Elizabeth Legh (1694-1734) was the first collector of George Frederic Handel’s music. From 1715 she spent much of her time at her parents’ London home in Hanover Square, near to Handel’s house in Brook Street, and in her early 20s openly expressed her great joy in response to his music. Legh was herself a skilled harpsichord player and she often acquired copies of Handel’s work soon after their composition.
Growing up in the family home of Adlington Hall, Cheshire, Legh was well-educated and steeped in her family’s longstanding love of music. Her status as an unmarried woman and her inherited wealth granted her the freedom to pursue her interest in music and her passion for collecting. Her draft will details the many instruments and volumes of sheet music that she owned.
This display in the Gerald Coke Handel Library is a rare opportunity to see items from her unique collection.
Image: Elizabeth Legh’s Will (detail), reproduced with the permission of Cheshire Archives & Local Studies
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