Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 33.djvu/223

Leyson  naturalist. Early in life he showed a talent for modelling, and adopted sculpture as a profession. He exhibited at Manchester (1832) the model of a greyhound and a colossal statue of ‘Spartacus.’ In 1843 he completed a large head of ‘Satan,’ which he sent to London for exhibition. He resided for a time in London, and studied design under [q. v.] A statue by him of ‘Kilmeny, the Sinless Maiden,’ was purchased for the Literary and Philosophical Society of Halifax. Perhaps Leyland's most important work was a statue of Dr. Beckwith of York, which was placed in York Minster. Leyland did not exhibit at the Royal Academy, but in 1834 and 1839 sent models of groups of hounds to the Society of British Artists in Suffolk Street. His group of African bloodhounds was described by Landseer as ‘the noblest modern work of its kind.’ It is now, with a colossal figure, ‘The Thracian Falconer,’ in the Salford Museum. Leyland died at Halifax on 26 Jan. 1851, aged 39. 

LEYSON, THOMAS (1549–1608?), poet and physician, was born at Neath in Glamorganshire in 1549. He was educated at Winchester, becoming scholar in 1563. In 1567 he was elected scholar of New College, Oxford, where he was fellow from 1569 to 1586. He graduated B.A. about March 1571, and proceeded M.A. 1 Feb. 1575–6, and M.B. 8 July 1583. In 1583 he was proctor of the university, and took part in the contest then proceeding between the proctors and the vice-chancellor as to the appointment of the clerk of the market. At Oxford Leyson was famed for his Latin verses. When Albertus à Lasco, nephew of [q. v.], visited Oxford in 1583, Leyson disputed before him. Leaving Oxford he settled at Bath and practised physic, and died there some time after 1607. He was buried in St. James's Church, Bath. Leyson was a friend of Sir John Harrington and Sir Edward Stradling. Stradling's house, St. Donats Castle in Glamorganshire, suggested a Latin poem by Leyson, which was turned into Welsh by Dr. John Davydd Rhys, and published, without date as ‘Venustum Poema.’ Reference is made in it to the medical knowledge which Leyson acquired about 1580; the date 1569 which has been assigned to the publication (Notes and Queries, 3rd ser. vii. 35) is consequently too early. Wood says that Leyson wrote much Latin verse, which was printed, but it has never been collected. 

LHUYD. [See also, , and .]

LHUYD, EDWARD (1660–1709), Celtic scholar and naturalist, born in 1660, was the natural son of Edward Llwyd of Llanvorda, near Oswestry. The father was the son of another Edward Llwyd, who died in 1662, and he was the last male representative of this branch of the Llwyd family (Byegones, i. 122;, Royal Tribes of Wales, ed. 1887, p. 196). His mother was Bridget, second daughter of a Mr. Pryse of Gogerddan, Cardiganshire, and it is said that Llwyd was born at Glan Ffraid, in the parish of Llanfihangel Geneu'r Glyn in that county. He entered Jesus College, Oxford, 31 Oct. 1682. Wood (Athenæ, iv. 723), confusing him with another Edward Lloyd from Kidwelly in Carmarthenshire, wrongly gives the date as 1687. He did not proceed to a degree, but in 1684 was appointed under-keeper of the recently established Ashmolean Museum, and in 1690, on the resignation of Dr. Robert Plot, he was appointed head keeper. He travelled much for the purpose of collecting specimens in natural history for the museum, and in 1693 he was employed by Dr. Gibson to collect materials in Wales for a new edition of Camden's ‘Britannia,’ which was published in 1695. Soon after Lhuyd issued a circular inviting subscriptions to enable him to undertake an extended antiquarian and scientific tour for five years. A public subscription was opened in 1697, whereupon he issued an elaborate syllabus, in the form of ‘Parochial Queries in order to a Geographical Dictionary and Natural History, &c., of Wales, by the Undertaker Edward Lhuyd,’ and set out for Wales. He visited every county there, made extracts from manuscripts, copied inscriptions, and collected curiosities.

From Montgomery, he dated (under 1 Nov. 1698) the preface to his first published work, ‘Lithophylacii Britannici ichnographia; sive Lapidum aliorumque Fossilium Britannicorum singulari figura insignium distributio … cum Epistolis de quibusdam circa marina fossilia et stirpes minerales præsertim notandis,’ London, 1699, 8vo. This work, which is a methodical catalogue of the figured fossils of the Ashmolean Museum, Lhuyd had expected the university to print at its own expense, but this being refused, it was printed at the expense of Sir Isaac Newton, Sir Hans Sloane, and a few other of Lhuyd's learned friends, and the issue was limited to 120 copies. Owing to Lhuyd's absence from