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Sir Thomas Leigh (c. 1504 – 15 November 1571) was an English
Leigh was raised by Sir Rowland Hill, a City mercer and wool merchant, and later joined Sir Rowland's business, and circa 1535, he married his niece and heir, Alice Barker, daughter of John Barker and Elizabeth ''née'' Hill.
The following year he was appointed a Justice of the Peace for Shropshire.
Leigh, who served three times as
Sir Thomas Leigh's descendants include 
merchant
A merchant is a person who trades in goods produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Merchants have been known for as long as humans have engaged in trade and commerce. Merchants and merchant networks operated i ...
and Lord Mayor of London
The Lord Mayor of London is the Mayors in England, mayor of the City of London, England, and the Leader of the council, leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded Order of precedence, precedence over a ...
in 1558-59. He served as a City
A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...
from 1552 until 1571.
Life
Leigh was born about 1504 atWellington, Shropshire
Wellington is a market town and a civil parish in the borough of Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire, England. It is situated northwest of Telford and east of Shrewsbury, near the western terminus of the M54 motorway. The summit of The Wrekin lie ...
to Roger Leigh (died 1506) and Anne ''née'' Trafford.
He was the 2nd great-grandson of Sir Piers Leigh, who was wounded at the Battle of Agincourt
The Battle of Agincourt ( ; ) was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day) near Azincourt, in northern France. The unexpected victory of the vastly outnumbered English troops agains ...
in 1415, whose family was a cadet branch of the ancient Leighs, of West Hall, High Legh, Cheshire.
Leigh was raised by Sir Rowland Hill, a City mercer and wool merchant, and later joined Sir Rowland's business, and circa 1535, he married his niece and heir, Alice Barker, daughter of John Barker and Elizabeth ''née'' Hill.
The following year he was appointed a Justice of the Peace for Shropshire.
Leigh, who served three times as Master of the Mercers' Company
The Master Mercers of the Worshipful Company of Mercers have been, by reign:
Richard II of England
:1390 John Lovey
:1391 John Organ
:1392 John Organ
:1393 John Organ
:1394 William Parker
:1395 Sir Richard Whittington (1st term)
:1396 John Shadwor ...
, also served as Sheriff of London
Two Sheriffs of the City of London are elected annually by the members of the City livery companies. Today's Sheriffs have only ceremonial duties, but the historical officeholders held important judicial responsibilities. They have attended the ...
(1555–56), and in 1558 became Lord Mayor of London
The Lord Mayor of London is the Mayors in England, mayor of the City of London, England, and the Leader of the council, leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded Order of precedence, precedence over a ...
.
He was also a merchant of the Staple and a member of the Merchant Adventurers' Company.
In 1558, after the death of Mary I of England
Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain as the wife of King Philip II from January 1556 until her death in 1558. She made vigorous ...
, Leigh led the coronation procession of Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...
.
In 1559, he was knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity.
The concept of a knighthood ...
ed by Queen Elizabeth.
Residence
In 1561, Sir Rowland Hill purchasedStoneleigh Abbey
Stoneleigh Abbey is an English country house and estate situated south of Coventry. Nearby is the village of Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, Stoneleigh, Warwickshire. The Abbey itself is a Grade I listed building.
History
In 1154 Henry II of England, ...
after the Dissolution of the Monasteries for his ward
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
Sir Thomas Leigh, and a mansion was built on the site of the former monastic buildings. Leigh's family and descendants were seated on the estate
Estate or The Estate may refer to:
Law
* Estate (law), a term in common law for a person's property, entitlements and obligations
* Estates of the realm, a broad social category in the histories of certain countries.
** The Estates, representativ ...
from 1561 to 1993.
Family
Sir Thomas Leigh's descendants include Jane Austen
Jane Austen ( ; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for #List of works, her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment on the English landed gentry at the end of the 18th century ...
through her mother Cassandra Leigh, the Leigh baronets and the Barons Leigh of Stoneleigh, the Earls of Chichester and the Duchess of Dudley.
One of his daughters, Winifred Leigh, married a later Lord Mayor of London, George Bond.
Another, Katherine Leigh, married Edward Baber MP, Serjeant-at-law and Recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to:
Newspapers
* ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper
* ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US
* ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a newsp ...
of Bath
Bath may refer to:
* Bathing, immersion in a fluid
** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body
** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe
* Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities
Plac ...
.
See also
*Leigh baronets
There have been six baronetcies created with the surname of Leigh: two in the Baronetage of England, one in the Baronetage of Ireland, one in the Baronetage of Great Britain and two in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. The only creation remain ...
* Baron Leigh
Baron Leigh has been created twice as a hereditary title, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The writer Jane Austen is associated with this dynasty.
The first creation came in the Peerage of England ...
* Earl of Chichester
Earl of Chichester is a title that has been created three times, twice in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The current title was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1801 for Thomas Pelham, 1st Ea ...
* Duchess of Dudley
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leigh, Thomas 1500s births 1571 deaths Year of birth uncertain Businesspeople from Shropshire People from Warwickshire People from Wellington, Shropshire English justices of the peace 16th-century English merchants Knights Bachelor 16th-century English knights Merchants of the Staple Councilmen and Aldermen of the City of London Sheriffs of the City of London 16th-century lord mayors of London