Descended from Richard de Lymme, younger son of Hugh de Lymme, which Richard in the latter part of the thirteenth century married Agnes, daughter and sole heir of Richard de Legh, great-grandson of Hamon de Legh, the first mentioned in the pedigree. Richard de Lymme had issue Thomas de Legh, of West Hall, living in 1305.
Younger branches: Leigh (called Trafford), of Oughtrington, in this county, descended from John second son of Richard Leigh, of West Hall, who died in 1486; for whom see Ormerod, i. 439.
Leigh of Leatherlake House in Surrey, descended from Thomas second son of the Rev. Peter Leigh of West Hall, who died in 1719; and Leigh of South Carolina, Baronet 1773, descended from Peter third son of the same Rev. Peter Leigh. See Ormerod, i. 350.
Arms.—Allowed 1563. Or, a lion rampant gules, armed and langued azure. For four descents after the match with Agnes de Legh, her descendants used the coat of Lymme, Gules, a pale fusillé argent, conclusive evidence of the descent of this family from Richard de Lymme, and not from William de Venables, another husband of Agnes de Legh. Indeed, in the Visitation of 1566, this coat of Lymme was allowed to Leigh of West Hall; but in 1584 both the East and West Hall families claimed the lion rampant gules. In 1663 the arms were settled as at present.
Present Representative, Egerton Leigh, Esq.
Aldersey of Aldersey, in the parish of Coddington.
The pedigree is traced to Hugh de Aldersey, in the reign of Henry III., soon after which time the family divided into two branches; the estate and manor of Aldersey being also held in separate moieties by the representatives of the two families: one moiety eventually passed by an heir-general to Hatton of Hatton, and has since been united into one estate, by purchase from Dutton of Hatton. A younger branch of this family was seated at Chester, of which was William Aldersey the antiquary, mayor of that city in 1614.
See Ormerod, ii. 404.