William Legge 1st Earl Dartmouth 1672-1750

Paternal Family Tree: Legge

In November 1667 [his father] George Legge 1st Baron Dartmouth [aged 20] and [his mother] Barbara Archbold Baroness Dartmouth [aged 17] were married.

On 14th October 1672 William Legge 1st Earl Dartmouth was born to George Legge 1st Baron Dartmouth [aged 25] and Barbara Archbold Baroness Dartmouth [aged 22].

Around 1682 William Legge 1st Earl Dartmouth [aged 9] educated at Westminster School [Map].

In 1682 [his father] George Legge 1st Baron Dartmouth [aged 35] was created 1st Baron Dartmouth. [his mother] Barbara Archbold Baroness Dartmouth [aged 32] by marriage Baroness Dartmouth.

John Evelyn's Diary. 11th June 1683. The Lord Dartmouth [aged 10] was elected Master of the Trinity House; son to [his father] George Legge [aged 36], late Master of the Ordnance, and one of the grooms of the bedchamber; a great favorite of the Duke's [aged 49], an active and understanding gentleman in sea affairs.

John Evelyn's Diary. 20th July 1685. The Trinity House met this day, which should have ben on ye Monday after Trinity, but was put off by reason of the Royal Charter being so large that it could not be ready before. Some immunities were super-added. Mr. Pepys [aged 52], Secretary to ye Admiralty, was a second time chosen Master. There were present the Duke of Grafton [aged 21], Lord Dartmouth [aged 12], Master of ye Ordnance, the Commissioners of ye Navy, and brethren of the Corporation. We went to Church according to costome, and then took barge to the Trinity House [Map], in London, where we had a great dinner, above 80 at one table.

Around 1687 William Legge 1st Earl Dartmouth [aged 14] educated at King's College, Cambridge University [Map].

On 25th October 1691 [his father] George Legge 1st Baron Dartmouth [aged 44] died at Tower of London [Map]. He was buried at Holy Trinity Church, Minories [Map]. His son William Legge [aged 19] succeeded 2nd Baron Dartmouth.

In July 1700 William Legge 1st Earl Dartmouth [aged 27] and Anne Finch Countess Dartmouth were married. She the daughter of Heneage Finch 1st Earl Aylesford [aged 51] and Elizabeth Banks Countess Aylesford.

Around 1704 [his son] George Legge was born to William Legge 1st Earl Dartmouth [aged 31] and [his wife] Anne Finch Countess Dartmouth. He married before 20th June 1731 Elizabeth Kaye Baroness North and Guildford, daughter of Arthur Kaye 3rd Baronet, and had issue.

Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke

Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.

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On 29th May 1708 [his son] Henry Bilson Legge was born to William Legge 1st Earl Dartmouth [aged 35] and [his wife] Anne Finch Countess Dartmouth. He married in or before 1757 Mary Stawell 1st Baroness Stawell, daughter of Edward Stawell 4th Baron Stawell, and had issue.

In 1709 [his daughter] Barbara Legge Baroness Bagot was born to William Legge 1st Earl Dartmouth [aged 36] and [his wife] Anne Finch Countess Dartmouth. She married 27th July 1724 Walter Wagstaffe Bagot 5th Baronet, son of Edward Bagot 4th Baronet, and had issue.

In 1710 [his son] Edward Legge was born to William Legge 1st Earl Dartmouth [aged 37] and [his wife] Anne Finch Countess Dartmouth.

In 1711 William Legge 1st Earl Dartmouth [aged 38] was created 1st Earl Dartmouth. [his wife] Anne Finch Countess Dartmouth by marriage Countess Dartmouth.

Before 6th November 1715 [his brother-in-law] Heneage Finch 2nd Earl Aylesford [aged 32] and Mary Fisher Countess Aylesford [aged 25] were married. He the son of [his father-in-law] Heneage Finch 1st Earl Aylesford [aged 66] and Elizabeth Banks Countess Aylesford.

In 1718 [his mother] Barbara Archbold Baroness Dartmouth [aged 68] died.

On 22nd July 1719 [his father-in-law] Heneage Finch 1st Earl Aylesford [aged 70] died. His son [his brother-in-law] Heneage [aged 36] succeeded 2nd Earl Aylesford. Mary Fisher Countess Aylesford [aged 29] by marriage Countess Aylesford.

On 27th July 1724 [his son-in-law] Walter Wagstaffe Bagot 5th Baronet [aged 21] and Barbara Legge Baroness Bagot [aged 15] were married. She by marriage Lady Bagot of Blithfield Hall. They had eight sons and eight daughters. She the daughter of William Legge 1st Earl Dartmouth [aged 51] and Anne Finch Countess Dartmouth.

Before 20th June 1731 George Legge [aged 27] and Elizabeth Kaye Baroness North and Guildford [aged 24] were married. He the son of William Legge 1st Earl Dartmouth [aged 58] and Anne Finch Countess Dartmouth.

On 29th August 1732 [his son] George Legge [aged 28] died.

In July 1740 [his daughter] Anne Legge died.

The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy

The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.

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On 19th September 1747 [his son] Edward Legge [aged 37] died.

On 15th December 1750 William Legge 1st Earl Dartmouth [aged 78] died. His grandson William [aged 19] succeeded 2nd Earl Dartmouth, 3rd Baron Dartmouth.

On 30th November 1751 [his former wife] Anne Finch Countess Dartmouth died.

[his daughter] Anne Legge was born to William Legge 1st Earl Dartmouth and Anne Finch Countess Dartmouth.

[his son] Heneage Legge was born to William Legge 1st Earl Dartmouth and Anne Finch Countess Dartmouth.