Francis Leigh (1598 - 1653)

Born 1598 in Newnham Regis, Warwickshire, England

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 21 Dec 1653 at about age 55 in Apps Court, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England

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Biography

Francis Leigh, was the son and heir of Sir Francis Leigh and Hon. Mary Egerton, and succeeded his father in the Newnham Regis estate in county Warwickshire. He was knighted in January 1612/1613 at Newmarket, and was a Member of Parliament for Warwick from 1625-26.

His second marriage (see below) into the extended Villiers family rapidly increased his advancement, and he was created a Baronet on 24 December 1618 and Baron Dunsmore, county Warwick on 31 July 1628. The remainder of this title was to heirs male of this body, or failing that to his stepson John Anderson, of Hardwick, county Huntingdon.

He was nominated as a Privy Counsellor 8 August 1641 and was a Colonel of a regiment of Horse in 1643 and Captain of a band of Gentleman Pensioners 1644 - 46. He had been created Earl of Chichester, county Sussex on 3 June 1644 for life with remainder to his son-in-law, Thomas Wriothesley, 4th Earl of Southampton, and the heirs male of his body by Elizabeth, Francis Leigh's eldest daughter.

His estates valued at £3,000 a year were sequestrated but released for a fine of £2,854.

Family

He married first 31 July 1617 at St Dunstan's, Stepney, Susan Banning, widow, of St Gabriel's, Fenchurch, London, daughter and heir of Richard Northam. She must have died without issue later that year.

His second marriage in late 1617 or early 1618, was to Hon. Audrey Anderson, widow of Sir Francis Anderson (died 22 December 1616), and eldest daughter of John Boteler, 1st Lord Boteler of Brantfield, and his wife Elizabeth Villiers, sister of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham. Audrey was the sister and co-heir of William Boteler, 2nd Lord Boteler.

They had issue two daughters;

1. Lady Elizabeth Leigh, married shortly after 1641, Thomas Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton, later 2nd Earl of Chichester;
2. Lady Mary Leigh, married George Villiers, Viscount Grandison.

Death and burial

His wife died on 16 September 1652 and he died 21 December 1653 at Apscourt, Surrey, and was buried at Newnham. His will, which was dated 2 September 1652, was proved on 22 June 1654. The Barony of Dunscombe became extinct on his death, but the Earldom of Chichester passed to his son-in-law as indicated above.

Sources

• Cokayne, George Edward, The Complete Peerage: of England Scotland Ireland Great Britain and the United Kingdom, 2nd ed., vol. 3 revised & edited by Hon. Vicary Gibbs & H. Arthur Doubleday, London: St Catherine Press, 1913. pp. 193-94. Electronic edition by ABC Publications, London, 2003.

See also:

• Wikipedia: Francis Leigh, 1st Earl of Chichester v. 05:43, 4 April 2016.[1]
• History of Parliament online [2]
• British History online: Bramfield [3]
• British History online: Newnham Regis
• Genealogical Memoirs of the Extinct Family of Chester and Chicheley Page 145
• Space: Legh pedigrees