Extract from Svenskt biografiskt lexikon XXII

Leijell, a descendant of Scotland. The name's first known representative in Sweden was Henrik Leyell (dead between 1609 and 1616). He has appeared in 1569, when he was named in a roll among Scottish officers in Swedish service.

In 1578, Leyell was the king's “minor” page and by letters 1578, 1581 and 1587 (Brännman) he received a number of farms in Östergötland and Småland as pledge, of which Gölhult in Järeda, Kalm, 1596, 1603 and 1605 was mentioned as his seat.

He was engaged in 1597 (Djurklou) with a daughter of Ulf Persson (Halvhjort; band 18, page 71). In the literature Leyell is most famous for his discovery of a "golden mountain" in Småland, which prompted a royal letter of 1581 saying that his estate would become his eternal property if he could start up mining there; possibly it is Ädelfors in Alseda, Jönköping that was in mind, which cannot be said to have been used until the 1700s but is close to some of the deposit goods.

At least from 1582 he was a rider in a Scottish Cavalry unit, with which he participated in the war against the Russians. Letters from Leyell in 1591, 1593 and 1595-96 testify that he served for a long time in Narva, and in 1593 he received a fief in Estonia. During the battle between Duke Karl and Sigismund, he joined the latter, the reason why the Duke in 1597-98 took his fief and deprived him of his dependence on the crown's peasants in the paternity parish, Kalm (Brännman).

In 1599 Leyell fled from Finland to Estonia (Federley) and in 1609 he was in Danzig. It has not been possible to investigate whether he was of the same kin as Swedish Dragoon Lieutenant Rikard Leiell (dead at the earliest in 1602).

In Arbroath, Scotland, the family name has been portrayed in the 1400s with Gilbert Lyal, Lyel or Liel and a Willelmus Lyel.

There later lived the bailiff Patrik Lyell, who, according to the letter of birth of 1655 (copy in the secretary of collegiate subordinate letter, compares translation in H 1 7) was the father of Jacob, David, Adam and Henrik. They all moved to Sweden. Jacob L (1612-78) was made a burgher of Stockholm in 1639 and was first married to a daughter of the councillor in Uppsala Claes Eden, later enobled Edenberg (bd 12), and then with a daughter of the mill owner Andry Dress (bd 11). Through various transactions with his other wife's cohabitants, he came into possession of iron mills Rockhammar in Fellingsbro, Ör, and Hammarby at Nora formerly belonging to her father, and which were inherited by his descendants for several centuries.

L was also a partner in Bröstorp's hammer forge at Nora. After his father-in-law and his son Otto Dress (bd 11), he rented from the crown along with the brother in law, Adam Radou, Nora and Linde mining areas 1661-64.
1659-65, together with his brother David, L rented Väster-Silvberg's farm in Norrbärke, Kopp, Ludvika hammer and crow farm, Grangärde parish regular interest rate, and every tenth of iron and the tenth of church from this parish and Norr- and Söderbärke, an in 1668-71 he rented together with Radou all the crown foundries, hammer and mines in Nora and Linde mining district, as well as in Fellingsbro and Ervalla, Ör, which contract was extended for some time from 1672-77.

In his first marriage, L became father-in-law of Bishops Johannes Brodinius (bd 6) in Västerås and Peter Bång (bd 7) in Viborg. The son of the second marriage, Adam Jacobsson Lejel (1658-1729) at Hammarby, managed the mill and Rockhammar as well as the above mentioned share in Bröstorp's hammer for himself and his sisters.
Leased from 1694 Kungshammaren at Nora together with councillor Johan Petre and bought in 1698 with a sister, Norrby in Fellingsbro. In addition, he was a partner in Kengisverkan, now in Pajala, Nb, and one of the directors of Hallefors silverbruk, Ör (Nobility letter; Heijkenskjöld, p 357).

In 1717, L was ennobled. He died childless. Through his will, he founded a scholarship at Uppsala University and a poverty house at Hammarby.

Letter to L is available in the National Archives (Archives) and Uppsala University Library (single in the Nordin Collections, volume 479 cho 906). His elder half-brother Jacob Leijel (1650-1719) founded in 1684 the ironworks, by 1694 named Vällnora in Knutby, Uppsala, and leased in1684-1700 Ortala ironworks in Väddö, Stockholm.

In marriage with a daughter of Mårten Kammecker (bd 20, 605) he was the father of Lieutenant Jacob L (1681-1712), who was captured at Poltava in 1709 and was killed in Tobolsk.

Adam L (1623-86), another of Patrik Lyell's sons, is mentioned in Stockholm in 1646, but got burghership there in 1670. He left a great fortune and was married to a daughter of his brother Jacobs mentioned above, Adam Radou's father in law to the overseer Johan Laurin (p. 389).

Another of Adam L's sons-in-law was President Albrekt Lindcreutz. This Adam L was a partner with his brother merchant in Stockholm Henrik Leyell (1627-1710), who, as a creditor of the councillor Bengt Horn (bd 19), received a part of the Ekebyholm manor in Rimbo, Stockholm, as a pledge of the estate house.

His son Adam L (1669-1744) became a master miner in the Öster- och Västerbergslagen 1700, assessor in Bergskollegium 1713 and mining counsellor 1730, was ennobled in 1717 and was dismissed with the governor´s title 1744.
This son was married to a daughter to the merchant and patron Johan Lohe.
Benefiting from her heirs, he was in 1741 in possession of, among other things, Biby manor in Gillberga, Söd, in addition to which his son Henric L (born 1717, died after 1781) his mother and a sister, among other things, Hällefors “styckebruk” in Mellösa, Söd, and the seat of Fjellskäfte i Flöda, Söd.
This son sold in 1781 (bd 8, s 225) all of these properties, and at least since 1759 he lived in England, where he inherited from his uncles, the directors of the English East Indies Company Henry Lyell (born 1665) and Baltzar Lyell (born 1672). Henric L the younger had no sons.
Longer survived the family branch derived from Patrik Lyell's son David L (1621-76), mentioned above as a leasor with his brother Jacob. He swore an oath of burger in Stockholm in 1652 and was also active in the “bruksrörelsen” in Västerbotten (Norberg 1958).
L was a partner with the Mining Inspector Klas Depken, later knighted Anckarström, who was married to a sister of his wife and prepared (Norberg 1959) installation of Axmars ironworks in Hamrånge, Gävle, on which Depken got the privilege 1671. Depken had in 1659 started building Älvkarleö and Harnäs ironworks in Älvkarleby, Uppsala, in which L in 1662 (Bergskollegium arkiv AI: 23) bought half.

The latter was owned completely by L's descendants, most of whom were partners in this operation until 1772. The son Johan L (1664-1744) became alderman in Stockholm in 1706 and trading mayor there in 1731 and was “rdgm” 1713-23. He owned after his cousin Jacob L Vällnora, and disposed for some time iron works Strömsberg in Tolfta and Västland in Västland, both in Uppsala.

L was the father of the city secretary in Stockholm Petter L (1717-81) and the Mining Inspector in Värmland Carl L (1718-86) on Valstad in Gladhammar, Kalm, who was adopted at its second cousin Henric L.'s knighthood in 1773 and was dismissed with the title Iron master 1785.

Petter and Carl L.'s uncle David L (1660-1727) at Fleräng in Älvkarleby (as in Valbo, Gavle) was 1691 iron masters in Uppland and Västernorrland and 1714 Assessor of Mines, was knighted in 1717 and was dismissed in 1722 with the title Iron master. His son, Pehr Leijel (1700-65), became a mining baliff at Stora Kopparberget in 1728 and geschworner in Sala 1734, as an inspector of Avesta's crown works from 1740 to his death.
His nephew was the lieutenant and music director at Uppsala University Lars Fredric Leijel (1743-1808). Lars was deceived by the opposition man Docent Gustaf Abraham to let the Marseillaise be part of the planned music at a party for the celebration of Gustav IV's coronation in 1800. This was noticed by the president of the university, after which Silverstolpe and his friends refused to participate, and therefore were charged in a famous process.

The family L's last male member of Sweden, Lars Fredric Leijels grandson chemist Fredric Leijel (1813-62) in Alingsås, whose brother moved to England, where the family survived even in the 1930s.


Source: Svenskt biografiskt lexikon XXII