Giles de Legh

Giles Leigh of Walton Leigh exchanged his Manor of Walton Leigh for the Prioty of Hatfield Peverell with Henry the 8th

Giles married Catherine Bold of Lancashire

Walton Leigh

From 'Parishes: Walton on Thames', A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 3 (1911), pp. 467-475. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=43009&strquery=... Date accessed: 07 December 2013.

In 1086 Richard of Tonbridge, lord of Clare, held the manor of Walton, later known as WALTON LEIGH, which Erding had held of King Edward. There were on the manor a church, a mill, and a fishery. (fn. 37)

1410 John Leigh of Shell or Shellegh (Shelley), co. Essex, is mentioned as holding the manor. (fn. 54) He was probably the John Leigh who in 1422 died seised of the manor of Leigh's Court, as it was then called. A court baron belonged to the manor. (fn. 55) From him it passed to his son Thomas, and so descended eventually to Giles Leigh, great-grandson of Thomas, who inherited it in 1509. It was then held by the service of half a knight's fee in fee-tail. (fn. 56)

Early in the reign of Henry VIII a quarrel took place between certain fishermen of Walton and Giles Leigh, lord of the manor of Walton Leigh. The fishermen, Thomas Brewer, John Newman, and John and Richard Albroke, with others, claimed that they and their forefathers had been used to fish in the king's water of Thames beside Walton time out of mind. But Giles Leigh, 'by the sinister council of John Carleton, man of law and bailly there,' claimed a several water and fishing there of half a mile. Accompanied by certain persons armed with swords and bucklers he riotously came to Brewer's boats and took away his great salmon net. At other times he took from Brewer certain engines called 'clere weles' for catching roach and dace; and finally went to law with him and the two Albrokes for fishing in his water. Giles was non-suited, but he 'continued in his malicious mind,' and finally gave information which caused Robert Bawce, farmer of the king's moiety of Walton weir, to descend upon the luckless fishermen and 'uncharitably to vex them by privy seals and otherwise' for infringing upon the royal rights, driving them at last to appeal for justice. (fn. 61)

In 1537 Henry VIII purchased the manor of Leigh's Court from Giles Leigh, and annexed it to the honour of Hampton Court.

Sources

1. The Visitations of Essex by Hawley, 1552; Hervey, 1558; Cooke, 1570; Raven, 1612; and Owen and Lilly, 1634. To which are Added Miscellaneous Essex Pedigrees from Various Harleian Manuscripts: And an Appendix Containing Berry's Essex Pedigrees, Part 1 (Google eBook). Thomas Hawley, William Harvey, Robert Cooke, John Raven (Richmond herald.), George Owen, Henry Lilly, William Berry. Mitchell and Hughes, 1878 - Essex (England). Page 333. "Aleyn, Alleyn"

Links

• http://www.essex-family-history.co.uk/alleyne.htm
• https://landedfamilies.blogspot.com/2014/01/105-alleyn-of-hatfield-... “Descent: Gyles Leigh (fl. mid 16th cent.); to daughter, Margaret Leigh, wife of John Alleyn (d. 1558); to son, John Alleyn (c.1538-72); to son, Edmund Alleyn (1558-1616); to son, Sir Edward Alleyn (c.1586-1638), 1st bt. ....”