Le17 Piers Legh

11. Piers Legh, son of Piers and Joan, was born abt. 1405 in Lyme.  He married Margaret Molyneux, daughter of Richard Molyneux of Sefton, in Lancashire. The attachment of the Legh family of Lyme to the House of York was, however, in no degree diminished by participation in the wars and triumphs of their rival. This next Peter Legh joined himself to Richard, Duke of York, and was knighted at the Battle of Wakefield. He survived this for 18 years and died in 1478.
10. Sir Piers Legh, son of Piers and Margaret and heir, was born abt. 1375 in Lyme.  He largely increased his estates by marriage with Joan Haydock, daughter and heiress of Sir Gilbert Haydock, a Lancashire knight of considerable family and possessions. Following his grandfather's Thomas Danyers', example, he engaged in his sovereign's continual warfare, and dying at Paris of honorable wounds received in the field of Agincourt, was brought over to England and interred with his father at Macclesfield.  He died in 1422.
 

08. Robert de Legh, 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.  I descend from both sons through 2 separate lines listed below.

This is the Leghs of Lyme line, descending from Robert (#8) :
09. Sir Piers de Legh, or Peter de Legh, son of Robert and Matilda, Knight of Macclesfield and later of Lyme, was born abt. 1375.  He was the 3rd husband of Margaret Danyers, daughter of Thomas Danyers and Isabelle Baggiley. They were married in November, 1388. Piers Legh was beheaded at Chester August 1, 23rd of Richard II, 1399.  Her first husband was John de Radcliffe and 2nd John Savage.  Being the younger son of Robert of Adlington, he received Lyme Hanley from his mother whose father, Thomas Danyers of Bradley in Appleton, when the flower of Cheshire chivalry were engaged under their Earl of Chester, the Black Prince (Edward, son of Edward III, who died before his father) at the Battle of Cressy, was pre-eminently distinguished above the rest of that chosen phalanx; and that in the most hazardous part of the battle, most probably when King Edward refused his succors and bade "his boy win his spurs and the honour of the Day" for himself, the said Thomas Danyers relieved the banner of his Earl and took prisoner the Chamberlain of France, Tankerville. For this service Edward the Black Prince, Earl of Chester, settled on him an annuity of 40 marks per annum, issuing out of his manor of Frodsham, until a convenient grant of land of the value of œ20 per annum could be made. In 21st of Richard II it was finally settled that this estate should be the lands of Hanley in Macclesfield Forest, which that sovereign, who in this year assumed the title of Earl of Chester, accordingly granted to the daughter of Sir Thomas Danyers, and her third husband, this Piers Legh. With this daughter, Margaret Danyers Legh, the account of Lyme must commence. Hanley subsequently assumed the additional name of Lyme from the antient designation of the forest of which it formed a part--placed on the Limes or border of Cheshire, and is now ordinarily known by the name of Lyme only. The Hall of Lyme is situated within an extensive park, which partakes much of the varied surface and lonely character of the neighboring moors, and gives a fine effect of contrast to the magnificence and antique stateliness of the mansion itself, built with dark stone, screened by woods on the northwest and high grounds of the park in the other directions. The park of Lyme, which is very extensive, is celebrated for the fine flavor of its venison and contains a herd of wild cattle, and is situated near the road from Manchester to London, adjacent to the picturesque Village of Disley. Piers Legh was knighted about the time of this grant, but he lived only two years to enjoy it. In 1399, when the insurgent forces of the Duke of Lancaster advanced into Cheshire, piers was seized upon by that nobleman, and in consequence of this well-known attachment to his unfortunate sovereign Richard II was beheaded at Chester August 1, 1399. His wife Margaret long survived him.
 

07. Sir Robert de Legh, son of John and Elena.  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.

06. John de Legh, eldest son of Agnes and William, 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.

05. Agnes de Legh, daughter of Richard Legh, Lord of the Moiety of High Legh, 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.

04. Richard de Legh, had an only daughter and heiress, Agnes.

03. Richard de Legh, son of William, had issue Richard and Madoc, "cui pater dedit medietatem de Sworten in High Legh," and a daughter, Margery.

02. William de Legh, son of Hamon of West-Hall in High Legh, Cheshire.

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.)
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