LINE OF 15 OAKLEY I LEIGH
CONTINUING IN 8th GENERATION OF LEIGHS

77. DAVID III LEIGH (chr 9 Jul 1769 - 24 July 1849 Llandeilo-Talybont), farmer. Father: 74 Rev. EDMUND II LEIGH
md MARY ROBERT (chr 4 July 1773 Llangyfelach – bur 15 Jan 1852 Llandeilo-Talybont), dau of WILLIAM ROBERT, farmer, and MARY DAVID on 24 Jan 1796 at Llandeilo-Talybont.

DAVID III LEIGH prospered as a farmer, and his son DAVID IV lived on the same farm. DAVID IV left no male offspring, so the LEIGH name died in this line. However, both men left a number of female descendants with strong memories of their relation to the curate EDMUND LEIGH. It was the oral testimony of one of these women that confirmed to Derek Williams his own descent from the Rev. LEIGH and led him to become our most fruitful family historian. The following genealogy was supplied by Derek, who also wrote our BIOGRAPHY of DAVID III LEIGH.

88. Mary II LEIGH (chr 19 Jun 1796 – bur 29 Sept 1809 Llandeilo-Talybont) Father: 77 David III Leigh

89. DAVID IV LEIGH (chr 20 May 1798 – bur 12 May 1862 Llandeilo-Talybont), farmer Father: 77 David III Leigh
unmd Anne JONES, infant son Griffith (chr 25 Jun 1822 – bur 2 Jul 1822)
unmd MARY BASSET, dau MARGARET II (chr 6 Apr 1829 – aft 1901)

According to the census returns, Mary Basset was born in Llanelli in 1804, and she was probably related to the three Basset/Bassett families who also lived there. She spent her life as a servant at farms and cottages to the east of Llanelli and near Pontarddulais, and so not far from her daughter MARGARET II LEIGH. Though she never married, in 1844 she had another daughter, Hannah, whom she brought up herself, and who returned to live with her in her old age. Mary died in 1873.

MARGARET II became the favourite of her grandfather DAVID III LEIGH and received the largest single legacy in his will in 1840. For her family see the Descent Chart of MARGARET II LEIGH in our site for modern LEIGHS.

md Elizabeth HOPKIN (abt 1811- bur 21 Nov 1842 Llandeilo-Talybont) on 5 Feb 1841 at Llandeilo-Talybont

DAVID IV eventually married at the age of 42, presumably so as to have a son to whom he could leave the lease of the farm, but Elizabeth died less than 2 years after their marriage, and their only child Richard died a year later aged 18 months. DAVID and Elizabeth were first cousins, as her mother Mary Morgan was DAVID III LEIGH’S stepsister. There were other connections between the families: Elizabeth’s sister Mary married John Roberts III who was DAVID III LEIGH’S nephew, and we see below that her cousin RICHARD HOPKIN III had married DAVID IV’s sister SARAH III LEIGH. Elizabeth was one of the 11 children of Richard HOPKIN II and Mary MORGAN who lived at Llwyn Ifan Ddu in the north of the parish, having taken over the lease from Mary’s father John MORGAN, and Elizabeth HOPKIN died there. This was almost certainly where DAVID III LEIGH had been born, as it had previously been farmed by his maternal grandfather JOHN WILLIAM

It is likely that DAVID IV took part in the famous Rebecca Riots in 1843. For our family’s part in this fascinating event in Welsh history, see the BIOGRAPHY of DAVID III LEIGH

90. SARAH III LEIGH (chr 21 Nov 1800 Llandeilo-Talybont – died 11 Aug 1872 Gowerton, buried Three Crosses Independent chapel) Father: 77 David III Leigh
md RICHARD HOPKIN III (1801 Bettws – died 7 Aug 1865 Gowerton, buried Three Crosses Independent chapel) on 11 Oct 1823 at Llandeilo-Talybont

RICHARD was the eldest son of DAVID HOPKIN (the brother of Elizabeth’s father Richard HOPKIN II) and ANN MORGAN (sister of Elizabeth’s mother Mary), so he was SARAH’S first cousin. They lived first in Bettws parish, Carmarthenshire, north of Llandeilo-Talybont, and they had 7 children. On the death of his father in 1840, RICHARD inherited the family farm in Bettws which had originally belonged to his grandfather RICHARD I, but instead they moved to Windmill farm in the Gower peninsula. RICHARD was not there on census night 1851, and he wrote to the editor of The Cambrian newspaper in Swansea on 21 August:

‘Sir, I shall feel much obliged if you will allow me, through the medium of your widely-circulated paper, publicly to offer my heartfelt thanks to Drs Howell and Bird, Mr Hall the House-Surgeon, and the other medical gentlemen who attended me during the nearly six months of my painful affliction within Swansea Infirmary. The attention of those gentlemen to my case was most kind and unremitting; indeed from all connected with the invaluable institution I received every mark of kindness and attention. It is to the professional skill and most kind attention of the medical gentlemen alluded to, that, through God’s blessing, I cannot help thinking, I am indebted for my present existence, and my earnest prayer is that God will ever reward and bless them.’

RICHARD sold up at Windmill farm two years later and moved to a larger farm, Cefngorwydd Fawr, at Gowerton south of Llandeilo-Talybont, where some of their descendants still lived in recent times, and other descendants moved back to Bettws.

91. ELIZABETH VII LEIGH “Betsy” (chr 3 Jan 1803 Llandeilo-Talybont – died 3 Dec 1888 Llangyfelach, buried Llandeilo-Talybont). Father: 77 David III Leigh
md JOHN GRIFFITHS I (chr 2 Apr 1798 Llangyfelach – 20 Jan 1876 Llandeilo-Talybont) on 23 Feb 1821 at Llandeilo-Talybont.

For this family of nine children, go to the Descent Chart of ELIZABETH VII LEIGH in our site for modern LEIGHS. It was a great-granddaughter of this couple, KATIE JEFFREYS, who recorded her memories on tape circa 1978 and thus supplied us with valuable information about family lives and possessions. Another great-granddaughter Elsie BEVAN provided oral testimony about her LEIGH relations to Derek Williams in 1993-5. [see “Sources”]. Thus ELIZABETH is one of the few LEIGH ancestors for whom we have a physical description: she was said to be “tall and slim, kind but very strict” and she had “red hair and a quick temper.”

92. ANNE IV LEIGH “Nance” (June 1812 Llandeilo-Talybont – 15 Mar 1887 Llanrhidian, buried Llandeilo-Talybont) Father: 77 David III Leigh
md WILLIAM DAVIES (1798 Bettws – 14 Jan 1865 Llanrhidian, buried Llandeilo-Talybont) on 21 Jan 1834 at Llandeilo-Talybont.

WILLIAM DAVIES’S parents were not studied. WILLIAM and ANNE’S eldest child Samuel DAVIES was born at Alltygraban, but their other children MARY, Gwenllian and Ann were born at Llanelen in the Gower peninsula. This was an old gentry house, and has been recommended for historic preservation. It dates from 1706 as recorded by an inscription on the porch. The hall, the main room of the house, has a gable fireplace with an externally projecting stack, while the parlour has a fireplace with an internal breast. To the rear of the hall is a kitchen of similar dimensions with a projecting chimney having three dove nesting holes on the north side, and the fireplace has a bake-oven inside the east jamb. All rooms have plastered ceilings with boxed-in ceiling beams. In the 19th century a lean-to wing containing a dairy and a pantry was added beside the hall and kitchen, and a stable block with granary over on the other side beyond the parlour.'

WLLIAM and ANNE are buried in Llandeilo-Talybont churchyard, and a broken stone lying on their grave commemorates their children Samuel and Gwenllian who both died at the age of 71, in 1905 and 1911, respectively. In the tape recording referred to above, the speaker KATIE JEFFREYS recalls a visit she paid to the three elderly DAVIES daughters with her grandfather SAMUEL GRIFFITHS, their first cousin, whom she calls ‘Gu’ (short for ‘tadcu’, meaning ‘grandfather’: the ‘u’ is pronounced ‘ee’ as in French:). It must therefore have taken place between the years 1905-11, when Katie was a young girl. MARY had returned as a widow, and was the only DAVIES child with offspring. The three sisters retired to a cottage in Landimore. It is interesting to note that their mother ANNE was known to the family as Nance, and she was referred to by her maiden name Leigh, not her married name Davies.

“Nance Leigh came to live in North Gower, and she had three daughters and a son. Gu and his brothers apparently visited them when a boy, and he caused much amusement when he talked of ‘killing the hay’, a literal translation from the Welsh lladdi’r gwair. His English was always his own kind, and he was very proud of being able to ‘speak with strange tongue’. Well now, the three Davies daughters, his cousins, in extreme old age came to live in Landimore where we used to meet them. They were very knowledgeable about family matters, and their tiny cottage was crammed with antique furniture, pewter platters, lustre jugs, and china tea sets handed down from an earlier age. Now this family gave us two things which we value very much: Vicar Leigh’s licence to preach, dated 1760, and a bullock’s horn used in the Rebecca riots in the 19th century. They had all sorts of treasures. One which they showed me was a crown of the reign of Charles II. The Leigh of that time had apparently given one of these coins to each of his children, and Mrs Smith said reprovingly “Where’s yours?” After a moment’s thought I was able to say “That’s it!”. What happened to it later I don’t know. All this richness was claimed after they had all died by a relative from Pontardawe and more or less sold off to dealers.”

Sources: Parish records of Llandeilo-Talybont, Llangyfelach and Bettws in NLW; Inscriptions on graves at Llandeilo-Talybont church and at Three Crosses Independent chapel near Gowerton; Census returns in 1841-1901 for Llandeilo-Talybont, Llangyfelach, Bettws, Llanrhidian and Gowerton; Probate documents for DAVID III LEIGH (NLW SD1850/41) and DAVID HOPKIN (NLW SD1840/182); Tape recording made by KATIE JEFFREYS for her nephew circa 1978 and copied for Derek Williams in 1994; Oral testimony provided to Derek Williams by Elsie Bevan in 1993-5; Description of Llanelen farmhouse in National Monuments Records of Wales, Aberystwyth.

By Derek Williams September 2004

78. ANNE III LEIGH (chr 14 Jul 1774 Llanedi - aft 1813). Father: 74 Rev. EDMUND II LEIGH
md DAVID MORGAN (? - aft 1813) on 20 Jun 1800 in Llanedi

93. Rev William Leigh MORGAN (chr 25 Jun 809 Llanedi - bef 1899)

We know nothing of the economic status of this family, but they could afford to send their first son to study for the clergy. Rev. William Leigh MORGAN was apparently unmarried, and he occupied higher ecclesiastical positions than other LEIGH clergymen. By 1862 at age 53, he was ''Prebendary'' in the bishop's seat of Llandaff, Vicar of St Mary's in Cardiff and of Roath in Glam, & "Domestic Chaplain to the Marchioness of Bute." Rev. William appears as a social activist in his early pastoral career, and his sermons at various places in the Vale of Glamorgan and at the Carmarthen Poor House in 1832 have survived, clearly written on 92 sheets in two notebooks bound together as one (NLW MSS 1481B). They are available in microfilm, but are entirely in Welsh so I have not read them. Rev. MORGAN also visited the churches where his uncle Vicar WILLIAM III and his cousin Rev. Edmund VII served, and where family members were being baptized, married, and buried. For example, in 1834 he was at Eglwsysilan for a wedding and in 1847 for the funeral of Vicar WILLIAM III’S son Richard Nash III LEIGH, and in 1848 for the funeral of CATHARINE LEIGH, first wife of JOHN VII LEIGH surgeon, son of Vicar WILLIAM III. He was also present several times in 1849, but then apparently had other duties as his name became scarcer at family events. He was referred to as being a "great crony" of the Archdeacon by Vicar WILLIAM III in a letter dated 27 September 1849 to a friend seeking help in an ecclesiastical problem. For this letter see the Biography of Rev EDMUND. I did not find when Rev William died, but by 1899 he was no longer listed in the Clergy List.

94a. John Leigh MORGAN (chr 12 Jul 1812 Llanedi – bur 4 Sep 1812 St Peter's)

94b. SAMUEL MORGAN (1813 Carmarthen – 1873 Swansea)
md (1) MARGARET NN (1811 – abt 1841 Swansea) in abt 1837 in ?Swansea
md (2) JANE JONES BEVAN (1820 Bristol – 1858 Swansea) in 1845 in Swansea

This third son SAMUEL was found by Derek Williams in the UK government census records which have been copied and indexed on the website www.ancestry.co.uk along with summaries of the BMD indexes for the years 1837-2004. Primarily because SAMUEL MORGAN used the name Leigh for several sons’ and grandsons’ middle name, Derek could follow his career as a wine and spirit merchant in Swansea with 2 marriages, 7 children, and 14 grandchildren, 3 of them bearing the middle name Leigh. Many descendants remained in the Swansea area, and several continued the wine and spirit trade. Census records show SAMUEL as wealthy enough to employ three servants, but his descendants seem less prosperous and entered various occupations, among them clerk, ironmonger, architect, and tea dealer.

80. DANIEL I LEIGH (chr 3 Sep 1776 - 26 Jul 1848 Llanedi). Father: 74 Rev. EDMUND II LEIGH
unmd ELIZABETH UNKNOWN (? - aft 9 Oct 1799)

95. Evan LEIGH (chr 9 Oct 1799 - 18 Jan 1807)

Rev. EDMUND II recorded Evan's birth and death in the original parish records (as found by Derek Williams) but not in the Bishop's Transcripts (Film no.105162). SAMUEL II LEIGH's journal has no reference to this step-brother Evan, presumably because the boy died young and was unknown to SAMUEL.

md MARY REES (abt 1780 - 26 Jul 1848 Llanedi), dau of ?WILLIAM REES, on 17 Feb 1801 in Merthyr Tydfil. Details about this family are given in our "modern" site.

Despite considerable effort, we have been unable to find the parents of DANIEL I'S wife, MARY REES, or any christening record. Study of the numerous Rees families in Llanedi, Llanarthney, Carmarthen, New Church, and Llanelli was inconclusive. Strikingly, the journal of her son SAMUEL II has no mention of his mother's ancestry, despite his strong interest in LEIGH genealogy. Also unknown is why she and DANIEL I were married in Merthyr Tydfil instead of Rev. EDMUND's church in Llanedi. Their marriage record gives no additional data, except that both were "residents." Perhaps DANIEL I was temporarily working there.

Sources: Bishop's Transcripts of Llanedi (Film no. 105162), Llanelli (Film nos.105163-4), and Eglwysilan (Film no.104869); Mormon records in Llanelli (Film no.105169); SAMUEL II LEIGH's manuscript journal, Sp Coll, BX 8695 1447 cop.2 at the Southern Utah State University, Cedar City; Ronald D. Dennis, The Call of Zion; the manuscript journal of William David LEIGH was obtained from Ronald D. Dennis, Provo, Utah.

Sources: Parish records of Camberwell, Surrey and surrounding parishes, copies of wills, 1841 – 1901 censuses, copies of birth, marriage and death certificates, records at London Metropolitan Archives. Ratings Service Records at Kew, London City Apprenticeship Abstracts (1442-1850), Family Records Centre, Guildhall Library, National Archives, various London directories. American sources were Obituaries in Portland Press, passenger records Ellis Island, and various trade directories and censuses up to 1930.

84. JOHN HUNTINGDON LEIGH (chr 31 Mar 1785 Llanedi - aft 1834 ?Llangan, Glams.) Father: 74 Rev. EDMUND II LEIGH
unmd (1) ELIZABETH WILLIAMS ( ? – ? )

110a. Edward Huntingdon LEIGH (abt 1826 – aft 1841 census)

110b. Selina LEIGH (abt 1831 –?)

110c. Jenett LEIGH (abt 1834 – aft 1861)
md William Morgan in Neath in 1859

Named as JOHN LEIGH in the Llanedi Bishop's Transcripts, later he had the middle name Huntingdon, which presumably honored the benefactress of the Methodists, Lady Selina Huntingdon. In Llandeilo-Talybont church records we found JOHN'S son Dafydd by ELIZABETH WILLIAMS without marriage. He was described as a “draper of Pontardulais” when Dafydd was baptized by JOHN'S younger brother Rev. (later Vicar) WILLIAM III LEIGH. I did not study Dafydd further, but according to Derek Williams he was listed as a farm laborer near Pontardulais in 1841, 1851, and 1861. It is only a coincidence that Dafydd’s mother was named ELIZABETH WILLIAMS, and she was not related to the ELIZABETH WILLIAM who was the unmarried mother of 77.DAVID III LEIGH. Possibly JOHN married Elizabeth because at his later marriage to JENNET JENKINS in 1826, he was called “widower” by his brother Rev. WILLIAM LEIGH, who officiated at the marriage. SAMUEL II LEIGH'S journal gave JOHN HUNTINGDON a son Edward Huntingdon LEIGH (p.27), and census records indicate that Edward was a child of this marriage in Llangan. JOHN signed his name as “J. Huntingdon Leigh” and he was said to be “of this parish” but I did not study the parish records after Rev WILLIAM left in 1834. Census records also show two daughters, according to Derek Williams, though they do not appear in the Llangan Transcripts.

85. NATHANIEL LEIGH (chr 30 Aug 1787 Llanedi – 1856?), schoolmaster.
Father: 74 Rev. EDMUND II LEIGH
md JANE UNKNOWN (abt 1786 – 1851-56?)

111a. Ann VII LEIGH (chr 31 Mar 1826 St Peter's - ?)

111b. Jane LEIGH (abt 1829 – aft 1861)

NATHANIEL became schoolmaster of the National School for boys in Carmarthen when it opened in November, 1822 to enlarge educational opportunities for working class and other boys who could not attend the famous Carmarthen grammar school founded by Elizabeth I in the Renaissance. NATHANIEL left the school by 1835, according to Derek Williams, who followed the family in indexed census records. By 1841 NATHANIEL was schoolmaster at the Duchess of Kent parish school in Llanedwen in north Wales, and by 1851 he was a schoolmaster in Liverpool and his daughter Jane was listed as a servant girl for a merchant nearby. He and his wife both died before the next census in 1861, when his daughter Jane was again listed as a servant for a merchant. We know nothing further of Ann and nothing of possible descendants of the girls.

87. Vicar WILLIAM III LEIGH (chr 9 Mar 1791 Llanedi - 23 Feb 1860 Eglwysilan, Glams.).
 Father: 74 Rev. EDMUND II LEIGH
md MARY DAVIS (abt 1796 - 30 Sep 1871 Eglwysilan) on 9 Apr 1816 in Llannon, Carms.

112. Rev. EDMUND VII LEIGH (chr 15 Jan 1817- Dec 1871?Aberavon, Glams.)
md Mary HOOKER (abt 1821 Winnal, Hants - ?1878) in 1843 in Bath, England

This second Rev. Edmund Leigh studied at Jesus College, Oxford University until about 1839, became a curate with his father in Eglwysilan, then from 1844 worked in Monmouthshire (Mamhilad, Bedwelty, and Tredegar parishes). Several documents from the National Library of Wales diocesan collection and the Clergy Lists show his career, but with all this data on his parishes we found no reference to a wife or children. The journal of 103.SAMUEL LEIGH says Edmund’s wife was named Mary and she died by 1878, after his death "in 1871" (pp.4,26), and the journal of Samuel’s son WILLIAM DAVID LEIGH (when he was living in Wales in 1890) says this second Rev. Edmund died in Aberavon (p.41). Census results give Mary’s name as Hooker. Without children of their own they brought up Sarah, the younger daughter of Edmund’s brother JOHN after his first wife died, according to Derek Williams’ reading of the censuses.

113. JOHN VII LEIGH MD (chr 9 Apr 1819 Llandeilo-Talybont - 20 Dec 1884 Llanfabon)
md (1) CATHERINE BASSETT (abt 1816 – bur 18 Nov1848 Eglwysilan) in 1845 Bridgend

This JOHN was one of the few physicians in our LEIGH family, and the medical profession was taken up by his younger brother SAMUEL, his eldest son WILLIAM and one grandson, HUBERT. In JOHN’S first marriage, only two daughters were born before CATHERINE’S early death and burial in the churchyard of her father-in-law Vicar WILLIAM, as said above. MARY AGNES had been christened on 1 October 1846 and SARAH LOUISE on 23 September 1847. According to the census results, the former daughter made a good marriage to THOMAS WILLIAMS, a solicitor in Merthyr Tydfil, but he died in 1886 leaving her with 8 young children. The second daughter was brought up by JOHN’S elder brother Rev. EDMUND VII, and she married DAVID PARKER MORGAN, vicar of Aberavon then Aberdovey. At census time in 1851 JOHN was joined at least temporarily by his brother SAMUEL as a medical assistant and by his sisters Sarah and ELIZABETH, who were becoming of marriageable age.

md (2) HARRIET WATKIN (abt 1818 Bedwas – Dec 1897) on 23 Jun 1853 in Bedwas

JOHN eventually became a Justice of the Peace, and he described himself as “Esquire” by the census of 1871. He was known for his avid riding to hounds, and for founding the “Llanfabon Hounds.” This sport and pastime was continued by his younger brother SAMUEL, as described by T.F. Holley in an article in the Journal of the Gelligaer Historical Society in 2005. Holley also gives invaluable references to contemporary newspaper accounts of LEIGH family weddings and burials, including descriptions of wedding presents given, lists of family members attending an event, and full obituaries. JOHN died before his wife, and HARRIET was listed as a widow in the census of 1891. At age 72, she still lived in Llanfabon with a servant girl aged 20, and she was listed as speaking both English and Welsh.

The eldest son of this second marriage, WILLIAM WATKIN LEIGH MD, was included in the book Famous Welshmen (1908) for his medical service in the Welsh branch of the British Medical Association. In turn, WILLIAM WATKIN’S youngest son, HUBERT VERE LEIGH MD, became even more widely known when he was awarded the Order of the British Empire for his work in command of military hospitals during both world wars. Thus he could list the distinction O.B.E. after his name and medical degree. Following World War II he acquired a coat of arms and was included in Burke's Landed Gentry (1952 ed). He is the only LEIGH we know of (besides BRIDGETT LEIGH and Sir FRANCIS LLOYD) to appear in any of the Burke books with his ancestry back to RICHARD I LEIGH in the time of Queen Elizabeth I. HUBERT married MARGARET ANN WALSH and had one daughter, Patricia Elizabeth Louisa LEIGH, who died young. He retired to Bro Castle near Bridgend, Glamorgan.

WILLIAM WATKIN’S eldest son, Rev. John Franklen William LEIGH, followed the more traditional path in the LEIGH family by becoming a clergyman. According to Clergy List he studied at Clare College, Cambridge, and became curate at Trevethin, Pontypool, Mons. Then he was a Royal Navy chaplain on HMS Venus in 1909-10, and became rector of Rockhampton in Gloucester. He married Dora Ellen Richmond, daughter of the late rector of Rockhampton. He had one other brother, who died in the first world war and a sister Mabel Harriet Louisa, who married twice but we learned of no children.

114. Mary Ann LEIGH (chr 6 Feb 1822 Llandeilo-Talybont - 16 Jan 1866 Eglwysilan)

She remained single and was living in Caerphilly, Glams. at her death. She was then age 43 according to the Bishop’s Transcripts, but the gravestone gives her age as 15 in error, according to the Memorial Inscriptions transcribed by the Glamorgan Family History Society, as sent to us by email from Carole Davidson on 16 March 1998

115. WILLIAM IV LEIGH (b. 23 Sep chr 5 Oct 1823 Llangan – 14 Jun 1908 Eglwysilan)
md MARY ANN MIDDLETON (1818 Clun Shropshire – 1906) in 1845 in Ludlow

This William was buried in the family plot, and his gravestone gives birth & death dates, according to the Memorial Inscriptions transcribed by the Glamorgan Family History Society, sent us by email from Carole Davidson on 16 March 1998. He was christened in Llangan on 5 Oct 1823. According to Derek Williams, the census and BMD records on www.ancestry.co.uk show his wife and one son RICHARD MIDDLETON LEIGH, who was educated at a grammar school but (like his father) apprenticed and employed as an ironmonger according to the 1871 census. Then by 1881 RICHARD was listed as a “curate in Accrington, Lancashire.” I cannot explain this radical change in occupation. RICHARD married a woman named Clara in 1845, and they had four daughters born near Blackpool and in Shropshire according to Derek Williams. WILLIAM and MARY ANN lived in various towns in England, but after her death and burial in Sussex in 1906, WILLIAM returned to Eglwysilan, where he later was buried.

116. Sarah V LEIGH (chr 23 May 1825 Llangan – 1890 Eglwysilan)
md Henry JACKSON (1826 Cumrew, Cumberland – 1884 Eglwysillan) in 1858

This daughter Sarah and her sister Elizabeth VIII were listed together (with both marrying men named Jackson) in the journal of SAMUEL LEIGH (pp.4-5,25-26), but Sarah is much better documented than Elizabeth. Sarah was educated at a Clergy School in Bristol before her marriage in Abergavenny. Henry Jackson was born in Cumrew, Cumberland, and was a civil engineer living in Caerphilly in 1871, but by the 1881 census they lived in Eglwysilan and he described himself as “Esquire” and was a Justice of the Peace. They were childless, according to the census results found by Derek Williams.

117. Richard Nash III LEIGH (chr 5 Dec 1826 Llangan - 20 Mar 1847 Eglwysilan)

He died as a young man on 15 Mar 1847 in the Vicarage of Eglwysilan and was buried in the churchyard. Surprisingly we could find no certain information about his life.

118. SAMUEL III LEIGH M.D. (chr 19 Oct 1828 Llangan – 1897 Gelligaer)
md. MARY ANN PERROTT (1832 Gelligaer – 1878 Gelligaer) in 1854

SAMUEL III was listed in the Utah journal of SAMUEL LEIGH, and is well documented as the second physician in Vicar WILLIAM’S family. He had been a medical assistant to his elder brother JOHN. After his marriage they lived first in Llantwitfardre where their son William Alfred LEIGH was christened (Film No.883870 computer abstract of Bishop’s Transcripts on Film no.104480), and then by the 1861 census moved to MARY ANN’S home not far from Llanfabon. SAMUEL was like his brother JOHN not only in his medical career but also in his passion for hunting to hounds according to the valuable article by T.F. Holley in the Journal of the Gelligaer Historical Society. SAMUEL continued the “Llanfabon Hounds” started by JOHN, naming them the “Cascade Hounds” which he owned and hunted with. SAMUEL’S only son William Alfred married but died a decade before his father’s death according to the census records found by Derek Williams. William Alfred had no known career and apparently could live well without working.

119. Elizabeth VIII LEIGH (chr 29 Aug 1830 Llangan - ?)
md Joseph JACKSON

See the note on 116.Sarah. We have no documentation of this marriage listed in SAMUEL’S journal, though a widowed Elizabeth Jackson with two daughters born in India was found in England in the 1881, 1891, and 1901 census records, who conceivably could be our Elizabeth if she married a man headed for a colonial career. There is no evidence besides these census reports of a widowed Elizabeth Jackson born in Llangan and of a similar age to ours.

120. Leticia Vera LEIGH (chr 24 Jun 1832 Llangan - 13 Sep 1859 Eglwysilan).

She lived in Woodfield, apparently single, and was buried in Eglwysilan churchyard. Her death date and age were given on her gravestone, according to the Memorial Inscriptions transcribed by the Glamorgan Family History Society, sent us by email from Carole Davidson on 16 March 1998.

121. DECIMA LEIGH (chr 14 Jun 1834 Eglwysilan - 1862)
md WILLIAM ANGEL THOMAS (1840 Milford, Pembs. - ?), schoolmaster, before 1862

Their son William George Leigh THOMAS was christened on 9 May 1862 in Llanfabon by DECIMA'S younger brother, Rector DANIEL III LEIGH. Both DECIMA and her son died in that same year. According to Derek Williams, her widower remarried, taught school in London, and had a new family there.

122. Rector DANIEL III LEIGH (chr 31 Jan 1837 Eglwysilan - aft 1901 ?Swansea)
md ANNE GRIFFITH (1836 Neath – 1891Llanfabon) in 1861

ANNE was the daughter of Daniel GRIFFITH, vicar of Llantwit-juxta-Neath. DANIEL LEIGH began as curate in Llanwonno, moved to Dowlais, then to Aberdare before taking his father’s place as rector of Llanfabon in 1870. The eldest son of DANIEL and ANNE was the second grandson of Vicar WILLIAM to become a clergyman. JOHN ROWLAND LEIGH (chr 1862 d.1911) studied at Oriel College, Oxford, and was ordained by 1885. After several Welsh parishes he settled as vicar of Yalding, Maidstone, Kent from 1896, according to the Clergy List of 1899, then became Canon of Yalding. He and his wife MARGARET DAVIES of Pontypridd (m. 1887) had four sons and a daughter, at least three of whom have descendants.

Four of Rector DANIEL’S younger sons were also listed in the 1891 census: Arthur W (brewer), Daniel Bertie (banker’s clerk), Edward Thomas Griffith (student), and Edmund C (student of law) (Census fiche no.6099519). Another son must have been away during the census, Richard Edward who was educated at Llandovery College and Oxford University and became a clergyman at Andover in Hampshire, according to Derek Williams’ study of census records on ancestry.co.uk. DANIEL and ANNE’S daughter Eleanor Sarah must be the girl called “Nellie Leigh, niece” who was listed in the census of 1891 as living with John and Ann Thomas in Garth near Llanfabon. Another daughter Alice Mary died in 1890 before this census. ANNE died in 1891, and Rector DANIEL was retired as a widower in Llanfabon, then later apparently moved to Swansea.

123. Reginald Heber I LEIGH (chr 15 Apr 1839 - 24 Apr 1839 both Eglwysilan)

124. Reginald Heber II LEIGH M.D.(chr 6 Feb 1841 Eglwysilan - ?)
md (1) Annie Maria Tomney (?Dublin – 1878 Newcastle Emlyn) in 1871
md (2) Anne Evans (? - ? ) in 1879

These two sons were named after the popular writer of hymns, Reginald Heber. This one who lived to adulthood became a surgeon and lived in Cefnpennar near Aberdare, according to Derek Williams, but I have no further information on him.

Sources: Bishop's Transcripts of Llanedi (Film no.105162), Eglwysilan (Film no.104869), Llanfabon (Film no.104881), and Llangan (Film no.104927); 1891 Census of Llanfabon on microfiche 6099519; online censuses used by Derek Williams at www.ancestry.com.uk ; Clergy Lists; Alumni oxoniensis; Burke's Landed Gentry (1952 ed.); T.F. Holley, “The Llanfabon/Cascade Hounds,” Journal of the Gelligaer Historical Society, 15 (2005), 45-62.