Leir Ancestry before the 17th century

Our family has no documented (or sensible) claim to be descended from King Leir!

"According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, the mythical king of the Britons King Leir founded the city of Kaerleir (Leicester). "

Leir Ancestry of the 17th century

Leirs were rectors of St Stephen's church at Charlton Musgrove. This fine church was founded in the 13th century (although much altered later) by Richard Lovel. The Lovels were later lords of the manor and a daughter of the family was immortalised in Bayley's song "The Mistletoe Bough". As a young bride she played hide-and-seek on her wedding night, climbed into a chest to hide and the lid of the chest accidentally locked shut. Her skeleton, still in her wedding dress, was supposedly found several years later.

Charlton Musgrove is small village a couple of miles to the north of Wincanton. In Anglo-Saxon times the village was called Cerletone. 'Musgrove' derived from the name of the 12th century lords of the manor - the Mucegros family.

"The Leirs were Rectors at Charlton Musgrove for 300 years and owned almost 1000 acres in the parish. The estate was sold in 1920."

"In 1661 Thomas Leir, rector 1660-1713, and his brother William each acquired land in the parish, formerly part of the manorial estate. Thomas's holding included 11 cottages, some in Charlton and some in Shepton Montague. (fn. 119) Probably both holdings passed to Thomas's younger son William, rector 1713-43, and on William's death to his nephew Thomas, who also succeeded as rector. (fn. 120) Thomas Leir settled those lands not part of the glebe in trust for two younger and insane sons, and the survivor, Paul Methuen Leir, occupied a house at Shalford at his death in 1840. (fn. 121) By 1838 the estate included the 164-a. holding later known as Rectory farm. (fn. 122)

"In 1840 the estate passed to William Leir, nephew of Paul, and on his death in 1863 to his son Charles Marriott Leir, then rector (d. 1864). Charles's son Charles Paul succeeded as a minor and died unmarried in 1877 when his estate reverted to his mother Frances Anne (d. 1910). The estate, which already included land in Wincanton as well as in Charlton, was more than doubled by purchases from the earl of Ilchester, the Hoare family, and others between 1892 and 1912 by her fourth son, Lewis Randolph Marriott Leir, rector from 1886 until his death in 1914. (fn. 123) The holding, comprising over 950 a. in Charlton and Wincanton, was sold by Robert Marriott Leir in 1920. (fn. 124)

[...] "In 1661 Thomas Leir, then rector, acquired five sixths of the advowson from the Glanville family trustees and in 1667 the remaining sixth share directly from the Glanville heirs. (fn. 174) John Hall and Gerard Martin presented in 1713 (fn. 175) but thereafter successive members of the Leir family either presented themselves or were presented by close relatives or trustees (fn. 176) until the death of R. B. M. Leir in 1976 when the advowson passed to the bishop. (fn. 177)

[...] "In 1877 a chapel of ease at Barrow Lane, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, was given by Mrs. E. F. Davies (née Leir), the widow of a former rector. It is of stone in a 13th-century style, designed by C. E. Davis of Bath, and comprises an apsidal chancel and a nave with a southern bell tower. (fn. 203)

A plaque in the church at Ditcheat listing the Vicars and Rectors, including 6 Leirs.

Thomas Leir 1699
Thomas Leir 1730
Thomas Leir 1781
William Leir 1812
William Mariott Leir 1861
Charles Edward Leir 1891
Howard Tripp 1917

Mark Leir's Ancestry site at familytreemaker.com had a tree rooted at Richard Leir (1587-1684). Unfortunately the tree is no longer accessible (attempted 2021-12-24). A copy of the tree is below.

An excerpt from the introduction to the tree:

"The following is a compliation of Richard Leir (1587-1684) ancestry compiled from various versions of the popular Family Tree entitled "The Pedigree of 'Leir' or 'Lear' of Somerset and Devon". Extensive work by Alexander John James (1918 to 1989) and other details from Leirs in the Okanagan Valley, Vancouver, Victoria, Ottawa, and England have been added here."

George Williams-Leir (GWL) said that there is an error: "the inclusion of a lady named Cornelia Dawe, - listed as a child of Sophia Leir and her husband Charles Dawe. She should be deleted, together with her husband Amyes and their children and grandchildren. These details were given to Mark, I believe, by a New Zealand lady named Stichbury. By the time I stumbled on the site, her Email address was out of date. With great difficulty I found her, and she admitted her error. It stemmed from the arrival of Edmund Dawe in New Zealand on the same ship as Cornelia. Edmund was married to an Amyes, as was Cornelia, and she wrongly assumed that brother and sister Dawe married sister and brother Amyes."

The Descendants of Richard Leir (1587-1684) in the form of a text tree spanning several pages, thanks to Mark Leir. I have taken the liberty of reproducing it here, with minor corrections and additions.

"Our Noble and Gentle Families of Royal Descent" by Joseph Foster traces some Leir lines. Here's a small part of the page. Click to see the whole page. The family is listed in this book because Harriott Marriott, who in 1804 married William Leir (1768-1863), had been traced back to Edward III. They were founders of a line that includes Hugh Charles Musgrove Leir and his large family in Western Canada. William's elder brother, Thomas Leir V (1765-1836) founded a line which includes the Leirs in Ottawa.

click to see P 578

click to see P 579

click to see P 580

click to see the above P 838

click to see the above P 839

P 212

P 219

P 220

P 419

P 475

P 476