Egerton Leigh

Egerton Leigh (7 March 1815 – 1 July 1876) was a British Army officer, landowner, antiquary and Conservative politician.

Personal life Leigh was the only son of Egerton Leigh and Wilhelmina Sarah, daughter of George Stratton, and succeeded his father as head of the ancient Cheshire family of Leigh of West Hall, High Legh; while his Christian name derived from his descent from John Egerton, 2nd Earl of Bridgewater, the Leigh Baronets of South Carolina were a cadet branch of this family. An earlier junior branch of the ancient Leighs became Barons Leigh and Earls of Chichester.

Lord of the manors of High Legh and Twemlow, patron of the benefice of High Legh and of the 1st mediety of Lymm, Leigh married Lydia Rachel, daughter of John Smith Wright, JP in 1842. They had several children, the eldest of whom was Captain Egerton Leigh (who married first Lady Elizabeth Gore White; who died 1880) and great-grandfather of the Conservative politician Sir Edward Leigh, MP for Gainsborough (since 1983).

He died on 1 July 1876; his wife survived him by 17 years and died on 3 April 1893.

Military and political career After leaving Eton, Leigh was commissioned into the British Army as cornet in the Queen's Bays,