NewtonWilliam John Legh, 1st Baron Newton , was a British Conservative politician.Legh was the son of William Legh and the member of an ancient Cheshire family. He sat as a Member of Parliament for Lancashire South from 1859 to 1868 and for Cheshire East from 1868 to 1885...
(19 December 1828–15 December 1898) was a Member of Parliament and was created 1st Baron Newton for his political services. He created the sunken Dutch garden and added stables and other buildings to the estate. - Thomas Legh, 2nd Baron NewtonThomas Legh, 2nd Baron NewtonThomas Wodehouse Legh, 2nd Baron Newton PC, DL , was a British diplomat and Conservative politician who served as Paymaster-General during the First World War.-Background and education:...
(18 March 1857–21 March 1942) was also a Member of Parliament as was Paymaster-GeneralPaymaster-GeneralHM Paymaster General is a ministerial position in the United Kingdom. The Paymaster General is in charge of the Office of HM Paymaster General , which held accounts at the Bank of England on behalf of Government departments and selected other public bodies...
and then Assistant Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs during the First World WarWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Thomas and his wife were responsible for many alterations to the gardens. - Richard Legh, 3rd Baron Newton (1888–1960) gave the house and estate to the National TrustNational Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural BeautyThe National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
in 1946. - Peter Legh, 4th Baron NewtonPeter Legh, 4th Baron NewtonPeter Richard Legh, 4th Baron Newton , was a British Conservative politician who held junior ministerial positions during the 1950s and 1960s....
(6 April 1915–16 June 1992) was also a politician. - Richard Thomas Legh, 5th Baron Newton (born 11 January 1950) lives in East SussexEast SussexEast Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
. - Hon. Piers Richard Legh (born 25 October 1979) is the heir apparentHeir apparentAn heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
.