John Wickham Legg (28 December 1843 – 28 October 1921) was an English physician and a writer on theological subjects, especially

ecclesiology In Christian theology, ecclesiology is the study of the Church (congregation), Church, the origins of Christianity, its relationship to Jesus, its role in salvation, its ecclesiastical polity, polity, its Church discipline, discipline, its escha ...

and liturgy.

Life and career

He was the third son of the printer and bookseller George Legg, and was born at

Alverstoke Alverstoke is a small settlement which forms part of the borough of Gosport, on the south coast of Hampshire, England. It stretches east–west from Fort Blockhouse, Haslar to Browndown Battery, and is centred east of the shore of Stokes Bay and ...

near

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, on 28 December 1843. He was educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of ...

and from there he went to New College, Oxford and subsequently opted to read Medicine at

University College, London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = � ...

, where he studied under Sir William Jenner. Having qualified as a member of the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations a ...

, he was recommended by Jenner for the post of medical attendant to Prince Leopold,

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

's fourth son, later styled

Duke of Albany Duke of Albany is a peerage title that has occasionally been bestowed on the younger sons in the Scottish and later the British royal family, particularly in the Houses of Stuart and Hanover. History The Dukedom of Albany was first granted ...

, a haemophiliac. Though the appointment lasted only a year, the young Legg became a favourite of the Prince's wife, Princess Helen, and of their daughter, Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone. In 1867, Legg studied in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

and upon his return he obtained his M.D. and membership of the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

and was appointed curator of the Pathological Museum at

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...

. He began to publish and in 1870 became Casualty Physician at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London. About this time he took up

liturgical Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

studies as a hobby. In 1872 Legg married Eliza Jane Houghton and they had a son, Leopold, in 1877. The medical publications continued, but the liturgical studies also progressed. In 1875 Legg was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and the following year of the

. In 1878 he became Assistant Physician at Bart's and the following year began to lecture on Pathology. The liturgical hobby surfaced publicly in 1879 when he became a founder member of the re-established St Paul's Ecclesiological Society and with an 1881 essay on liturgical colours. The medical career was still unflagging, for in 1883 he gave the Bradshaw Lecture to the

on cardiac aneurisms. However, ill health then intervened. Following two attacks of rheumatic fever, Legg resigned his offices in 1887 and gave away his medical books, retiring for the winter to

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. T ...

. In 1888 Legg faced the public with the first fruits of a series of editions he was to produce in the next three decades: an edition with

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambridge University Pre ...

of the reformed breviary devised and published by Cardinal Quiñones in 1535. Having developed a taste for this line of work, Legg dedicated his energies, social graces and connections to consolidating it. He was the prime mover behind the foundation in 1890 of the

Henry Bradshaw Society The Henry Bradshaw Society is a British-based text publication society founded in 1890 for the scholarly editing and publication of rare liturgical texts. Foundation An initial meeting to plan the Henry Bradshaw Society took place in London on 3 ...

, which on the model of the Surtees Society aimed at publishing manuscripts and rare printed works in volumes issued to subscribing members. Fittingly enough for a Society inaugurated in the

Jerusalem Chamber The Jerusalem Chamber is a room in what was formerly the abbot's house of Westminster Abbey. It was added in the fourteenth century. The abbot's house was made the deanery when the monastery was dissolved in 1540. Henry IV of England died in the ...

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...

, Legg contributed as its first publication a monumental edition of the manuscript Westminster Missal. An important figure in the history of coronation in the British monarchy (''The Coronation of the Queen'' (1898), ''Three Coronation Orders'' (1900)), Legg passed the passions for this topic to his son,

Leopold George Wickham Legg Leopold George Wickham Legg (22 March 187719 December 1962) was an English academic historian specializing in diplomatic history. An Oxford don from 1908 to 1948, for the Great War Legg was commissioned into the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. Ap ...

, who published ''English Coronation Records'' (1901). Legg's publications continued until the last major work, the edition of the Sarum Missal which he published with

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

in 1916. He died at the home of his son, Leopold, by then a Fellow of New College, Oxford, on 28 October 1921, and was buried in Saltwood, Kent.

Sources

* A. Ward & C. Johnson, "John Wickham Legg (1843-1921)", in ''Ephemerides Liturgicae'' 97 (1983) 70-84 (with Legg's bibliography).

References

External links

Bibliographic directory
from Project Canterbury {{DEFAULTSORT:Legg, John Wickham 19th-century English medical doctors English theologians 1843 births 1921 deaths Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Alumni of New College, Oxford Alumni of University College London Academics of University College London Ecclesiologists People educated at Winchester College