John St Leger (abt. 1400 - 1442)

Born about 1400 in England

Ancestors

Husband of Margery (Donnet) St. Leger — married 1429 in Ulcombe,,Kent,England

Descendants

Died 16 May 1442 at about age 42 in Ulcombe, Kent, England

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Ron Lamoreaux [send private message]

Biography

Sir John Saint Leger was the son of Sir Arnold St Leger, whose own father was also named Arnold.^[1][2]

By 1423 John became heir of his cousins, for the lordship of the manor of Ulcombe in Kent.^[3]

John married Margery Donnett, heir of the late James Donnett of Sileham (aka Sylham Court), an old local gentry family. As her late father's sole heir, Margery's dowry was considerable and included the manors of Rainham (Kent), Syleham (Suffolk), Pen-Court (Kent), Wildemere and others in Kent and other parts of England. They had 9 children in just 13 years, 5 boys and 4 girls.^[4][5]

Sir John was knighted and became the Sheriff of Kent, a position many of his ancestors had also held. Sir John St. Leger died at Ulcombe, Kent, on May 16, 1442. ^[6] He is buried in All Saints Church, Ulcombe. ^[7]

John St. Leger (Seyntleger) wrote his will 12 December 1441. He desired to be buried in the church of Vlcumbe (Ulcombe) in the chapel of St. Thomas.^[5] He mentioned:

• His son Ralph, not yet 21, who would receive the manor of Ulcombe, and tenements there called, Hedecrone, Mapilherste, and Storeye.
• His son Thomas, not yet 21, would receive tenements called Rotynge andcalled Parys.
• His son Richard.
• His three daughters: Florence, Margaret and Alice. Not yet 16 and all unmarried.
• His son James, not yet 21, would receive tenements called Silham.
• His son Bartholomew, not yet 21, will receive the manors of Eylnothynighton and Eylnothyng-tonesdowne and one tenement called Pendecourte, also tenements in Holyngbourne. '

John and his wife had a memorial in the church of Ulcombe:

"Here lyeth Iohn S. Leger Esquire, and Margerie his wife, sole daughter and heire of Iames Donnet .... 1442..."^[8]

Research Notes

Disconnected Daughter: Philippa who was the second wife of John Pympe (died 1454).

• The proposal Philippa was a St Leger can be found as a suggestion in a 1909 article.^[9] It was based upon the fact that Philippa's son's will names several Dt Legers as "cousins" whose arms should be placed in the Nettlestead church.
• There are no primary records which mention such a daughter of Sir John St. Leger and Margaret Donnet. The will of John St. Leger, written 12 December 1441, lists his children and mentions only three daughters, Florence, Margaret and Alice.^[5]
• In fact, Philippa the second wife of John Pympe is believed to have been born into the Thornbury family of Faversham.^[10]

On 26 January 2014, Douglas Richardson replied to a message concerning the connection between the St. Leger family and the Pympe family, saying that the common ancestor was through the Richard Cheyne (Cheyney) family of Shurland, Kent, England.

Richard Cheyne's daughter Margery Cheyne, 1st husband was James Donet (died 1409), Margery Cheyne and James Donet's daughter Margery Donet, married John St. Leger, Esq. of Ulcombe, Kent, (d.1441). Their children: Ralph, Thomas, Richard, James, Bartholomew, Katherine, Florence, Margaret and Alice.

Richard Cheyne and Margaret Cralle' second daughter Isabel Cheyne married John Pympe.^[4][11][12]

Anne was also disconnected as a daughter as there are no valid sources connecting her to parents John St Leger and Margery Donnet ~ Thiessen-117 17:37, 5 February 2021 (UTC)

Sources

1. ↑ Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry, 2nd Edition, Vol. II, p. 162-163.
2. ↑ Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry, 2nd Edition, Vol. II, p. 360-361.
3. ↑ https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-close-rolls/hen6/vol1/pp76-78
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Richardson, Douglas. “Philippa Thornbury - Google Groups.” Accessed March 27, 2019. soc.gen.med
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} Kent Archaeological Society,Medieval & Tudor Kent Wills at Lambeth – Book 23 Page 248. Transcript accessed at: Will of John Seyntleger dated 1441
6. ↑ Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry, Vol. IV, p. 458.
7. ↑ Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry, 2nd Edition, Vol. III, p. 424.
8. ↑ Weever, John. Ancient Funerall Monuments within the United Monarchie of Great Britaine, Ireland, and the Islands Adjacent (Thomas Harper, London, 1631) Page 284
9. ↑ W.E. Hall, "The Stained-glass windows of Nettlestead church", Archaeologia Cantiana, https://archive.org/details/archaeologiacant28kent/ . See pages 166, 169, 175,
10. ↑ Philippa as a Thornbury:
    • MacMichael, N.H., 'The. Descent of the Manor of Evegate in Smeeth with Some Account of its Lords', Archaeologia Cantiana, Vol. 74, 1960, pp.1-47 [1]
    • The Tyrrell pedigree in the 1558 visitation of Essex p.111
    • Wrottesley, George, 1827, 1909, Pedigrees from the plea rolls, p.456
    • National Archives will 11/5/492, discussed at Oxford Shakespeare, The Will of Sir William Tyrrell http://www.oxford-shakespeare.com/Probate/PROB_11-5-492.pdf
11. ↑ Rylands, W. Harry (William Harry), 1847-1922,Benolt, Thomas, d. 1534,Harvey, William, d. 1567,Chitting, Henry, d. 1638,Philipot, John, 1589?-1645,Camden, William, 1551-1623,Ashmole, Elias, 1617-1692,Bysshe, Edward, Sir, 1615?-1679,College of Arms (Great Britain), The four visitations of Berkshire made and taken by Thomas Benolte, Clarenceux anno 1532; p.102-105, https://www.archive.org/stream/fourvisitations00britgoog#page/n122/mode/2up
12. ↑ Robertson, Herbert, Stemmata Robertson et Durdin. Being tables comprising the known ancestors of the children of Herbert Robertson and his wife Helen Alexandrina Melian n Durdin .National Library of Scotland, p. 68-71, ST. LEGER PEDIGREE https://archive.org/stream/stemmatarobertso00robe#page/68/mode/2up

See also:

• Royal Ancestry D. Richardson 2013 Vol. V p. 455
• "Royal Ancestry" 2013 by Douglas Richardson Vol. IV. page 460 (11.i.a.)

Other websites (use with caution):

• Wikipedia contributors, "John St Leger (died 1441)," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_St_Leger_(died_1441)&oldid=860635265 (accessed March 27, 2019).
• http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/STLEGER.htm#John St. LEGER of Ulcombe (Sir)