1st Generation Bridgett Leighs

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Starting in 1st Generation of Bridgett Leigh
4th Generation of Leighs

 
This romantic love story was turned into wild legends involving alleged murder and a family curse, despite considerable disproof and contrary documentation. See Bridgett's biography for folk tradition, photographs, and all of the sources we found about this line that became extinct despite great efforts to secure the heirs' future.

13. BRIDGETT LEIGH (est 1640 - aft 1669). Father: 8. RICHARD LEIGH
"concubine", mistress of Sir FRANCIS LLOYD (abt 1610 - before Nov 1669 w.p.)
of Maesyfelin, son of Sir MARMADUKE LLOYD of Maesyfelin and MARY STEDMAN. 

Sir FRANCIS' wife Mary Vaughan was childless through at least twenty years of marriage. Their pre-nuptial bond was dated 1 Oct 1633 (as summarized in a legal document in a later Lloyd suit against Sir FRANCIS' heirs (NLW 1704 Cynwyl Gaeo (Box 6), though the marriage may have occurred several years later. In any event, Sir FRANCIS must have been much older than BRIDGETT and their life together was a December and May romance (GG, Tydwal Gloff 23A83, Film no.104351, and Adv Carm 212, Film no.104349). For this relation and the lives of their children and grandchildren,  see the biography of BRIDGETT.

Sir FRANCIS LLOYD’s family had an ancient coat of arms showing a ladder used to scale Norman castle walls during Strongbow’s 12th century invasion of Wales. His father Sir Marmaduke Lloyd was an important chief justice in Wales and the Marches, and Sir FRANCIS himself was MP for Carmarthen from 1640. He served as Comptroller of the Household to King Charles I, from whom he received a knighthood and for whom he fought as commander-in-chief of the horse in Pembrokeshire and was captured in battle twice during the Civil War. After the Restoration in 1660 he became a gentleman of the privy chamber to Charles II and obviously could feel assured of the Merry Monarch’s understanding of his marital situation and his mistress BRIDGETT. This high status is probably relevant to the folk tradition of the so-called Curse of Maesyfelin, which is treated in BRIDGETT’s biography as well as the biographies of Stephen Hughes and OAKLEY LEIGH. For the story of King Charles II and his Welsh mistress, doubtless known at least in outline to Sir FRANCIS LLOYD, see the Biography of Lucy Walter.

21. Sir Lucius LLOYD (est 1660 - ?before 30 Dec 1690)

His death date was nowhere found, but likely it was before the pre-nuptial bond was dated 30 Dec 1690 (according to its summary in an Indenture of Release dated 28 Sep 1752, p.7), which referred to "Charles Lloyd of Maes y velin in the County of Cardigan Esquire." Lucius committed suicide but no reason is known.

22. Sir CHARLES LLOYD

23. Frances LLOYD (est 1664 - ?1680 Lampeter church, Cards)

Little is known of Frances except the GGB reference to her marriage to "... Murrel of Staffordshire" (Tydwal Gloff 23A83, Film no.104351). It adds that she died in 1680 and was buried at Lampeter, which we could not confirm because extant Lampeter parish records do not cover that year (Film nos.104502-3). If the GGB date is correct, Frances was probably BRIDGETT's eldest child with an earlier birth year than I give as 1664. In August 1667 she was listed in her father’s will as living in the city of Worcester, England (p.1. line 27) presumably with her brother Lucius Lloyd (alias Baker), but by the Codicil three months later she was "of Staneway. Shropshire" though Lucius was still in Worcester (Cod. lines 15,17. Possibly more could be learned by study of those locations.

With the married name Murrel, Frances may have been related to the Elizabeth Murrel, widow, who is listed as buried at St Peter’s church on 19 January 1733 (Film no.104504). St Peter's record says that Elizabeth’s arms included a griffin sergeant, but the Murrel family was otherwise unknown in Carmarthen, and I have not studied it in Staffordshire. It is also possible that the burial record was an error for Elizabeth Murrow, widow of the county burough of Carmarthen, whose will was found by Derek Williams, written on 8 November 1732 and probated in Carmarthen for St David’s diocese on 21 March of the next year (SD/1732/26). Thus her burial should appear in St Peter’s records, but does not. In this case, the burial would have nothing to do with Bridgett’s daughter Frances. For the Murrow name see 33.John LEIGH.