John Leigh (abt. 1502 - bef. 1565)

Born about 1502 in Stockwell, Surrey, England [uncertain]

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Biography

John's year of birth can be calculated from the date of the Inquisition Post Morten taken for his Uncle Sir John Legh/Leigh on 5 Nov 15 Hen. VIII (1523) where his nephew John is aged 21 which gives a yob c1502. John Leghe of London knight made his Will on 30 April 1563, with a codicil dated 14 Mar 1563/4 and probate was granted 5 February 1565/6. He requested to buried either within the parish church of Lambeth Surrey 'in a chapel there erected and made by my uncle Sir John Leghe late of Stockwell knight deceased or else in the parish church of St Margaret Lothbury in the City of London'. John Stow in his 'Survey of London' records this epitaph in St Margaret Lothbury - "No wealth, no prayse, no bright renowne, no skill, No force, no fame, no princes loue, no toyle, Though forraigne land by trauell search ye will, No faithfull seruice of the country soyle, Can life prolong one minute of an houre, But death at length will execute his power; For Sir John Leigh to sundry countries knowne, A worthy knight well of his prince esteemde, By seeing much, to great experience growne, Though safe on seas, though sure on land he seemde, Yet here he lyes too soone by death opprest, His fame yet liues, his soule in heauen doth rest".

1527 he is mentioned in the will of Isabel Leigh, his wife’s Mother. The relationships are complicated.

With reference to the above statement, the following is taken from the oxford-shakespeare.com website, the transcript of the Will of Isabel (nee Worsley) Culpeper Leigh (c.1460 - 18 April 1527) - " the testatrix refers to her [Elizabeth the wife of John Leigh] as ‘my daughter, Elizabeth Leigh, wife of my cousin, John Leigh,’ which has caused considerable confusion in secondary sources. In Magna Carta Ancestry, supra, Vol. IV, p. 107, it is erroneously stated that she was the testatrix’ biological daughter; however in a private e-mail to the author of this website on 14 November 2012, Douglas Richardson agreed that she was not the testatrix’ biological daughter'". The testatrix and ‘my daughter Elizabeth’ were related by marriage, not by blood" The wife of John Leigh is named as ' Elizabeth Darcy, the daughter of Roger Darcy (d.1508) of Danbury, Essex, Gentleman of the Chamber to Henry VII, by Elizabeth Wentworth (living 1542), the daughter of Sir Henry Wentworth (c.1448 - August 1499) of Nettlestead"

In his Will, John names his wife as Elizabeth but also mentions that 'the said Elizabeth is not at this present nor after my death by order of the laws of this realm can or ought to be entitled to the same (manors lands tenements etc in Surrey given in recompense for her jointure) but precluded by reason of a just and lawful divorce made between me and the said Elizabeth...'

Sources

• Will of Sir John Legh The National Archives; Kew, England; Prerogative Court of Canterbury and Related Probate Jurisdictions: Will Registers; Class: PROB 11; Piece: 48 [Transcription and commentary Oxford-Shakespeare http://www.oxford-shakespeare.com/Probate/PROB_11-48-372.pdf]
• epitaph https://archive.org/details/asurveylondon06stowgoog/page/n128
• Transcript and commentary on the Will of Isabel (nee Worsley) Culpeper Leigh; http://www.oxford-shakespeare.com/Probate/PROB_11-22-332.pdf
• Visitation of Essex 1558 - Darcy/Wentworth family; https://archive.org/stream/visitationsofess13metc#page/44/mode/2up
• Surrey Wills - https://archive.org/stream/surreyarchaeolog51surruoft#page/90/mode/1up