01. Hamon Legh of West-Hall in High Legh, in Cheshire, about the
time of Henry II. It is incontrovertibly clear from Domesday Book that
the Saxon lords of High Legh were ejected at the Conquest, and that
a new lord was then introduced, Gilbert Venables, Lord of Kinderton,
from whose grants, or from those of his descendants, all subsequent proprietors
must have derived their possession. In or about the time of
Henry II (1154-1189) the Manor of High Legh had been granted out in
moieties to two families, who assumed the local name, the earliest known
ancestor of which are Hamon de Legh, Progenitor of the West-Hall
family, and Edward de Legh, progenitor of the East-Hall family. Both
of these were as nearly contemporaries as possible, as can be gathered
by marriages and dates of their immediate descendants, and both were
most probably original grantees from the Venables family. There is not,
however, anything which can induce a belief in Hamon and Edward being
common stock. The origin of Hamon de Legh is referred to the Venables
family by strong probabilities. Dr. Williamson, historian, who quotes a
deed in his possession, for Hamon being original grantee, expressly states
him to be descended from Gilbert Venables. Of the Moiety of West-Hall,
later one moiety was given by Thomas Legh to his half brother, Ralph
Hawarden. (See Generation No. 5.) 02. Lord William de Legh,
son of Hamon of West-Hall in High Legh, Cheshire was born abt. 1160. 03. Richard de Legh, son of William
was born abt. 1185. He had issue Richard and Madoc, "cui
pater dedit medietatem de Sworten in High Legh," and a daughter,
Margery. He died in 1250. 04. Lord Richard de Legh, son of Richard
was born abt. 1220. He had
an only daughter and heiress, Agnes. 05. Agnes de Legh,
[1]
daughter of Richard Legh, Lord of the Moiety of
High Legh was born in 1250. She had three husbands: (1) Richard de Limme, by whom she had a son, Thomas Legh of
West-Hall, in High Legh, surnamed de Legh from the place of his
birth and residence, as was very usual in those ages, which surname
his posterity ever since retained to this day. (2) William de Hawarden, by whom she had Ralph de Hawarden,
who received one moiety of West-Hall from Thomas Legh. (3)
William Venables,
of Bradwell was still surviving in 1300. He
was a younger brother of Hugh Venables of Kinderton. William Venables
and Agnes Legh had a son, John Legh, surnamed also from his place
of education and residence, which surname of Legh his posterity also
ever since retained. Thus the three sons of Agnes Legh, Thomas Legh, John Legh and
Raufe Hawardyn, were half brothers. Agnes died before 1296. 06. John de Legh,
[1]
eldest son of Agnes and
William was born abt 1282. He purchased
of William de Tabley Knotsford Booths cum Norbury Booths in
21 of Edward I, 1300. He married Elena
de Corona, daughter of Thomas de Corona
of Adlington, which Thomas, in 10th of Edward II, 1317, obtained a portion
of the Manors of Little Neston and Hargreaves against Henry de
Manchester, settled successively on Robert. William and Peter, sons of
this John Legh and wife Ellena. From the omission of John, eldest son
of John Legh, there can be no doubt that he was a son by a former
marriage, but the name of this first wife is unknown. Beside these sons
there was a son Gilbert, and they were all born before 1317. John died on
March 1324. 07. Sir Robert de Legh,
[1]
son of John and
Elena was born abt. 1308. Eldest of the sons of Ellena de Corona, here
named, succeeded to the Adlington estate under the settlement of his
grandfather Corona, made in 1317, but by the inquisition Ellena was
found to have held Adlington for life. He married
Matilda
de Worley, daughter and
heiress of Adam de Worley. Adlington and Macclesfield appear from
Domesday to have formed two great manors held in demesne by the
Saxon Earls before the Conquest and Norman Earls after, and in one or
the other of these, nearly all the unnamed districts of Prestbury, Cheadle
and Wilmslow parishes seem to have been comprehended. Robert's eldest
brother inherited the estates of Booth, which had been purchased by
their father. He died in 1370. 08. Robert de Legh,
[1]
son of Robert and
Matilda, of Adlington, 2nd of that name and place.
He was born abt. 1341. He married Matilda
Arderne, or Maud, daughter and
heiress of Sir John Arderne, Knight, by Ellena de Wasteneys, his wife.
They had Robert, the eldest son, and Piers. |
09. Sir Robert Legh,
[1]
son of Robert and
Matilda was born abt. 1363. He was Sheriff of Cheshire in 1394 and
1399. He was still living in 1412. He was heir to his father
of the manor of Adlington, and also lands juxta Lyme, Northwich, Stokeport
and Hyde. He married Isabel Belgrave,
daughter of Sir Thomas Belgrade of Pulford,
and Joan de Pulford. This marriage of Joan de Pulford with her first
husband, Thomas de Belgrave, took place in her minority, when she was
a ward of the Earl, in consequence of her lands in Dunham Massy being
held from the earldom by military service. The marriage took place without
the license of the Earl, and for this breach of feudal privileges
Thomas de Belgrave was fined 400 marks. The fine appears to have
been paid by installments of 50 marks each, one of which was paid 35th
of Edward III, 1361, and the third payment occurs in the ministers accounts,
37th and 38th of Edward III, œ166-13s-4d being then due. The
inquisition taken 35th of Edward III states Joan to be 14 years of age.
It has been stated in the accounts of Pulford that the estates of this
family name were settled 40th of Edward III, on the issue of this marriage,
namely, Maud, Elizabeth or Isabel and Joan. Joan, wife of Thomas,
de Belgrade, died before 1397. She married 2nd, before 1289, Sir Robert
Grosvenor. It is proved that one of the heirs of Thomas Belgrave did
marry and have issue, in the following record: Robert Legh of Adlington
was asked, as the principal agent in a singular and impressive ceremony,
to relinquish his claims to Joan's estate in favor of his half-brother, Sir
Thomas Grosvenor, Joan's son by her 2nd husband. This relinquishment
was made with very unusual circumstances, devised probably from a
wish to add to its impressiveness and notoriety, it was then agreed that
Sir Thomas Grosvenor should take a solemn oath on the body of Christ,
in the presence of 24 gentlemen or as many as he wished. Accordingly,
the Chaplain celebrated a mass of the Holy Trinity, and Thomas Grosvenor
swore on the Lord's body that he believed in the truth of these charters.
(This was in 1412, when England was all Catholic; in fact, this
was before the Reformation. E. E. W.) On April 24, 1412, Grosvenor,
Robert Legh and Henry de Birtheles, counsel for Grosvenor, read in the
Macclesfield Chapel a series of deeds relating to successive settlements
by the Pulford family of their several manors. Then Robert Legh acknowledged
the right of all said lands to be vested in Grosvenor and his
heirs and an instrument to that effect was drawn by the notary, in the
presence of the clergy, and attested by the seals and signatures of 58
knights and gentlemen. Seldom will the reader find a more goodly group
collected together, nor will he devise a ceremony which would assory
better with the romantic spirit of the times, and which turned a dry legal
conveyance into an exhibition of chivalrous pageantry. (Among the
names of those 58 signers were many of your ancestors, William Stanley,
Hugh Venables, Hugh Dutton, Randle Maynwaringe, Lawrence Warren,
Robert Winnington, John Legh and Robert Davenport. E. E. W.) Belgrave's
paternal estates remained in the Legh of Adlington family until
the reign of Elizabeth, when they were sold in parcels, the Manor of
Belgrave being sold and conveyed to the Grosvenors. Pulford at the
time of the Domesday survey was divided into unequal shares, between
the secular canons of St. Werburg, the former possessors, and Hugh FitzOsborne,
who had ejected the Saxon proprietor. There is strong reason
for believing the Pulfords to be descended from Hugh FitzOsborne, the
Norman grantee. 10. Robert Legh
[1]
of Adlington, Esq., was
born abt. 1384. Son and heir, according to the inquisition
3rd of Henry V, 1416. He married Matilda who remarried
William de Honford. He held in demesne as of fee, two parts of
the manor of Adlington, also Iands in Bollington, Macclesfield and Stockport. 11. Robert Legh
 ,
[1]
son of Robert and
Matilda was born abt. 1407. Of Adlington, inquisition 18th of Edward III, 1479, held
Manor of Adlington, also in addition to those of his father, lands in Hyde,
Northwich, Lamelode, Chester, Belgrave and Fulshaw. He married 1st
Isabel, daughter of John Savage of Clifton. She died sine prole, and he
married 2nd Isabel Stanley, daughter of Sir William Stanley, of Hoton or Hooton,
and his wife Blanche, daughter of Sir John Arderne of Aldford. They
had Robert, Margaret, Margery, Matilda, Agnes and Isabel.
12. Maud Legh,
[1]
daughter of Robert and
Isabella was born abt. 1446 in Holford, Adlington, Cheshire, England. She
married (1) William Davenport,
son of John Davenport and Cicely Warren. She
married (2) John Mainwaring, son of
William Mainwaring and Ellen Butler. I descend from their son
John Mainwaring who married
Katherine Honford. |