L'ECLAIREUR
May 18, 2000
1000
Years of History with the Saint Leger Family
Originally from the town of
Eu, the Saint Leger family decided
to celebrate its 1000 years of history in the town of kings. The ceremony took
place Saturday, May 13, in the presence of Madame
the Countess of Paris.
The ancestors of Robert de Saint
Leger left Normany a long time ago in search of other horizons. And yet, it
is in this town that many of his distant cousins decided to celebrate 1000 of
their family history. Having come form England, Argentina, South Africa and
France, some 250 related persons, met last weekend in the royal city." The arrival of the illustrious Saint Leger family is a great time for
the town of Eu, royal city, always seeking noble and historical events" exclaimed
Francois Gouet" It was a bet, a difficult challenge. But it was a great success."
A Family in the Diaspora
This reunion was in fact a success. Its only purpose was to celebrate
1000 years of history of a family which owes its origin to Robert de Saint Leger who
went to the conquest of England at the side of William the Conqueror in 1066. Later on, Sir Thomas de Saint Leger,
Ambassador of France and married to the sister of Kings Edward IV and Richard III, becomes famous by signing the Treaty of
Picquigny with Louis XI. Sir Anthony de Saint Leger, Knight of the Garter and three times Vice-Roy of
Ireland, brings peace to Ireland under Henry
VIII and Edward VI. Another Anthony
de Saint Leger, a Major General, creates in 1776 the famous Saint Leger Derby. Two centuries later,
most of the masculine branches of the Saint
Legers had practically disappeared
except some cadets in Ulcombe (between England and South Africa). However, the
feminine branches are still numerous. Only the French branch has several male
descendants. Dominique de Saint Leger, who organized the
millenium reunion of his family is from the Savoie. It was a difficult and
courageous bet because the family is
dispersed all over, especially in England, the United States , South Africa,
Argentina, New Zealand and Australia.
A Historical Bond
Aware of the difficuties of organzing such an event, Francois Gouet, the mayor of Eu, decided to give the name of Robert de Saint Leger to the passage
behind the collegiale in the presence of Madame
the Countess of Paris and the mayors of Saint- Leger- aux- Bois and
Saint- Leger- sur- Bresle. "The inauguration of this passage is the
bond that the town of Eu wishes to have with the Saint Leger family," said the mayhor. "In the XIIth
century, Thomas de Saint Leger
became a monk in the Abbey of Notre Dame of Eu. Thus he was at the side of
Saint Laurent O'Toole, archbishop of Dublin and our patron saint, during his
last moments on earth. With William
the Conqueror and Saint Laurent
O'Toole, it is the Saint Leger
family which has cemented the junction of 115 years of our local history.
Therefore it is justified that the name of this passage be dedicated to Robert de Saint Leger.