Genealogical Office, and other references
References in Richard Hayes' Manuscript Sources for The History of Irish Civilization; and from GO Ms 470 [Index to Unregistered Pedigrees]
GO Ms 44 p 19-21 Chief Justice James Ley
GO Ms 97 p 33-5 Confirmation of arms to Sir James Leigh, 22 April 1683
GO Ms 103 p 46 Dr John Lee Kerry 1785
GO Ms 106 p 71 Rear Admiral Richard Lee, son of John Lee of Drury and Patna
GO Ms 108 Arthur Guinness and Anne Lee, dau of Benjamin Lee, of Merrion Square
GO Ms 111 b Folio 13 Thomas Sadlier and Ann Lee dau of Sir Richard Lee, of Herts
GO Ms 142 Lee will abstracts of O'Callaghan Fisher
GO Ms 160 Lee of Waterford 1580 - 1723
GO Ms 164 p 33 [Positive 8301] Ley
GO Ms 177 p 122-3, 137 [Positive 8307] Ley
GO Ms 179 Guinness and Lee
GO Ms 183 Lords Entries I p 295 Edward Brabazon, Earl of Meath, died 24 Nov 1772, whose eldest son was Anthony, who married Grace Leigh, dau of John Leigh of Rosegarland, and there were four sons and six daughters
GO Ms 184 LE II p 108 Joseph Leeson, Earl of Milltown, Viscount and Baron Russborough married Cecilia, dau of Francis Leigh of Rathangan in Kildare, who died 1737, and has three children
GO Ms 184 LE II p 131 John Tracey Viscount Tracey of Rathcoole married, thirdly, Elizabeth, dau of Edward Leigh
GO Mss 187 LE V p 173 Ann Vesey and Right Honorable Henry Bingham MP, dau Anne married Alderman Francis Leigh of Drogheda, MP, and had four daus
GO Ms 267 p 56, William Nugent of Killasonna sixth son of Christopher of Devlin, co Meath, married Margaret Leigh; p 174, Thomas Sharkey[?] married Jane, dau of Thomas Leigh in Cheshire; p 217 [see GO Ms 183 LE 1] Mr Brabazon, Earl of Meath married Grace, dau of J Leigh of Rosegarland, Wexford [no dates]
GO Ms 811 Lee of Ditchley 1500 - 1794
GO Ms 811 [25] Lee of Waterford
GO Ms 812 [7] Lee of Waterford 1542 - 1798
GO Ms 814 [27] Lee of Waterford
GO Ms 5698 Lee in France
GO Ms 8552 Lee in France
Ms 169 Lee of Dublin later Harvey
do Lees in France p 134, 160, 158
PRONI T1265 Lee of Limerick and Kerry
PRO M2388 James Lee, Limerick
Historical Manuscripts Commission
Salisbury Mss Pt VII [1899] p 136-8 Walter Leigh, Bp of Killaloe, in Spain 1597; p 310, Sir Henry Lee, of Woodstock, Oxfordshire, p 395, Fervgh Makehewe's head, (Fiach McHugh) sent to court, but discarded as the bounty was already paid in Ireland. The head later found in a tree.
Salisbury Mss Pt VIII p 506 Thomas Leigh, slain with Bagenal, Ed and his eldest brother, Sir Urian Leigh who was a friend to Essex in 1598, p 158 Sir Henry Lee of Quarrington, and Woodstock.
Salisbury Mss Pt IX [1902] p 412, p 414-5
Salisbury Mss Pt X [1904] p 180, p 85, p 277-8, p 300, Mrs Kinborowghe Lee, nee Valentine, wife of Thomas, to Earl of Essex, p 306, Tom Lees father was a committed supporter of Queen Mary, p 309, Tom Lee to Essex to take his son as a servant, p 464, Patrick Crosby, applying for Tom Lee's lands.
Salisbury Mss Pt XI [1906] p 9-10, p 98, p 72, p 142
Salisbury Mss Pt XII [1910] p 92 Edmond Leigh a captain at Lough Foyle and Ballyshannon, in 1601-2, p 433-5, p 511 Sir Richard Lee (writing to Sir Robert Cecil) brother of Sir Henry Lee, of Ditchley in Oxfordshire, re his cousin, Tom Lee, his children, and his lands at Reban, 1602, where Sir Richard Wingfield has been living since Tom Lee's execution, p 485 Sir John Leigh, grandfather to Earl of Kildare in 1602, Earl also had a cousin Sir John Leigh.
Salisbury Mss Pt XIV p 173
Stuart Mss Volume 1 [1902] p 66 [Sir Andrew Lee]; p 176
Finch Mss Volume 11 [1922] p 489 - 90 Sir Thomas Lee 1690
Cecil Mss Volume VI p 558 Sir Urian Lee, with forces raised in Cheshire and Lancashire, p 544 Sir Uriah Leigh at Drogheda 1596.
Grant
of arms to Edward Edgerton Leigh, of Bantry House, Cork, only son of Egerton
Leigh, of West Hall, High Leigh co Chester, 1897
Early records of the name in Ireland
Calendar of Justiciary Rolls
Edward I
William de Leye, Limerick
Edward II
1308 Richard de Lees, Tipperary p 163
1310 Henry de Lees, Kildare p 164
1313 Roger le Lees, with a house at Proutestown, was coroner for the county
of Limerick p 304; and also Hugh de Lees, Knight, and Thomas, son of William
de Lees
1313 Roger de Lees and William de Ley p 312; and Limerick, Roger de Leye p
215
(It has been suggested that the name Lacey/de Lacey which is associated with
the Limerick region, derived in some cases from de Leys, which is 'de Leis'
in Irish. JRSAI of 1919)
Calendar of
Inquisitions published by the Irish Manuscripts Commission.
In the reign of Henry VIII
An inquisition on 27 October 1524 in Dublin
a juror was Thomas Ley of Clonrose.
An inquisition on 5 July 1527
Thomas Ley of Clonrosse, of Meath, had 160 acres at Rathregan, county Meath.
In the reign of Elizabeth, these passed to his son Patrick, whose heir was
his brother, Maurice, of full age.
An inquisition
on 9 April 1526 at Balrothery
William Ley of Luske, and also
an inquisition on 5 October 1527, and again
an inquisition on 19 March 1529.
An inquisition
on 23 January 1532 in Dublin
Thomas Ley of Rathregan.
An inquisition
on 12 November 1535
a juror was John Ley of Julianston.
(This is close to a place now known as Laytown, county Meath which may be named after the family. In the fiants of Philip and Mary, it was mentioned in 1558 as Leytowne. A reference from the Talbot de Malahide papers, in the New Bodleian Library, Ms Talbot c. 97/8 dated 31 May 1628, refers to it as 'Leytown'. There is a location to the west of Swords, county Dublin known as Leas Cross, which probably refers to a lee field.)
Fiants [from the Latin: fiant literae patentes "let letters patent be made out"]
In the reign of Henry VIII
1539-40 Pension from abbey of BVM of Dublin, to William Ley , 40s, 10 March
XXXI
In the reign of Edward VI
1550 Pardon to Faghne Lee, a kern, 30 November VI
1550-1 Lease to John Ley of Ballynaa, gent (co Leix)
1550-1 Lease to John Ley otherwise Alye
1550-1 Lease to Francis Ley, soldier, of the nunnery of Kille (Killeigh, Kings
county) 18 February V
1552 Pardon to Maurice Leey, surgeon, 25 July IV
1552 Pardon to Maurice Leigh m'David oge, horseman and kern, 25 November VI
1552 Pardon to Ralph Bagenall, knight, lieutenant of the army, especially
for the death of Francis Ley n.d.
In the reign
of Philip and Mary
1555 Pardon to Patrick Ley of Kilgreyte, a soldier, 25 September 1555
In the reign
of Elizabeth I
Inquisitions
An inquisition on 28 November 1550
A farm near Dunshaughlin was called Anne Ley's farm.
An inquisition made on 6 February 1587, at Dublin Castle,
refers to the attornment of Robert Aley, and other tenants, in Balleboght.
An inquisition on 23 May 1660
a witness was Richard Ley of Rathmore, Kildare.
An inquisition on 14 May 1594 at Newcastle Lyons,
Patrick Lea of Lyshianstown otherwise
Patrick Ley of Lishianston, and Joan White, his wife, daughter and heiress
of Nicholas White, the brother and heir of John White, vicar of Moyclare in
the county of Kildare.
An inquisition on 12 May 1596 at Dublin Castle
regarding the attainder of 1 May 1536, of lands of Kilmory beside the river
Blackwater, county Meath, which it was decided were to be passed to John Lye
of Rathbride, gent.
An inquisition on 20 June 1599
land granted to James Ley of Clonrosse, Gent. On 20 Sept 1600 James Ley assigned
his ownership of this land to John Ellis, Balreaske.
In the reign of James I
An inquisition on 26 Sept 1605
one of the parties to a deed was John Ley of Clonaghe, of co Kildare, and
a witness was Harry Ley.
There were further transactions of John Lye of Rathbride, and John Lye of
Donferte, co Kildare, and the witness was again Harry Ley.
An inquisition on 5 July 1609 Dublin
William Ley of Dromnagh, a yeoman.
In an inquisition of 21 November 1618, in the King's Courts, reference was
made to a deed of assignment of 11 March 1596, which was witnessed by George
Lea, in Limerick.
Calendar of Carew Manuscripts 1575-1588
Maurice Lee a Doctor of Physic living at Coneloughe under the Earl of Desmond,
moved to Lixenawe on 29 March 1589
Wages paid from 1 October 1587 to 31 March 1588 includes Tyrone and men, and
also Capt Thomas Ley and 25 horse.
On 15 December 1598 Thomas Lea sent in 17 heads of traitors.
Calendar of Carew Manuscripts 1589-1600
Sir Urian Leigh in Wicklow
Calendar of Carew Manuscripts 1603-1624
Under a list of Annuities and pensions, is one dated 1611 payable to James
Lee, 12d Irish during his life.
Mountjoy knighted Sir Henry Leagh, probably the Sir Henry Lea mentioned in
1618. Nil else.
Early records of the names of merchants in Dublin include;
Willelmus
de la Lee, in the merchant roll for the year 1128-9 from The Lee, Buckinghamshire;
Nicholaus de Lega, from 1232-3, Ada de Lega Textor, from 1238-9, and Robertus
de Lega, from 1242-3, all from Lea, Essex; and
Johannes Karretarius de Nova Villa de Leys, from 1239-40, both Robertus Mercator
de Nova Villa de Leys, and Robertus Parvus Parmentarius de Nova Villa de Leys,
from 1242-3, Henricus de Anglia de Nova Villa de Leys, from 1243-4, Mauricius
de Leye, from 1246-7, Adam Grathoc de Nova Villa de Leys, from 1247-8, Alanus
Abel de Nova Villa de Leys, from 1248-9, and Martinus le Mercer de Nova Villa
de Leys, from 1251-2, all of Leys, Scotland.
Despite the defeat of the Norsemen in the battle of Clontarf, in 1014, Dublin
at this time was largely Hiberno-Norse, and these names reflect that background.
The written form is in Latin, which would not have been the same as the spoken
name, and some of these surnames could have evolved into Lee, although at
the time, second names were not always inherited.
Dublin was granted its charter by Henry II, in 1172 (it is preserved in the
Civic Museum), who encouraged a colony of Bristol merchants to settle in the
town, and some of these may have been called Lee.
As many as 500 of them were slaughtered by the Wicklow Irish at a picnic at
Cullen's-wood, Ranelagh, on Easter Monday, 1209. This gives an indication
of the numbers who had moved to Dublin.
GO Ms 276 p 155 records that a Patrick Corbally of Dublin married a daughter
of John Ley, Baronet, of Dublin born 1583.
Edward Leigh was customer (collector of customs) in Dublin in 1624 and 1625,
according to CSP for Charles II. This man may possibly be identified with
the Ed Leigh who was a brother to Thomas Leigh killed at the Yellow Ford,
and a brother of Urian Leigh, who served at Drogheda in 1595, and was at Carrickfergus
in 1635.