Sir John St Leger (died 1596), of Annery in

Monkleigh Monkleigh is a village, parish and former manor in north Devon, England, situated 2 1/2 miles north-west of Great Torrington and 3 1/2 miles south-east of Bideford. An electoral ward exists titled ''Monkleigh'' and Littleham. The population at ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

landowner who served in local and national government.

Origins

He was the son of Sir George St Leger, of Annery, and his wife, Anne Knyvett, daughter of Sir Edmund Knyvett, of

Buckenham Buckenham is a small village in the English county of Norfolk situated on the northern bank of the River Yare around south-east of Norwich. History Buckenham's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for Bucca's homestea ...

, and his wife Eleanor Tyrrell. His paternal grandparents were Sir James St Leger and Lady Anne Butler, heiress of Annery, daughter of

Thomas Butler, 7th Earl of Ormond Thomas Butler, 7th Earl of Ormond PC (1426 – 3 August 1515) was the youngest son of James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond. He was attainted, but restored by Henry VII's first Parliament in November 1485, and the statutes made at Westminster, by ...

and great-aunt of Queen

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key ...

. One of his great-uncles was Sir

Thomas St Leger Thomas St Leger, Archdeacon of Kells, was the son of Ralph St. Leger, of a long established Anglo-Norman family; his mother belonged to the de Malemains family. He was elected Bishop of Meath before 5 November 1282, but was not successful in hold ...

, the husband of

Anne of York, Duchess of Exeter Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in t ...

, sister of Kings

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...

and

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...

Public career

Knighted in 1544 and

Sheriff of Devon The High Sheriff of Devon is the Queen's representative for the County of Devon, a territory known as his/her bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, they hold the office for one year. They have judicial, ceremonial and administrative f ...

in 1560, he was

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for Dartmouth, Devon, in 1555–1558,

in 1559–1563,

Arundel Arundel ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Arun District of the South Downs, West Sussex, England. The much-conserved town has a medieval castle and Roman Catholic cathedral. Arundel has a museum and comes second behind much large ...

, Sussex, in 1563–1571,

again in 1571–1583 and

Tregony Tregony ( kw, Trerigoni), sometimes in the past Tregoney, is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Tregony with Cuby, in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It lies on the River Fal. In the village there is a post office (now ...

, Cornwall in 1584–1585.

Marriage and children

He married Catherine Nevill, daughter of

George Nevill, 5th Baron Bergavenny George Nevill, 5th Baron Bergavenny KG, PC (c.1469 – 1535), the family name often written Neville, was an English nobleman and courtier who held the office of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. Origins He was the son of George Nevill, 4th Ba ...

and his third wife Lady Mary Stafford, youngest daughter of

Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham (3 February 1478 – 17 May 1521) was an English nobleman. He was the son of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, and Katherine Woodville, and nephew of Elizabeth Woodville and King Edward IV. Thu ...

and his wife Lady Eleanor Percy. Their children included: *John St Leger, said to be a soldier in Ireland, who died unmarried and in poverty *Mary St Leger, who married Sir

Richard Grenville Sir Richard Grenville (15 June 1542 – 10 September 1591), also spelt Greynvile, Greeneville, and Greenfield, was an English privateer and explorer. Grenville was lord of the manors of Stowe, Cornwall and Bideford, Devon. He subsequently ...

Stowe Stowe may refer to: Places United Kingdom *Stowe, Buckinghamshire, a civil parish and former village **Stowe House **Stowe School * Stowe, Cornwall, in Kilkhampton parish * Stowe, Herefordshire, in the List of places in Herefordshire * Stowe, Linc ...

Kilkhampton Kilkhampton ( kw, Kylgh) is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in northeast Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is on the A39 road#Atlantic Highway, A39 about four miles (6 km) north-northeast of Bude. Kilk ...

, Cornwall, the famous captain of the ''

Revenge Revenge is committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Francis Bacon described revenge as a kind of "wild justice" that "does... offend the law ndputteth the law out of office." Pr ...

'', and was mother of Sir

Bernard Grenville Sir Bernard Grenville (1567 – 1636) was an English politician. Origins He was the eldest surviving son of Richard Grenville (d. 1591), lord of the manors of Bideford in Devon and of Stowe in the parish of Kilkhampton, Cornwall and of Buck ...

. *Frances St Leger, who married John Stucley (1551–1611), of Affeton in

East Worlington East Worlington is a civil parish and hamlet in the North Devon administrative area, in the English county of Devon, England. In 2001, the village had 241 inhabitants, 173 in 1901 and 194 in 1801. The civil parish also includes the smaller We ...

, DevonChope and was the mother of Sir Lewis Stucley *Margaret St Leger, who married Richard Bellew of

Ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

Braunton Braunton is a large village, civil parish, ecclesiastical parish and former manor in Devon. The village is situated west of Barnstaple. It is one of the largest villages in Devon with a population at the 2021 census of 10,217 people. There a ...

, Devon. A monument to the couple survives in Braunton parish church. BellewMonumentBrauntonDevon

*Eulalia St Leger, who married first Edmund Tremayne of

Collacombe Collacombe is an historic manor in the parish of Lamerton, Devon, England. The manor house survives as a grade I listed building, known as Collacombe Barton or Collacombe Manor (House). Descent d'Aumale The Domesday Book of 1086 lists ''COLECOM ...

Lamerton Lamerton is a village and civil parish located 3 miles north-west of the town of Tavistock in Devon, England. The village's school is called Lamerton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School; affiliated with the Church of England, it ...

, Devon, who was Chief Secretary of Ireland, and secondly Tristram Arscott (1544–1621) of Tetcott, Devon, who bought Annery from his father-in-law.Risdon, Tristram, Survey of Devon, 1810 edition, p. 276

Death

Despite accumulating much land, he became encumbered with debts and parted with many of his estates. He died "a poor man" and was buried on 8 October 1596 in the parish church of Monkleigh. On the death of his son John without children, the St Leger family of Annery was extinguished.

Sources

Virgoe, Roger, Biography of St Leger, Sir John (by 1516-93/96), of Annery, published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1509-1558, ed. S.T. Bindoff, 1982Fuidge, N.M., Biography of St Leger (Sellenger), Sir John (by 1516-93/96), of Annery, published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1558-1603, ed. P.W. Hasler, 1981
* W. D. Pink, 'The Parliamentary History of Tregony', ''The Western Antiquary'', Volume VI, Part V (1886), 117–121

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:St Leger, John 1596 deaths Year of birth missing Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Devon Members of the pre-1707 English Parliament for constituencies in Cornwall 16th-century births English knights High Sheriffs of Devon English MPs 1555 English MPs 1559 English MPs 1563–1567 English MPs 1571 English MPs 1572–1583 English MPs 1584–1585 Members of the Parliament of England for Dartmouth People from Ulcombe