The Battle Abbey Roll. Vol. I.
by
The Duchess of Cleveland.

Prepared by Michael A. Linton
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Delee : "The Lees of Lee, and Darnhall, county Chester, the Lees of Quarendon, Bucks, of whom was the gallant Sir Henry Lee, K.G., and the Lees of Ditchley, Earls of Lichfield, spring from the De Lee of Battle Abbey."—Sir Bernard Burke. They are, however, generally believed to have taken their name, about the time of Edward III., from the manor of Lee in Cheshire, the county where we find, according to the homely adage,

"As many Lees
As there are fleas."

Most probably the family here indicated is that of De la Ley, in the county Durham. The Chapelry of Witton-Gilbert derives its name from its ancient lord, Gilbert de la Ley, a Baron of the Bishopric circ. 1158-1180. "His estates extended over a vast dristrict Westwards, from the Brune to the Conebeck and the Tame, including Stanley, Beamish, and Tanfield-de-la Leigh, which still retains, like Witton, part of the name of its ancient owners. The chief evidence of these old Lords of Witton is to be found in their donations to the Church."—Surtee's Durham. Philip de la Ley held Witton in 1220, but his son proved the last of his race, and his grand-daughter Alyne, the wife first of William de Dalden, and then of Sir Robert Conyers, became sole heir. A lazar-house founded by Gilbert de la Ley for five poor lepers "stood a few score yards to the N. of the church: it is now a farm house belonging to the corpse-land of the S. stall of Durham Cathedral. A pointed window still remains, studded with the nail-head ornament I.R."—Ibid. The manors of Tanfield and Beamish were granted by Philip de la Ley to Guiscard Charron, one of the Bishop of Durham's Justices, in 1279; and conveyed by Joan de Charron to Sir Bertram de Monboucher about 1309.