Stanley Leighton

Who was Stanley Leighton?

Stanley Leighton was an English barrister, landowner, artist and Conservative politician.

Leighton was the younger son of Sir Baldwin Leighton, 7th Baronet, of Loton Park, and his wife Mary Parker. He was educated at Harrow School and Balliol College, Oxford. He then attended Inner Temple and was called to the bar on 18 November 1861, proceeding to the Oxford Circuit. In 1867 he travelled to the colonies with his friend and fellow-barrister, Rees Davies. His diaries record a trip to India and Ceylon in 1867-1868 and the pair visited Australia in 1868 where Leighton produced many original sketches. In 1869 his father passed on to him the Sweeney estate at Oswestry which had come to his mother through the Parker family. He became J.P. for Shropshire in 1869 and also Deputy Lieutenant. He was also a Captain of the 15th Shropshire Rifle Volunteers which he remained until 1888

Leighton owned brickworks at Sweeney, near Oswestry, which he leased to the Oswestry Coal & Brick Co. Ltd. before 1880, then to the Sweeney Brick Co. Ltd., and after 1885 it was leased to Kay & Hindle Ltd. as the Sweeney Brick & Terra-cotta Works. In 1875, he purchased Llwyd's Mansion, an impressive timber framed building in the centre of Oswestry dating from 1604, which was then renovated and divided into shops.