William Legh, 1st Baron Newton

William John Legh, 1st Baron Newton, DL (19 December 1828 – 15 December 1898), was a British Conservative politician and Volunteer officer.^[1]

William John Legh (1828–1898), 1st Baron Newton

Early life

Legh was the son of William Legh.

Career

He sat as a Member of Parliament for Lancashire South from 1859 to 1865 and for Cheshire East from 1868 to 1885. On 27 August 1892 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Newton, of Newton-in-Makerfield in the County Palatine of Lancaster.^[2]

On 5 May 1866 he was commissioned as Lieutenant-Colonel to command the 4th Administrative Battalion, Cheshire Rifle Volunteer Corps, and after his period of command he was appointed Honorary Colonel of the part-time battalion on 25 January 1873.^[3]

Personal life

Lord Newton married Emily Jane, daughter of the Venerable Charles Nourse Wodehouse, Archdeacon of Norwich, in 1856.

He died in December 1898, aged 69, and was succeeded in the barony by his eldest son Thomas, who became a government minister. His great-grandson Peter Legh, 4th Baron Newton, was also a Conservative politician and government minister. Lady Newton died in 1901.^[4]

Arms

Coat of arms of William Legh, 1st Baron Newton

Crest Issuant out of a ducal coronet Or a ram's head Argent armed Or in the mouth a laurel slip Vert the whole debruised by a pallet wavy Azure.[5] Escutcheon Gules a cross engrailed Argent in the chief point on an inescutcheon Sable semee of estoiles an arm in armour embowed of the second the hand Proper holding a pennon Silver all within a bordure wavy Or. Supporters Two mastiffs Proper collared Sable. Motto En Dieu Est Ma Foi (In God Is My Faith)