Twelfth Generation

2048. Henry LEONARD was born about 1555 in England. Henry Leonard and the origins of James Leonard:

"James, son of Thomas, son of Henry Leonard of Billston, Staffordshire..." McKenzie, Colonial Families, Vol. IV, quoted by George Marston Leonard in his notes.

Hannah Leonard Dean's account, dictated to her grand-nephew, Zephaniah Leonard, states that Henry Leonard was her great-grandfather. See George Marston Leonard's Introduction for more about Hannah's account.

W. D. John & Anne Simox reported that James and Henry Leonard left the Hanbury ironworks at Pontypool about 1646 and migrated to the New England colonies. They were "descendants of John Leonard (Lyonarde), a Frenchman who arrived in England in 1514 and had constructed some of the early water-driven blast furnaces in the Wealden district of Southeast England (Sussex)." Unfortunately, no documentation is offered. See also: Brian G. Awty, "The Continental Origins of the Wealden Ironworkers, 1451-1544," "Aliens in the Ironworking Areas of the Weal: The Sussex Rolls, 1524-1603," and "Provisional Identifications of Ironworkers among French Immigrants Listed in the Denization Rolls of 1541 and 1544," Economic History Review, 2nd Series, Vol. XXXIV, #4, Nov. 1981, Wealden Iron Research Group Bulletin, 1984, 2nd series, 4:13-17 and 23 and 73, and Wealdon Iron Research Group Bulletin, 1979, pp. 2-10. As quoted from Bill Barton, "Pre-American Ancestry of our Leonard Ironworkers," from his website, <freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~bart/LEONARD2.htm>. An article, "Glimpses into the English and Continental Ancestry of Certain Braintree and Saugus Ironworkers of about 1650: Vinton, Leonard, Pray, Pinion, Tyler, and Russell" by Robert E. Bowman (The Essex Genealogist, May 2000), also postulates and supports a French origin for the ironworker Leonards.

Bill Barton's theory is that that the French ancestor of the above Leonard line is Henry Leonard, alias Quintin (baptized January 1, 1561/2 at Etchingham, Sussex, not his brother John (baptized January 29, 1547/8 at Frant). The father of Henry and John was Martin Lenard, alias Quintin (buried March 2, 1591/2 at Burwash), fyner, and the grandfather was Quintin Leonard. The above Henry Leonard Quintin had a son (?) Lenard baptized February 22, 1590/1 at Fletching, Sussex. These two paragraphs from Bill Barton, "Pre-American Ancestry of Our Leonard Ironworkers," website.

Fanny Leonard Koster ("Annals of the Leonard Family, private printing, 1911) said the earliest record she found of a Leonard was John Leonard, 1509 - March 12, 1591. He married Elizabeth Harmon. He was a barrister of Lincoln's Inn and Prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas. He was the son of John Leonard, St. Botolph's Church, Chevening, Kent, England, who d. 1555, age 76 (b. 1479). He was prothonotary of North Wales. He purchased Chevening Manor "in the 4th year of King Edward VI." Chevening is to the north of Sussex 30 or so miles. One of his line, Sampson Leonard, married Margaret Fiennes, Lady Dacre, through whom the title of Lord Dacre and the castle at Herstmonceux in Sussex is said to have passed.

There was an iron works and forge on the Herstmonceux estate in 1574. In 1626 patent rights for making steel were granted to Sampson Lennard's grandson, Richard Lennard, Lord Dacre, who died at Herstmonceux in 1630 and is buried at Herstmonceux. There were also extensive iron works near Chevening, in the western part of Kent on the Sussex line, which gradually had to be abandoned. Queen Elizabeth was one of those who urged persons acquainted with the iron business to go to Monmouthshire to develop the iron there. This may account for the Leonards of Kent and Sussex going to Monmouthshire to manage the iron works. (John S. Wurts, "Magna Charta Series, Parts I&II, p. 254.) There were ironworks during this period in Pontypool, Monmouthshire, and near Pensford/Publow in Somersetshire.

There was also an ironworks at Billston, Staffordshire, at which Leonards worked. (Fanny Leonard Koster, Annals of the Leonard Family, p. 27). James and Thomas were ironworkers. Several of Thomas' children were born at Bilston or Cleobury Mortimer.

Some genealogists, including Fanny Leonard Koster, have Thomas as the son of Sampson Leonard. There's mention by people who have seen Sampson's will said that he died a bachelor (not true, and that doesn't really explain how the Dacre title remained in the family four or five more generations). According to Koster, Samson and Margaret had three sons -- Henry, George, and Thomas -- and five daughters -- Anne, Mary, Margaret, Elizabeth, and Frances. Sir Thomas Barrett Lennard was the last of the Leonard line to hold the title (d. February 12, 1786). See Appendix A for correspondence between Sir Harry Barrett-Lennard and Elisha Clark Leonard regarding Leonard claims to Dacre ancestry.

A Henry Leonard was made Governor of Nova Scotia in 1632. From there he went to Maryland. A James Leonard was transported on July 24, 1635, on the "Assurance" from Gravesend to Virginia with son Thomas. From there they may have gone to Providence and later to Lynn and Braintree, assuming it's the same Leonards, doubtful since "our" James' son Thomas wasn't born until 1841. Lucy A. or Elizabeth F. Leonard is listed as a source for this information.

Other notes:

St. Leonard's is a parish in County Sussex, adjoining Hastings on the coast. St. Leonard's forest near Horsham, also in Sussex, is part of the ancient Andredwald. Leonard is not an ususual name in the England of the period.

Marriages at London: A Henry Leonarde married Isabella Fuller May 6, 1576, at St. Martin in the Field, London. He was born about 1551 near St. Martin in the Field, London. Henry Leonard of Waltham, Holy Cross, Essex, yeoman, and Mary Eves of St. Martin La Grad, spinster, at St. Leonards in said precinct, August 12, 1616. But is either our Henry?

A Henry Leonard appears in the Cheshire (Chester) City Council minutes of 1618, giving him L100 of the City's money to put 51 poor people to work in fustian making. He apparently had some deal with the Company of Mersers and Ironmongers to do this. A mercer is one who deals in the textile fabric, and fustian is a cotton fabric. But is this our Henry?

Check out TAG 10:162-166, TAG 10:200-201, TAG 11:53, and TAG 53:101-104 for Leonard material. Internet site cites Leonards as sons/daughters of Thomas and Elizabeth Leonard of Publow (later Pensford, referred to as Spensford, Somersetshire) Somersetshire, England.

Manning Leonard visited Monmouthshire in 1864, found nothing useful in the records, but an aged man by the name of John Leonard took him to the graveyard near the ancient church of Trevethan where early Leonards named John and James were buried.

There is a Rice Leonard of Rehoboth (in 1654), dau. Rachel b. Jan. 26, 1673, Sarah b. 1676, Sary buried in February 1676, unaccounted for. According to Manning Leonard, he had no surviving male issue. Also a Benjamin Leonard of Rehoboth, about the same time. And an Elizabeth Leonard, child of Richard Leonard, born beginning of August 1652, Mary, born beginning of September 1654, Sarah, born latter end of August 1651, unnamed, born September 20, 1654, in Rehoboth VR -- Births. They haven't been connected to the James Leonard line. A "Mr. Leonard" is on a list of those whose shares were declared forfeited to the town of Rehoboth for non-fulfillment of conditions on October 24, 1643. And on June 9th, 1645, lots were drawn for the great plain in Rehoboth, with "Mr. Leonard" no. 37 on the list.

St. Leonard was a nobleman serving in the court of the French King, Clovis I, in the first half of the sixth century. He influenced the king to set prisoners free. He became a hermit near Limoges and died in 559 A.D. He is the patron saint of all prisoners, captives, and slaves. His saint's day is November 6th. In Germany he is also the patron saint of horses.

Children were: