LEIGH, Percival (son of Leonard Leigh of St. Cross, Winchester). b. Haddington 3 Nov. 1813; ed. at St. Bartholomew’s hospital; L.S.A. 1834, M.R.C.S. 1835; on the staff of Punch 1841 to death, was the last survivor of the early writers; played Oliver Cob in Ben Jonson’s Every man in his humour, at Miss Kelly’s theatre 21 Sep. 1845; lived at 10 Bedford street Bloomsbury, afterwards at Hammersmith to death; author of The comic Latin grammar 1840; The comic English grammar 1840; Portraits of children of the mobility 1841, all three illustrated by John Leech; Manners and customs of ye English: drawn from ye quick by Richard Doyle 1849, 2 ed. 1876, this appeared originally in Punch; Paul Prendergast, or the comic schoolmaster 1859. d. Oak cottage, 221 Hammersmith road 24 Oct. 1889. W. P. Frith’s John Leech vol. 1, chapters iii and xiii (1891).
Note.—There is a portrait of him in John Leech’s two-page cartoon called “Mr. Punch’s fancy ball” in Punch 9 Jany. 1847 where he is playing the double bass in the orchestra between the cornet and the violin.
LEIGH, Samuel. b. Milton, Staffs. 1 Sep. 1785; an Independent lay helper; Wesleyan Methodist minister at Shaftesbury 1812–13, at Montreal, Canada 1814–15, in New South Wales, Australia 10 Aug. 1815 to 1820 and 1826–31, first Methodist minister in Australia, held his first service Sydney 16 March 1816, his first convert being a convict; minister in New Zealand 1820–25 where he established the first Methodist station; in England 1832 to death. d. Reading 2 May 1852. A. Strachan’s Remarkable incidents in the life of rev. S. Leigh (1853), portrait; Leben und werken von Samuel Leigh. Bremen 1864; Jas. Buller’s Forty years in New Zealand (1878) 272–7.
LEIGHTON, Alexander. b. Dundee 1800; clerk to a lawyer at Edinb.; Wilson’s Tales of the borders. Revised by A. Leighton 20 vols. 1857–9, New ed. with 4 additional volumes 6 vols. 1863–69; author of Curious storied traditions of Scottish life, two series 1860–1; The court of Cacus or the story of Burke and Hare 2 ed. 1861; Mysterious legends of Edinburgh 1864; Shellburn 1865, a tale; Romances of the old town of Edinburgh 1867. d. 24 Dec. 1874.
LEIGHTON, Sir Baldwin, (7 Baronet). b. Sunderland 14 May 1805; ed. Rugby; succeeded 13 Nov. 1828; chairman of quarter sessions, Salop, Dec. 1855; M.P. South Salop 1859–65; contested South Salop 15 July 1865. d. Morton hall, Daventry 26 Feb. 1871. I.L.N. lviii 250, 619 (1871).
LEIGHTON, Charles Blair (son of Stephen Leighton). b. 6 March 1823; apprenticed to a silver-engraver 1837–44; a student of the R.A.; painted portraits and figure pieces; a chromolithographer with his brother George Cargill Leighton. d. 6 Feb. 1855.
LEIGHTON, Sir David (son of Thomas Leighton of Brechin, Forfarshire). b. 1774; entered Bombay army 1795; lieut. 4 Bombay N.I., lieut.-col. 6 Jany. 1813 to 1818; adjutant of the 2nd battalion 7 July 1800 to 12 Oct. 1802; lieut.-col. 9 Bombay N.I. 1818–1821; adjutant general Bombay army 1817 to 1826; commanded Presidency division 1826 to 1831; lieut.-col. commandant 7 N.I. 4 July 1821, col. 5 June 1829 to death; general 20 June 1854; C.B. 23 July 1823, K.C.B. 10 March 1837. d. Bafford house, Charlton Kings near Cheltenham 1 June 1860.
LEIGHTON, Francis Knyvett (only son of Francis K. Leighton of Ipswich). b. 1807; ed. Trin. coll. Oxf., demy of Magdalen 1823–9; fellow of All Souls’ 1829–43; B.A. 1828, M.A. 1831, D.D. 1858; P.C. of Great Ilford, Essex 1836–41; R. of Harpsden 1841–58; R. of Lockinge and Warden of All Souls’ 18 March 1858 to death; V.C. of univ. of Oxf. 1866–70; canon of Westminster 11 Nov. 1868 to death; on the council of Keble coll. 1871–80; author of Montes Pyrenæi, carmen Latinum, in theatro Sheldoniano recitatum 1826. d. All Souls’ college 13 Oct. 1881. bur. college chapel 18 Oct., portrait by Richmond in the college hall. J. R. Bloxam’s Register of Magdalen College, vii 290–1 (1881).
LEIGHTON, Robert (son of David L. Leighton d. 1828). b. Murray gate, Dundee 20 Feb. 1822; in a merchant’s office in Dundee; went round the world as a supercargo in one of his brother’s ships 1842–3; clerk in locomotive department of London and North-Western railway at Preston 1843–54; managed at Ayr a branch business of a firm of Liverpool seed merchants 1854–59, after that in the Liverpool house and travelled for the firm in Great Britain and Ireland 1859–67; author of Rhymes and poems, By Robin 1855, 2 ed. 1861; Poems 1866, 2 ed. 1869; Scotch words and the Bapteesement o’ the bairn 1869, 3 ed. 1869; Reuben and other poems 1875; Records and other poems 1880. d. Liverpool 10 May 1869. J. G. Wilson’s Poets of Scotland, ii 432–37 (1877); Norrie’s Dundee Celebrities (1873) 327.
LEIGHTON, Robert (son of Archibald Leighton a bookbinder at 55 Exmouth st. Clerkenwell and the inventor of cloth binding 1822, d. 1841). b. London 1822; apprentice to his father; head of firm of Leighton and Eeles, bookbinders 54 and 55 Exmouth st. 1841, business removed to Angel court, Strand, then to Harp alley and to 13 Shoe lane; W. Hodge became a partner 1853 and R. Leighton junr. in 1885; removed to 16 New st. sq. 1870, firm became Leighton, Son and Hodge, the first to use steam machinery in binding; invented the backing and trimming machine; the first to use steam power for blocking in gold and to use aluminium and black and coloured inks for cloth cases; invented printing on the edges of books; the chief binders of drawing room table books. d. Oakdale road, Coventry park, Streatham 14 Dec. 1888. The Bookseller, Jany. 1889 p. 8.