Leigh Genealogical Records
Leigh Birth & Baptism Records
An index to births registered throughout England & Wales. Provides a reference to order copies of birth certificates from the national registrar of births, marriages and deaths – the General Register Office.
Baptisms records for children living in and around Leigh, detail the names of their parents - their occupations and residence from 1840 to 1906.
Baptisms records for children living in and around Leigh, detail the names of their parents - their occupations and residence from 1712 to 1834.
Original images of baptism registers, searchable by a name index, covering almost all Dorset parishes.
Transcriptions of baptisms in Dorset covering most Anglican parishes.
Leigh Marriage & Divorce Records
An index to marriages registered throughout England & Wales. This is the only national marriage index that allows you to search by both spouse's names. Provides a reference to order copies of marriage certificates from the national registrar of births, marriages and deaths – the General Register Office.
Marriage registers are the primary source for marital documentation before 1837, though are relevant to the present. They typically the record marital status and residence of the bride and groom.
An index to marriages in between 1877 and 1878, listing the date of marriage and the names of the bride and groom.
Original images of marriage registers, searchable by a name index, covering almost all Dorset parishes.
Transcripts of marriages in 252 Dorset parishes.
Leigh Death & Burial Records
An index to deaths registered throughout England & Wales. Provides a reference to order copies of death certificates from the national registrar of births, marriages and deaths – the General Register Office.
Name index linked to original images of the burial registers of Leigh. Records document an individual's date of death and/or burial, age and residence. Some records may contain the names of relations, cause of death and more.
An index to burial records kept by the church. This resource is an index and may not include all the details that were recorded in the registers.
An index to vital details from monuments found at the church.
Original images of burial registers, searchable by a name index, covering almost all Dorset parishes.
Leigh Census & Population Lists
An index to and digital images of records that detail 40 million civilians in England and Wales. Records list name, date of birth, address, marital status, occupation and details of trade or profession.
The 1911 census provides details on an individual's age, residence, place of birth, relations and occupation. FindMyPast's index allows searches on for multiple metrics including occupation and residence.
A full name index, connected to original images of the registers. These records list those who were eligible to vote and may give a description of an individual's property.
A list of freeholders in the county, with their residence, the name of their tenants and the location of their freehold.
Transcriptions of hearth tax records for the county of Dorset.
Newspapers Covering Leigh
Fully text-searchable articles from a local newspaper covering the Sherborne district. It includes family announcements, obituaries, court proceedings, business notices and more.
A politically independent newspaper, covering the affairs of Dorset, Devon, Cornwall and Somerset. It includes family notices.
A regional newspaper covering the counties of Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire Hampshire and Berkshire. It covers local and national news, family announcements, business news, legal proceedings and more.
A liberal newspaper covering the counties of Cornwall, Devon and Dorset. It includes family notices.
A regional newspaper including news from the Dorset area, family announcements, business notices, advertisements, legal & governmental proceedings and more.
Leigh Wills & Probate Records
Searchable index and original images of over 12.5 million probates and administrations granted by civil registries. Entries usually include the testator's name, date of death, date of probate and registry. Names of relations may be given.
An index to 295,609 wills of people who lived in or were connected to Devon. The wills they reference can contain a great deal of genealogical information.
An index to Gloucestershire wills from Bristol and Gloucester Diocese.
An index linked to original images of wills, administrations and inventories proved in Dorset courts. Documents contain much genealogical information.
An index to estate administrations performed by the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. The index covers the southern two thirds of England & Wales, but may also contain entries for northerners.
Leigh Immigration & Travel Records
An index linked to original images of documents for vagrants. These records were draw up for poor people who moved to parishes where their presence was unwanted. They contain much genealogical information.
Indentures and other records that recorded the transportation of Dorset men and women to the colonies.
Details of individuals who left Dorset for New England.
A name index connected to original images of passenger lists recording people travelling from Britain to destinations outside Europe. Records may detail a passenger's age or date of birth, residence, occupation, destination and more.
A full index of passenger lists for vessels arriving in the UK linked to original images. Does not include lists from vessels sailing from European ports. Early entries can be brief, but later entries may include dates of births, occupations, home addresses and more. Useful for documenting immigration.
Leigh Military Records
An index linked to original images of lists men eligible to serve in the militia. Records may include name, residence, occupation, age, height, marital status, disabilities and family details.
A list of Dorset-men who were in the military and registered to vote as absent.
A list of names found on World War One monuments in Dorset, with some service details.
A list of names found on World War Two monuments in Dorset, with some service details.
A searchable list of over 100,000 British Army POWs. Records contains details on the captured, their military career and where they were held prisoner.
Leigh Court & Legal Records
Over 60,000 documents relating to prisoners held at Dorchester Prison. The collection includes admission and discharge books and photographs of the latter prisoners.
Documents relating to the licensing of alehouses. Contains details on the proprietor, establishment and conditions of the licence.
Original images of Dorset parish records. Including: poor rates, overseers, churchwardens, vestry, incumbents' and other records.
The records document Quarter Session judges’ decisions in matters that include settlement inquiries, highway rates, criminal trials, registers of settlement, orders of removal, bastardy examinations, apprenticeships, licensing, contracts, lists of justices, and other matters related to the business of running the county.
Original images of Dorset parish records. Including: poor rates, overseers, churchwardens, vestry, incumbents' and other records.
Leigh Taxation Records
Maps delineating fields in Dorset, which are referenced to documents recording field names, land owners, occupiers, land use and land size.
Digital images of 18th and 19th century records that record landowners and their tenants. The taxable value of the land is given, and sometimes a description of the property. These records can be searched by names and place indices.
Transcriptions of hearth tax records for the county of Dorset.
An index to 11,000,000 parcels of land and property, connected to digital images of registers that record their owner, occupier, description, agricultural use, size and rateable value.
This vital collection details almost 1.2 million properties eligible for land tax. Records include the name of the landowner, occupier, amount assessed and sometimes the name and/or description of the property. It is a useful starting point for locating relevant estate records and establishing the succession of tenancies and freehold. Most records cover 1798, but some extend up to 1811.
Leigh Land & Property Records
A full name index, connected to original images of the registers. These records list those who were eligible to vote and may give a description of an individual's property.
Maps delineating fields in Dorset, which are referenced to documents recording field names, land owners, occupiers, land use and land size.
Digital images of 18th and 19th century records that record landowners and their tenants. The taxable value of the land is given, and sometimes a description of the property. These records can be searched by names and place indices.
A list of freeholders in the county, with their residence, the name of their tenants and the location of their freehold.
A list of Dorset-men who were in the military and registered to vote as absent.
Leigh Directories & Gazetteers
A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key contemporary and historical facts. Each place has a list of residents and businesses. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions.
A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key contemporary and historical facts. Each place has a list of residents and businesses. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions.
A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key contemporary and historical facts. Each place has a list of residents and businesses. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions.
A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key contemporary and historical facts. Each place has a list of residents and businesses. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions.
An exhaustive gazetteer, containing details of settlement's history, governance, churches, postal services, public institutions and more. Also contains lists of residents with their occupation and address.
Leigh Cemeteries
An index to vital details from monuments found at the church.
An index to vital details engraved on gravestones and other monuments across the county of Dorset.
An index to inscriptions found on 56,608 gravestones and monuments in Dorset. The index includes details of relationships.
An index to inscriptions found on over 11,500 gravestones in Dorset. The index includes details of relationships.
Photographs and descriptions of Dorset' most illustrious church monuments, often featuring effigies, medieval inscriptions and heraldic devices.
Leigh Obituaries
The UKs largest repository of obituaries, containing millions of searchable notices.
A growing collection currently containing over 425,000 abstracts of obituaries with reference to the location of the full obituary.
A collection of 364 obituaries of Quakers from the British Isles. The volume was published in 1849 and includes obituaries of those who died in late 1847 through 1848.
This transcribed and searchable work by Sir William Musgrave contains 10,000s of brief obituaries. The work is a reference point for other works containing information on an individual.
A text index and digital images of all editions of a journal containing medical articles and obituaries of medical practitioners.
Leigh Histories & Books
Selected issues of a periodical which contains many historical and genealogical tracts relating to the counties of Somerset and Dorset.
A history of Catholicism in South West England with biographies of noted Catholics. Contains details of the Dominican, Benedictine, and Franciscan orders.
A detailed history of the county's hundreds, parishes and religious houses.
Photographs and images of churches in Dorset.
Short profiles of Dorsetshire churches, containing photographs and bibliographies.
Leigh School & Education Records
A name index connected to digital images of registers recording millions of children educated in schools operated by the National Society for Promoting Religious Education. Records contain a variety of information including genealogical details, education history, illnesses, exam result, fathers occupation and more.
A name index linked to original images of registers recording the education and careers of teachers in England & Wales.
A name index linked to original images of short biographies for over 120,000 Oxford University students. This is a particularly useful source for tracing the ancestry of the landed gentry.
A transcript of a vast scholarly work briefly chronicling the heritage, education and careers of over 150,000 Cambridge University students. This is a particularly useful source for tracing the ancestry of the landed gentry.
A searchable database containing over 90,000 note-form biographies for students of Cambridge University.
Leigh Occupation & Business Records
A collection of nearly 60,000 documents including crew lists, ship agreements and log books for Dorset. Records may contain information of a sailors birth, life, duties and discipline.
Abstracts of apprenticeship indentures initiated by parishes in Dorset. These records provide details on parents' names and occupations.
Over 3,300 documents relating to bounties offered to farmers by the government to grow hemp & flax.
An article describing the life of labourers in Dorset in the 19th century. Includes details on hiring practices and poverty.
An introduction to smuggling in Dorset & Hampshire.
Pedigrees & Family Trees Covering Leigh
A detailed history of the county's hundreds, parishes and religious houses.
Extensive and impeccably sourced genealogies for British, Irish & Manx royalty and nobility. Scroll down to 'British Isles' for relevant sections.
A searchable database of linked genealogies compiled from thousands of reputable and not-so-reputable sources. Contains many details on European gentry & nobility, but covers many countries outside Europe and people from all walks of life.
A searchable book, listing pedigrees of titled families and biographies of their members.
A book containing genealogies and biographies of Britain's titled families.
Leigh Royalty, Nobility & Heraldry Records
A detailed history of the county's hundreds, parishes and religious houses.
Photographs and descriptions of Dorset' most illustrious church monuments, often featuring effigies, medieval inscriptions and heraldic devices.
Extensive and impeccably sourced genealogies for British, Irish & Manx royalty and nobility. Scroll down to 'British Isles' for relevant sections.
A searchable database of linked genealogies compiled from thousands of reputable and not-so-reputable sources. Contains many details on European gentry & nobility, but covers many countries outside Europe and people from all walks of life.
Over 600 pedigrees for English and Welsh families who had a right to bear a coat of arms.
Leigh Church Records
The primary source of documentation for baptisms, marriages and burials before 1837, though extremely useful to the present. Their records can assist tracing a family as far back as 1840.
The parish registers of Leigh are a collection of books essentially documenting births, marriages and deaths from 1712 to 1834.
Original images of Dorset parish records. Including: poor rates, overseers, churchwardens, vestry, incumbents' and other records.
Abstracts of apprenticeship indentures initiated by parishes in Dorset. These records provide details on parents' names and occupations.
Original images of parish registers, searchable by a name index, covering almost all Dorset parishes.
Biographical Directories Covering Leigh
A searchable book, listing pedigrees of titled families and biographies of their members.
A book containing genealogies and biographies of Britain's titled families.
A book containing genealogies and biographies of Britain's titled families.
Brief biographies of Anglican clergy in the UK.
A directory containing lengthy biographies of noted British figures. The work took over two decades to compile. Biographies can be searched by name and are linked to images of the original publication.
Leigh Maps
Maps delineating fields in Dorset, which are referenced to documents recording field names, land owners, occupiers, land use and land size.
A collection of digitalised maps covering the county.
Detailed maps covering much of the UK. They depict forests, mountains, larger farms, roads, railroads, towns, and more.
Maps showing settlements, features and some buildings in mainland Britain.
An index to 11,000,000 parcels of land and property, connected to digital images of registers that record their owner, occupier, description, agricultural use, size and rateable value.
Leigh Reference Works
A beginner’s guide to researching ancestry in England.
Compiled in 1831, this book details the coverage and condition of parish registers in England & Wales.
A comprehensive guide to researching the history of buildings in the British Isles.
A service that provides advanced and custom surname maps for the British Isles and the US.
A dictionary of around 9,000 mottoes for British families who had right to bear arms.
Historical Description
LEIGH is a parish, 3 miles south-east from Yetminster station on the Weymouth branch of the Great Western railway, 6 south-by-west from Sherborne, and 8 southeast from Yeovil, in the Western division of the county, Yetminster hundred, Sherfoorne petty sessional division and union, county court district of Yeovil, rural deanery of Shaftesbury (Sherborne portion), archdeaconry of Dorset and diocese of Salisbury. Leigh was formerly a chapelry of Yetminster, but was made a separate parish in the year 1842, and in December, 1866, was constituted a vicarage. The church of St. Andrew is an edifice of stone, in the Late Perpendicular style, consisting of a chancel, nave of three bays, north aisle, south porch and western embattled tower with pinnacles, containing 4 bells: it was restored, and the north aisle added, mainly by a former incumbent, the Rev. Newton Henry Smart, who died (1854) before the restoration and enlargements were completed, and a stained window at the east end has been erected to his memory: the church was completely restored in 1890, the nave and chancel being reroofed and the former reseated: there are 170 sittings. The register dates from the year 1842. The living is a vicarage, commuted tithe rent-charge £72, average £52, gross yearly value £233, net £194, in the gift of the Bishop of Salisbury, and held since 1890 by the Rev. Henry Phelps Marriott-Dodington B.A. of Trinity College, Cambridge. The vicarage house, built in 1857-9, affords a fine view of the surrounding country; the glebe, including the site of the house, the garden and adjoining field, is about 4 acres. There is a Wesleyan chapel. The Anne and Mary charity of £5 yearly, derived from £200 in 2 ½ per Cents, is to provide a coat and cloak for the best boy and girl in the school; Robert Bridle’s charity, being a rent-charge of £5 yearly, is distributed in money to the poor; Thomas Read’s charity of £1 7s. 6d. yearly, arising from £50 in 2 ¾ per Cents, is distributed in bread to the poor at Christmas. J. K. D. Wingfield-Digby esq. M.P. is lord of the manor. The chief landowners are G. J. Andrews esq. W. P. Cockeram esq. Thomas Ffooks esq. Mr. Chick, Mr. Kellaway, Mr. Stone, Miss Cooke, Mr. Charles Bewsey, Mr. Woolmington, Mr. T. King and Mrs. Beer. The soil and subsoil are Oxford clay. The chief crops are pasture. The area is 2,025 acres; rateable value, £3,780; the population in 1891 was 395.
School (mixed), built in 1861, stands by the road, at the entrance of the vicarage grounds; the school is under the direction of the Committee of Council on Education ; the school will hold 80 children; average attendance, 57.
Most Common Surnames in Leigh
| Rank | Surname | Incidence | Frequency | Percent of Parent | Rank in Yetminster Hundred |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Loveless | 18 | 1:22 | 8.82% | 201 |
| 1 | Gosney | 18 | 1:22 | 15.38% | 356 |
| 3 | Crocker | 14 | 1:29 | 4.00% | 93 |
| 4 | Perris | 13 | 1:31 | 22.41% | 672 |
| 5 | King | 12 | 1:34 | 1.53% | 11 |
| 5 | Hunt | 12 | 1:34 | 1.56% | 12 |
| 5 | Bartlett | 12 | 1:34 | 0.95% | 4 |
| 5 | Stroud | 12 | 1:34 | 7.95% | 274 |
| 5 | Hellier | 12 | 1:34 | 8.05% | 277 |
| 5 | Brake | 12 | 1:34 | 8.16% | 279 |
| 11 | Durden | 11 | 1:37 | 20.37% | 716 |
| 12 | Stayner | 10 | 1:40 | 58.82% | 1,539 |
| 13 | Pollard | 9 | 1:45 | 19.15% | 801 |
| 14 | Cook | 8 | 1:51 | 2.09% | 77 |
| 15 | Thompson | 7 | 1:58 | 4.14% | 246 |
| 15 | Harvey | 7 | 1:58 | 1.80% | 73 |
| 15 | Saunders | 7 | 1:58 | 1.46% | 51 |
| 15 | Read | 7 | 1:58 | 0.99% | 17 |
| 15 | Wills | 7 | 1:58 | 1.62% | 62 |
| 15 | Jolliffe | 7 | 1:58 | 5.11% | 302 |
| 15 | Caines | 7 | 1:58 | 5.34% | 311 |
| 15 | Willsher | 7 | 1:58 | 77.78% | 2,313 |
| 23 | Burt | 6 | 1:67 | 1.10% | 37 |
| 23 | Tarrant | 6 | 1:67 | 27.27% | 1,328 |
| 23 | Barter | 6 | 1:67 | 3.19% | 220 |
| 23 | Notley | 6 | 1:67 | 9.09% | 606 |
| 23 | Willshire | 6 | 1:67 | 40.00% | 1,675 |
| 28 | Whittle | 5 | 1:81 | 1.55% | 108 |
| 28 | Seal | 5 | 1:81 | 8.33% | 649 |
| 28 | Budden | 5 | 1:81 | 1.62% | 116 |
| 28 | Speaks | 5 | 1:81 | 100.00% | 3,470 |
| 32 | Holt | 4 | 1:101 | 3.54% | 373 |
| 32 | English | 4 | 1:101 | 4.94% | 511 |
| 32 | Beer | 4 | 1:101 | 2.78% | 289 |
| 32 | Dicker | 4 | 1:101 | 5.41% | 555 |
| 32 | Jeans | 4 | 1:101 | 1.39% | 126 |
| 32 | Priddle | 4 | 1:101 | 17.39% | 1,283 |
| 32 | Humber | 4 | 1:101 | 16.00% | 1,229 |
| 32 | Fulyard | 4 | 1:101 | 100.00% | 3,917 |
| 40 | Smith | 3 | 1:135 | 0.19% | 2 |
| 40 | Barrett | 3 | 1:135 | 0.74% | 68 |
| 40 | Wheeler | 3 | 1:135 | 1.30% | 172 |
| 40 | Hutchings | 3 | 1:135 | 1.22% | 161 |
| 40 | Strong | 3 | 1:135 | 4.69% | 615 |
| 40 | Follett | 3 | 1:135 | 5.45% | 707 |
| 40 | Honeybun | 3 | 1:135 | 2.40% | 324 |
| 40 | Troll | 3 | 1:135 | 100.00% | 4,444 |
| 40 | Paulley | 3 | 1:135 | 9.09% | 1,029 |
| 40 | Steade | 3 | 1:135 | 100.00% | 4,444 |
| 50 | Harris | 2 | 1:202 | 0.25% | 10 |
| 50 | Cox | 2 | 1:202 | 0.22% | 7 |
| 50 | Andrews | 2 | 1:202 | 0.30% | 23 |
| 50 | Bird | 2 | 1:202 | 1.57% | 321 |
| 50 | Ferguson | 2 | 1:202 | 20.00% | 2,156 |
| 50 | Lane | 2 | 1:202 | 0.37% | 38 |
| 50 | Kerr | 2 | 1:202 | 22.22% | 2,313 |
| 50 | Short | 2 | 1:202 | 0.58% | 97 |
| 50 | Searle | 2 | 1:202 | 4.26% | 801 |
| 50 | House | 2 | 1:202 | 0.35% | 33 |
| 50 | Collings | 2 | 1:202 | 8.70% | 1,283 |
| 50 | Bridle | 2 | 1:202 | 0.58% | 97 |
| 50 | Jeanes | 2 | 1:202 | 1.67% | 344 |
| 50 | Whitting | 2 | 1:202 | 20.00% | 2,156 |
| 50 | Banger | 2 | 1:202 | 3.33% | 649 |
| 65 | Taylor | 1 | 1:404 | 0.14% | 15 |
| 65 | Barnes | 1 | 1:404 | 0.14% | 18 |
| 65 | Ball | 1 | 1:404 | 0.58% | 241 |
| 65 | Hardy | 1 | 1:404 | 0.27% | 84 |
| 65 | Willis | 1 | 1:404 | 0.45% | 183 |
| 65 | Park | 1 | 1:404 | 0.82% | 334 |
| 65 | Bush | 1 | 1:404 | 0.92% | 385 |
| 65 | Grey | 1 | 1:404 | 2.63% | 927 |
| 65 | Marks | 1 | 1:404 | 1.52% | 606 |
| 65 | Sargent | 1 | 1:404 | 0.68% | 279 |
| 65 | Steer | 1 | 1:404 | 2.94% | 1,007 |
| 65 | Pearse | 1 | 1:404 | 6.25% | 1,616 |
| 65 | Sibley | 1 | 1:404 | 1.03% | 437 |
| 65 | Warr | 1 | 1:404 | 0.52% | 213 |
| 65 | Staines | 1 | 1:404 | 10.00% | 2,156 |
| 65 | Sly | 1 | 1:404 | 2.50% | 895 |
| 65 | Northover | 1 | 1:404 | 0.30% | 101 |
| 65 | Stainer | 1 | 1:404 | 0.60% | 248 |
| 65 | Mullis | 1 | 1:404 | 50.00% | 5,091 |
| 65 | Studley | 1 | 1:404 | 1.37% | 560 |
| 65 | Warry | 1 | 1:404 | 3.45% | 1,118 |
| 65 | Fischer | 1 | 1:404 | 50.00% | 5,091 |
| 65 | Roynon | 1 | 1:404 | 100.00% | 6,158 |
| 65 | Bewsey | 1 | 1:404 | 10.00% | 2,156 |
| 65 | Dewland | 1 | 1:404 | 1.85% | 716 |
| 65 | Woodforde | 1 | 1:404 | 50.00% | 5,091 |
| 65 | Jessom | 1 | 1:404 | 100.00% | 6,158 |
| 65 | Chersey | 1 | 1:404 | 100.00% | 6,158 |