The Leshley Family

Background

The Leshley family is a small family from the southern counties of England, notably Sussex and Kent. It is possible that it originated as a misspelling of the name of Lashley. In fact the altered name has also been found written as Lashley, such as on the wedding certificate of Caroline Elizabeth who was married to Edward Forrester Reffell in 1856.

Branches of interest

There were connections between the Reffell family and the branch of the Leshley family which originated from the Arundel area of Sussex, headed by James Leshley (1874-1868) a brewer. In fact the happy couple mentioned above were actually first cousins. Following the death of Madame Caballero born Mary Ann Leshley, the Leshley family 'won' the legal battle of the contested wills (or rather lack of them), and ended up owning a considerable number of properties in Sussex and London.

Notable people

Mary Ann Leshley (Madame Caballero) - Tunbridge Wells Belle
Heather Cosens - Lost in the Second World War