LINE OF 64 OAKLEY II LEIGH
CONTINUING IN 7th GENERATION OF LEIGHS

134. WATKIN I LEIGH (abt 1770 - 7 Jan 1846 Lampeter), gent. Father: 126. OAKLEY III LEIGH
md JANE LEWIS (?1771 - 13 Nov 1841 Lampeter) on 1 May 1815 in Pencarreg

WATKIN I LEIGH was a yeoman farmer who was admitted as a burgess of Lampeter in 1813. When he made his will in 1843 he was living about 8 miles away at Penbaily (head of the courtyard) in Llansawel, Carmarthenshire, which may have been part of Baily Gwastew of which he had been left a share of the reversion by his father OAKLEY III. When he died three years later he was buried in Lampeter. On his gravestone he is described as ‘gent’.

142. Ann IV LEIGH (abt 1798 - 15 Sep 1815 Lampeter)

143. Eliza LEIGH (abt Jan 1816 - 8 Sep 1817 Lampeter)

According to Irvona Leigh (wife of a descendant of OAKLEY III), these two girls were buried with a gravestone that said "In memory of Ann the daughter of Watkin Leigh (grand-daughter of Oaklev Leigh) of Tynvrheol in the parish of Pencarreg who died on the 15th September 1815 aged 16 Years and also Eliza who died on the 8th September 1817 aged 18 months." Apparently at that date OAKLEY III was not so "infamous" as to preclude mention of him with family pride. From her age when she died it does not seem that Ann was a daughter of WATKIN’S marriage to Jane Lewis.

unmd SARAH JONES

144. MARGARET II ?LEIGH

135. GEORGE LEIGH (abt 1770 - bef 4 Jun 1850 w.p.), gent.  Father: 126. OAKLEY III LEIGH
md SARAH THOMAS (abt 1769 - 29 Jan 1829 Pencarreg) on 27 Sep 1793 in Pencarreg

GEORGE LEIGH lived at Blaenplwyf (edge of the parish) near Lampeter, which he had inherited from his father, and he left it to his son 151.THOMAS. The farm Baily Gwastad (flat courtyard) in Llansawel which he had also inherited, presumably as his share of Baily Gwastew, he left to his five sons as joint tenants.

145. WATKIN II LEIGH

146. Ann V LEIGH (? – aft 2 Apr 1847): md unknown Davies

When Ann was bequeathed £20 by her father in 1847 her surname was given as Davies, but nothing else is known about her.

147. John VIII LEIGH (? – aft 2 Apr 1847)

John was one of the five sons to whom Baily Gwastad was bequeathed, but again nothing is known of him.

148. DAVID V LEIGH (chr 16 Sep 1804 Pencarreg - aft 1850)
md MARGARET DAVIES on 4 Nov 1829 in Pencarreg

A daughter Ann was christened in 1830 at Llanycrwys, Carmarthenshire, possibly Margaret’s home parish, and a son Thomas maybe 1831? at Pencarreg. He must be the Thomas “age 2 years” who was buried on 17 July 1834 in Pencarreg. The baby’s abode was Pantyhedin or Pantyfen? Also maybe this couple had a baby early because a David Leigh “age one week” was buried on 20 Feb 1829 at Pencarreg. His abode was Egirowen, which is the same as Sarah’s abode when she was buried on 29Jan 1829. No parents are given for either child.

149. Mary III LEIGH (chr 22 Dec 1807 Pencarreg - aft 2 Apr 1847)
md David GRIFFITHS in 1839 inPencarreg

Earlier, in 1829, Mary had an illegitimate daughter Anne, who died aged three months in 1830. Mary was left £2.10.0 per annum from Baily Gwastad by her father.

150. OAKLEY VI LEIGH

151. THOMAS IV LEIGH (chr 25 Mar 1816 - 15 Feb 1875 Lampeter)
 md MARY EDWARDS in Oct/Nov 1850 in Lampeter

Three documents show that this THOMAS administered the estate of his father (NLW SD/1850/154 W X1 X2). Interestingly, GEORGE is consistently titled ‘gent’, but his son THOMAS is always called ‘Farmer’. He inherited Blaenplwyf, and his descendants lived there until the 1930s, when the Rev. Thomas Leigh Jones and his two unmarried sisters moved to the nearby Lodge.

Sources: For both WATKIN I and GEORGE LEIGH: A Narrative of the Leigh Family, 1989, by VON LEIGH (Gwladys Irvona Davies, wife of NOEL WATKIN WILLIAM LEIGH): will of WATKIN LEIGH 1843 (Film no.105119), and of GEORGE LEIGH (NLW SD/1850/154 W X1 X2): Bishop’s Transcripts of Lampeter (Film no. 105148), and of the next parish to the south west, Pencarreg (Film no.105200) – apparently some entries were repeated in both registers.