William Henry Leigh, 2nd Baron Leigh, (17 January 1824 – 21 October 1905) was a British politician.

Life

He was the eldest of three sons born to

Chandos Leigh, 1st Baron Leigh Chandos Leigh, 1st Baron Leigh (27 June 1791 – 27 September 1850) was a British landowner and minor poet. He was Lord of the Manor of Hunningham. Early life Leigh was the son of James Henry Leigh, of Adlestrop, Gloucestershire, the son of Ja ...

and his wife Margarette Willes. He was Lord of the Manor of Hunningham.Hunningham, in A History of the County of Warwick: Vol. 6, Knightlow Hundred, ed. L F Salzman (London, 1951), pp. 117-120. Educated at

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

(the university later also awarded him an honorary Doctor of Law degree), he married Lady Caroline Amelia Grosvenor (1828-1906), daughter of

Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster (27 January 1795 – 31 October 1869), styled The Honourable Richard Grosvenor from 1795 to 1802, Viscount Belgrave from 1802 to 1831 and Earl Grosvenor from 1831 to 1845, was an English polit ...

, on 22 August 1848 and they had seven children: * Margaret Elizabeth Leigh (1849-1945), married Victor Albert George Child-Villiers, 7th Earl of Jersey * Gilbert Henry Chandos Leigh (1851-1884) *Agnes Eleanor Leigh (1853-1942) * Francis Dudley Leigh (1855-1938) *Rupert Leigh (1856-1919), army officer *Rowland Charles Frederick Leigh (1859-1943), barrister *Mary Cordelia Emily Leigh (1866-1956) William succeeded his father as

Baron Leigh Baron Leigh has been created twice as a hereditary title, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The writer Jane Austen is associated with this dynasty. The first creation came in the Peerage of England ...

on his death on 27 September 1850. He was

Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire This is an incomplete list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire. Since 1728, all Lord Lieutenants have also been Custos Rotulorum of Warwickshire. Lord Lieutenants of Warwickshire *Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick 1569� ...

from 1856 until his death and was also made a colonel in the 3rd Battalion of the local regiment, the Warwickshire Regiment. He was High Steward of Sutton Coldfield from 1859 until 1892, when the stewardship lapsed after a new charter was issued for the borough, but was reappointed in September 1902. He also held office as a Justice of the Peace for

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

. He donated the land for the construction of St Alban's Church, Holborn in central London. He was a Privy Councillor from 1895 onwards, the same year as he unsuccessfully stood as MP for the constituency of

North Warwickshire North Warwickshire is a local government district with borough status in Warwickshire, England. The borough includes the two towns of Atherstone (where the council is based) and Coleshill, and the large villages of Hartshill, Kingsbury, Ma ...

in the general election that year. William was succeeded by his second son Francis, after his eldest son Gilbert's early death. Lord Leigh was the first Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons, serving from 1856 to 1860. He was for more than 50 years (1852–1905) Provincial Grand Master for the Freemasons of Warwickshire.

References

Sources

*http://www.thepeerage.com/p1243.htm#i12430 *https://www.geni.com/people/William-Leigh/6000000004956760654 *http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp57817/william-henry-leigh-2nd-baron-leigh *http://www.the-eastern-window.com/EWcdv45.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Leigh, William Henry, 2nd Baron 1824 births 1905 deaths Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Lord-lieutenants of Warwickshire English justices of the peace Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom People from Warwick District