Legard baronets


The Legard Baronetcy, of Ganton in the County of York, is a title in the Baronetage of England. Since 1959, the family seat has been Scampston Hall, in Malton, North Yorkshire.
The baronetcy was created on 29 December 1660 for John Legard, a Royalist member of the Yorkshire gentry who fought in the Civil War and sat as the Member of Parliament for Scarborough after the Restoration.

The Legard Family

The family has been long-established in North Yorkshire, in the region north-east of York and south of the North York Moors. It is particularly associated with Ganton and can trace a presence there to the 1500s: the baronetcy is identified with Ganton, and Sir John's father, grandfather and great-grandfather were also all from Ganton and were, incidentally, also all called John. Other associated places are concentrated around the eastern part of the old North Riding, along the Vale of Pickering and include Ryedale, Malton, past Ganton, to Scarborough. To the south of this area, there is some association with places in the old East Riding, such as Watton, and Anlaby now on the outskirts of Hull.
The surname is generally pronounced Ledge-yard, but has also been spelled, and pronounced, Le Gard. It is said this name can be traced to the Norman Conquest. Confusingly, some first names recur in successive generations: the name John was popular for 7 generations in succession, and Digby has been used for 4 generations in succession; both names still recur as additional names, particularly Digby. The name Thomas is also popular over the generations. Distinctive names used as given names include Digby, Darcy and Anlaby.

Family members

The eleventh Baronet was Chairman of the East Riding of Yorkshire County Council and also represented Scarborough in the House of Commons.
Several other members of the family, all descendants of the fifth Baronet, have also achieved some prominence. They are from two branches:
Descendants of the Reverend William Legard, the fourth son of the fifth Baronet:
Descendants of Digby Legard, the sixth son of the fifth Baronet:
The heir apparent to the baronetcy is Christopher John Charles Legard, elder son of the 15th Baronet; and has issue.