History of Lyme

Origins

On 4 January 1398, King Richard II granted the land at Lyme to Piers Legh (c.1360–99) and his wife Margaret Legh (d. 1428). This grant honoured an act of bravery by Margaret’s grandfather, Sir Thomas Danyers (c. 1294–1354), who rescued the Black Prince’s royal standard during the Battle of Crécy in 1346. For this deed—described as ‘replanting the Prince’s banner at Cressi’—Sir Thomas was promised an annual payment of £40 marks (160 shillings), until it could be exchanged for land worth £20 marks a year. Sir Thomas died in 1354 without making the exchange, and the right passed to his heir, Margaret. More than fifty years later, in 1398, the long-delayed grant was finally fulfilled.

Lyme became the family’s hunting domain. It stood on the Cheshire–Derbyshire border, its name derived from the Latin limes, meaning ‘frontier.’ The deer park was enclosed soon after, and by 1400 a small house had been built on the site. It served as a secondary residence to Bradley in Cheshire, which Margaret also inherited from her grandfather.

Marrying into influential and wealthy families greatly benefited the Leghs over the centuries. They were astute in arranging marriages, using them to increase their wealth, expand their estates, and elevate their social standing. Sir Peter II (d. 1422), son of Piers I and Margaret, married Joan of Haydock (d. 1439), daughter, and heiress of Sir Gilbert de Haydock. This union brought extensive Lancashire estates into Legh ownership, including a second property named Bradley. The full significance of this land was not realised until three centuries later, when coal was discovered beneath it. Until then, the Leghs derived their wealth primarily from their vast landholdings in Cheshire and Lancashire.

The 16th and 17th Centuries

Sir Piers VII (1514–89) made Lyme the family’s main residence, extending the north range, adding its frontispiece, and probably rebuilding the Great Hall and Great Chamber—now the Entrance Hall and Drawing Room. His grandson Sir Peter IX (1563–1636) enlarged the house further, enclosed the park with a stone wall under license from Elizabeth I, and built two banqueting houses—one, the Paddock Cottage, still survives. He also laid the foundations of the present garden.

Richard Legh (1634–87) introduced major changes after his marriage to Elizabeth Chicheley in 1661. Her father, Sir Thomas Chicheley, became a key advisor. A visit from the Duke of York (later King James II) inspired improvements in 1675–76, including the decoration of the state apartment—now the Morning Room and Yellow Bedroom. To brighten these north-facing rooms, Richard installed sash windows on the north front, making Lyme likely the first house in the North to feature them.

In 1687, Peter XII (1669–1744) inherited Lyme on the death of his father, Richard. In the same year, he married his second cousin, heiress Frances Legh of Bruche (1670–1728). Peter became embroiled in Royalist plots to restore the exiled James II. Twice arrested for high treason; he was eventually acquitted and turned his attention to improving Lyme.

The 18th Century

Peter XII employed the Venetian architect Giacomo Leoni to transform the exterior of the house into an Italianate palace. In 1725, Leoni designed the west and south fronts and the courtyard. Work continued for ten years during which time he also created the three great 18th-century spaces of the interior: the Entrance Hall, Grand Staircase and Saloon.

Peter XII was able to take financial advantage of the coal discovered beneath the Lancashire estates by his father. He established commercial coal mining, and coal production became an important income stream for the Leghs.

Peter XII and Frances did not have children of their own, but they raised the nine children of his brother Thomas (1675–1717) and sister-in-law Henrietta Maria (d. 1722). He was succeeded by his nephew Peter XIII (1708–92), who in 1737 married Martha Benet (d. 1787), heiress of Thomas Benet of Salthrop. Their lasting mark on Lyme is seen in the sumptuous furniture they acquired, much of which survives today including the giltwood chandeliers in the Library, Drawing Room and Saloon, and the harpsichord by John Hitchcock of London.

Peter XIII’s brother, Peers Legh (d. 1774), was a merchant in Liverpool and was involved with the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Family papers record his investment in four slave ships—William, Ann Galley, Chesterfield, and Saint George—which sailed between 1746 and 1754. When Peers died suddenly in 1774, his main heir was Peter XIII, who inherited £315 5s 4d, comprising furniture, cattle, corn, cash, and goods.