2nd Generation Oakley Leighs

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Continuing in 2nd Generation of Oakley Leighs
 5th Generation of Leighs

58. ELIZABETH LEIGH (chr 2 Jan 1676 St Peter's - 24 Feb 1762 Capel Dewi, bur 1 Mar Llanarthney). Father: 15. OAKLEY LEIGH
md WILLIAM REES Esq of Capel Dewi (1682 - 3 Dec 1759 Llanarthney), son of OWEN I REES (? - bef 21 Jan 1699 w.p.) Notary Public and MARY NN (? - bef 15 Apr 1727 w.p.)
Though we have no documentary evidence that the Elizabeth who became wife of WILLIAM REES was the daughter of OAKLEY LEIGH, we have numerous references to family relations as "cousins" and also the fact that their first son was named after WILLIAM REES's father OWEN and their second son was named after Elizabeth's father OAKLEY. Further study of this REES family might provide documentary evidence.

65. Owen REES (abt 1710 Llanarthney - bef 17 Sep 1777 w.p.), Justice of the Peace

66. Elizabeth REES (abt 1710 - 9 Mar 1780 both Llanarthney), spinster. She outlived her two brothers and left her property to a distant relative. The estate of Capel Dewi passed to other families, as outlined by Derek Williams with maps of the several farms. The mansion house itself is now a small hotel (see below).

67. Margaret REES (? - 5 Dec 1792 Llanarthney)
md Griffith EDWARDS (? - bef 12 Dec 1776), tailor of St. Giles parish, Middlesex on 18 Sep 1753 in St Peter's, Carmarthen
The death date of EDWARDS comes from the will of Owen REES, which calls Margaret a widow, and her funeral record identified her as "Mrs Edwards of Carmarthen.''

68. MARY REES

69. Rev. Oakley REES (chr 20 Dec 1720 Llanarthney - d. 9 Nov 1770 Llanarthney, bur 13 Nov 1770 St Peter's)
md NN UNKNOWN (1709 - 23 Apr 1766 in St Peter's)
He was the second of our family who is known as a clergyman in the Church of England, not counting the possible but unproved John Leigh clerk in Freystrop, Pembs.. Derek Williams found that Oakley attended Jesus College, Oxford, receiving an AM in 1745, and in 1751 became vicar of Llanarthney parish, as well as later rector of Penboyr and curate of Taliaris. He may have been an absentee parson as he seldom signed the Bishop's Transcripts for Llanarthney (Film no.105151). His wife's name is unknown, but her funeral at St Peter's on 21 April 1766 (Film no.104504) was exceptionally elaborate. She is referred to only as Mrs Oakley Rees.

Even before the marriage of OAKLEY LEIGH's daughter ELIZABETH to WILLIAM REES Esq. the two families may have been related through OAKLEY's wife's grandmother in the Abergwili area, but this interesting possibility remains to be proved. See the PRICHARD ANCESTRY. The chronology of ownership of Capel Dewi before OWEN REES is also uncertain, and its possible relation to earlier estates is very difficult to study with the numerous changing patronymics in this time. WILLIAM's father OWEN REES was educated and served as Notary Public, certifying legal documents. His "cousin" Nathaniel Morgan was named as overseer of OWEN’s will in 1698, and Morgan married Sarah Lewis, daughter of Rebecca Hughes in our same Abergwili line. Morgan's own estate was eventually turned over to Rees PREES, son of OWEN REES, but whether these relations are significant is unknown. Interestingly, Francis Jones cites GGB Kadwgan vawr of Talgarth as a source for his treatment of Capel Dewi in Historic Homes of Carmarthenshire and their Families, but that GGB section has few clear references to Capel Dewi or a single Rees family and very few dates (seen on Film no.104351).

Derek Williams' research presents a happy picture of the REES family in its 17th-century mansion in Capel Dewi in this period. WILLIAM REES seems to have been the classic squire with a large estate, and he was very active as city sheriff in 1714, mayor of Carmarthen in 1735, and county High Sheriff in 1741 (a position taken by the gentry not commercial men). The REES family must have had a coat of arms, but we found nothing of it. The marble memorial plaque in the Llanarthney church honoring WILLIAM and ELIZABETH LEIGH REES calls them "Universally belov'd and respected whilst living, they were equally lamented when dead."

The ancient estate was broken up, and the mansion house itself has become a small hotel named the Capel Dewi Uchaf Country House. The front of the house is almost original though the inside was somewhat remodeled, with guest rooms for six, a dining room, and lounge with fireplace. Set in two acres of garden and fruit trees, the hotel also has a private fishing section along the Towy River and a stable for boarding horses. Several cottages were made from the original converted stables. Capel Dewi Uchaf House is about seven miles north of Carmarthen, making a ten-minute taxi ride from the train station.
 

Capel Dewi Uchaf Country House

Sources: St. Peter's Collocation of Names (Film no.104504); Llanarthney Bishop's Transcripts (Film no.105151); list of Carmarthen mayors and sheriffs (NLW MS 12366D); wills of OWEN REES (NLW SD/1698/ W), MARY NN REES (NLW SD/1727/), Elizabeth LEIGH (NLW SD/1762/55 W), Owen REES (NLW SD/1777/ ), Rev. Oakley REES (PCC? 1770 ), Elizabeth REES (PCC? 1780 ); Alumni oxoniensis.
 

63. JOHN LEIGH (chr 1 Apr 1686 St Peter's - bur bef 19 Dec 1746 w.p.) clothier, mayor, gent. Father: 15.OAKLEY LEIGH
md possibly LETTICE UNKNOWN (? - bur 21 Mar 1743/4 St Peter's)

70. Anne LEIGH (chr 2 Feb 1707 St Peter's - aft 9 Aug 1760)
md Owen EVANS (? - bef 9 Aug 1760) of Llanarthney on 2 Jul 1732

71. Rev. RICHARD NASH LEIGH

72. Edmond LEIGH (chr 20 Dec 1711 St Peter's - bef 3 Mar 1743)

The research done by Amy VanCott (and others in the Ancestral File) considered this JOHN (son of OAKLEY) to be the same person as JONATHAN (son of RICHARD). JONATHAN's second wife Catherine GWYNN was given to this John. However, JONATHAN's two children in St Peter's records, WILLIAM and Sarah, were born too early to be the children of this JOHN, whose own christening occurred in 1686, not 1682, as Amy believed. This later birth year was verified in the original Latin Bishop's Transcripts as well as the parish records and "Collation of Names." Finally, the names of John and Jonathan were well known to be distinct and were not used interchangeably.
 
JOHN was listed as a clothier in several documents, e.g. the bond for the estate of his cousin JONATHAN dated in 1717, and the will of his cousin OAKLEY LEIGH of Millfield in 1721. He was sheriff of Carmarthen in 1713 and mayor in 1731. Styled as gent in a posthumous document about his will dated 17 Dec 1746, he himself used the title Alderman for his will. He seems to have been successful as a clothier, but we found no detailed economic data. He outlived both sons, and on 3 March 1743/4 he bequeathed his estate in trust to his "beloved wife" and then to his daughter (both unnamed), with small legacies to his grandchildren: Edmund, David and Lettice Leigh.
 
His wife is not certain, but from the name given to her granddaughter she likely was the Mrs. Lettice Leigh who was buried on 21 March 1743/4 at St Peter's, only a few weeks after John had made his will. We had previously thought that Lettice was Richard Nash Leigh’s wife, but the Bible showed that Richard Nash’s wife was named Anne. The idea that John’s wife’s name was Lettice came from the name of Richard’s daughter, and from finding Lettice’s burial at a time soon after John made his will.

 [The deductions about JOHN LEIGH’s wife were made by Derek Williams]

Sources : GG, Adv Carm (Film no.104351); St Peter's records and Collocation of Names (Film no.104504); original Latin Bishop's Transcripts (Film no.105132); Administration Bond for the estate of JONATHAN LEIGH (NLW SD/1717/22 B); JOHN LEIGH's will and related documents (NLW SD/1749/22 W X) and will of OAKLEY LEIGH of Millfield (NLW SD/1721/61 W and Film no.105240). Rev. Edmund LEIGH's Bible.