LEIGH. (Retired Commander, 1833. f-p., 24; h-p., 40.)
Benjamin Leigh died 22 Feb. 1846.
This officer entered the Navy, in 1782, as Fst.-cl. Boy, on board La Fortunée, Capt. Hugh Cloberry Christian, and cruized, until the peace of 1783, on the coast of North America. He served next, from 1786 to 1792, part of the time as Midshipman, in the Atalante sloop, Capts. Delgano, Schomberg, Halsted, Foote, and Elphinstone, on the East India station; and after a further attachment to the Alcide 74, and, as Acting-Lieutenant, to the Spitfire sloop, was confirmed, 10 March, 1795, into the Hornet sloop, Capts. Wm. Lukin and Robt. Larkan, in which vessel he made a voyage to St. Helena. His subsequent appointments were – 27 Dec. 1796, to the Minerva frigate, Capt. Thos. Peyton, in the Channel – 28 Sept. 1797, to the Inflexible, Capt. Ferris, on the Downs station – 28 June, 1799, to La Juste 80, Capt. Sir Henry Trollope, which ship a serious injury compelled him to leave in the following year – for a short time in 1801, to the command of the Crown prison-ship at Portsmouth – and, in 1804, to the charge of a signal station in the Isle of Wight, where he remained until 1814. He became a Retired Commander, on the Senior List, 10 Jan. 1833.
He was father-in-law of the present Commander Geo. Caswell, R.N.
LEIGH. (One of the Junior Lieutenants.)
Frederick George Leigh entered the Navy 16 Sept. 1831; passed his examination 2 Dec. 1835; and, after having served as Mate in the Medea steamer, commanded in the Mediterranean by Capt. Fred. Warden, and Caledonia 120, flag-ship of Sir Graham Moore at Plymouth, was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant 7 Feb. 1842. His succeeding appointments were – 16 March, 1842, as Additional, to the Driver steam-vessel, Capt. Sam. Fielding Harmer, in the East Indies – 25 Aug. 1842, to the Apollo troop-ship, Capt. Chas. Frederick, with whom he returned to England in 1843 – and, 5 Feb. 1845, to the Stromboli steam-sloop, Capt. Thos. Fisher. On 25 Sept. following he was dismissed his ship by sentence of court-martial, and placed for two years at the bottom of the List of Lieutenants, for having over abused and punished the stoker. Agents – Goode and Lawrence.
LEIGH. (Captain, 1829. f-p., 20; h-p., 26.)
Jodrell Leigh, baptized 27 Feb. 1790, at Goosetrey, is third son of the late Egerton Leigh, Esq., of the West Hall, High Leigh, co. Cheshire, by Elizabeth, daughter and co-heiress of Fras. Jodrell, Esq., of Yeardsley and Tremlow, in the same co. He is brother-in-law of Lord Dunfermline, formerly the Hon. Jas. Abercromby, M.P., Speaker of the House of Commons; and also of John Smith, Esq., of Dale Park, co. Sussex, youngest brother of Lord Carrington, and M.P., in 1833, for Buckinghamshire.
This officer entered the Navy, 14 July, 1801, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Malta 80, Capt. Albemarle Bertie, attached to the Channel fleet. Becoming Midshipman, in 1802, of the Leander 60, he continued to serve in that ship on the Halifax station under Capts. Jas. Oughton, Fras. Wm. Fane, Alex. Skene, John Talbot, and Salusbury Pryce Humphreys, until Aug. 1806; and was in consequence present with Capt. Talbot at the taking, 23 Feb. 1805, of La Ville de Milan French frigate, of 46 guns, and the simultaneous recapture of her prize the Cleopatra 32. In Aug. 1806 Mr. Leigh followed Capt. Humphreys into the Leopard 50; and in April, 1807, he was nominated Acting-Lieutenant of the Bermuda 18, Capt. Wm. Henry Byam; in which vessel (being confirmed to her 29 Feb. following) he continued until wrecked on the Memory Rook, Little Bermuda, 22 April, 1808. His next appointment was, 22 Aug. in the same year, to the Melampus 36, Capt. Edw. Hawker, under whom, during a servitude of three years and a half, we find him assisting at the capture of the French ships of war Le Colibri, of 16 guns and 92, men, and Le Beauharnais, of 16 guns and 109 men, and co-operating in the reduction of Guadeloupe. Quitting the Melampus in Feb. 1812, Mr. Leigh, further served, between that period and March, 1820, on the Channel, Newfoundland, Cork, St. Helena, and Jamaica stations, in the Mars 74, Capt. Henry Raper, Dryad 36, Capt. Edw. Galwey, Bonne Citoyenne 20, Capts. Pitt Burnaby Greene and Augustus Wm. Jas. Clifford, Falmouth 20, Capts. Robt. Worgan Geo. Festing and Geo. Fred. Rich, and Sybille 44, bearing the flag of Sir Home Popham. He then assumed the acting-command of the Bann 20, also in the West Indies, where, soon after his official promotion, which took place 12 June following, he removed to the Ontario 18. He returned to England, after a dreadfully tempestuous passage, in Dec. 1821; and was lastly appointed, 28 Feb. 1829, to the Royal Charlotte yacht, Capt. Hon. Josceline Percy. He attained his present rank 2 June in the same year.
LEIGH. (Commander, 1835. f-p., 22; h-p., 21.)
Thomas Leigh died in 1846.
This officer entered the Navy, 3 June, 1803, as a. Volunteer, on board the Conqueror 74, Capts Thos. Louis and Israel Pellew; under the latter of whom, after pursuing the combined squadrons of France and Spain to the West Indies and back, he shared in the action off Cape Trafalgar 21 Oct. 1805. Being discharged from the Conqueror in Jan. 1806, he served during the next eight years, as Midshipman and Master’s Mate, in the Melampus 36, Capts. Stephen Poyntz and Edw. Hawker, Porgey schooner, Lieut.-Commander Hugh Goold, Bellona 74, Capt. John Erskine Douglas, Pilot 18, Capt. John Toup Nicolas, Royal George 100, flag-shjp of Rear-Admiral Fras. Pickmore, and Impétueux, Stately, and Rodney, bearing each the flag of Vice-Admiral Geo. Martin, on the North American, Home, Mediterranean, and Lisbon stations. While in the Pilot, Mr. Leigh served, 25 July, 1810, in her boats, with those of the Thames 32, and Weasel 18, and was officially alluded to for his conduct, at the very gallant capture and destruction, near Amanthea, notwithstanding a most spirited opposition, of 31 transports, seven large gun-boats, and five armed vessels.[1] He was confirmed a Lieutenant, 26 Jan. 1814, in the Bristol troop-ship, Capt. Geo. Wyndham, employed in the Channel and off Lisbon, and was subsequently appointed – in the course of 1815, to the Havock 12, Capt. Geo. Truscott, Rifleman 16, Capts. Henry Edw. Napier and Geo. Bennet Allen, and Vengeur 74, Capt. Thos. Alexander, all on the Home station, where he served, until superseded from ill health in May, 1818 – and, 4 Dec. 1827, to the Coast Guard. He left that service, on attaining the rank of Commander, 23 June, 1835; and remained thenceforward on half-pay. Agents – Coplands and Burnett.
LEITH. (Captain, 1825. f-p., 20; h-p., 24.)
John Leith, born at Leith Hall, co. Aberdeen, the seat of his father, is second son of the late General Alex. Leith Hay, by Mary, daughter of Chas. Forbes, Esq., of Ballogie; brother of the present Sir Andw. Leith Hay, Kt., of Rannes and Leith Hall, a Lieut.-Colonel in the Army, and M.P. for the Elgin district of burghs; and nephew of Lieut.-General Sir Jas. Leith, G.C.B., K.T.S., Grand Cordon of the Order of Merit of France, Governor of Barbadoes, and Commander-in-Chief of the forces in the Windward and Leeward Islands, who died 16 Oct. 1816.
This officer entered the Navy, 11 June, 1803, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Lapwing 28, Capt. Alex. Skene, which vessel, when soon afterwards off the banks of Newfoundland, was so closely chased for three days by the French 74-gun ship Duguay Trouin and 40-gun frigate Guerrière, that, in order to effect her escape, she was under the ne-
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1810, p. 1860.
