There have been two Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Leighton, one in the Baronetage of England and one in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. One creation is extant as of 2010.

The Leighton Baronetcy, of Wattlesborough in the County of Shropshire, was created in the Baronetage of England on 2 March 1693 for Edward Leighton, subsequently Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 for Shropshire

Shropshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Shropshire is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Knights...

 and Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury (UK Parliament constituency)

Shrewsbury was a parliamentary constituency in England, centred on the town of Shrewsbury in Shropshire.It was founded in 1290 as parliamentary borough, returning two members to the House of Commons of England until 1707, then of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and of the...

. The Leighton family took their name from the village of Leighton in Shropshire

Shropshire

Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...

, where they were settled in the 12th century. Richard de Leighton represented Shropshire in the House of Commons

British House of Commons

The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...

 from 1312 to 1318 and many later members of the family served as Knights of the Shire

Knights of the Shire

From the creation of the Parliament of England in mediaeval times until 1826 each county of England and Wales sent two Knights of the Shire as members of Parliament to represent the interests of the county, when the number of knights from Yorkshire was increased to four...

 for the county. The third and fourth Baronets both sat as Members of Parliament for Shrewsbury. The seventh Baronet was High Sheriff of Shropshire

High Sheriff of Shropshire

The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere or are now defunct, so that its functions...

 in 1835 and both he and the eighth Baronet represented Shropshire South

South Shropshire (UK Parliament constituency)

South Shropshire is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1885. It was represented by two Knights of the Shire....

 in Parliament. The tenth Baronet was a Colonel

Colonel

Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...

 in the Shropshire Yeomanry and served as High Sheriff

High Sheriff

A high sheriff is, or was, a law enforcement officer in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.In England and Wales, the office is unpaid and partly ceremonial, appointed by the Crown through a warrant from the Privy Council. In Cornwall, the High Sheriff is appointed by the Duke of...

 of Shropshire in 1956.

The Wattlesborough and Loton Park

Loton Park

Loton Park is a country house near Alberbury, Shrewsbury in Shropshire, on the upper reaches of the River Severn, currently the home of Sir Michael Leighton, 11th Baronet . It is a Grade II* listed building....

 estates came into the family through marriage in the reign of England IV

Edward IV of England

Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...

. The second Baronet made Loton Park the main family seat and greatly enlarged the house in 1712. It remains the ancestral seat of the family.

The Leighton Baronetcy was created in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom on 11 February 1886. For more information on this creation, see Baron Leighton.

Leighton Baronets, of Wattlesborough (1693)

• Sir Edward Leighton, 1st Baronet (c. 1650-1711)
• Sir Edward Leighton, 2nd Baronet (1681-1756)
• Sir Charlton Leighton, 3rd Baronet (c. 1715-1780)
• Sir Charlton Leighton, 4th Baronet (1747-1784)
• Sir Robert Leighton, 5th Baronet (1752-1819)
• Sir Baldwin Leighton, 6th Baronet (1747-1828)
• Sir Baldwin Leighton, 7th Baronet
  Sir Baldwin Leighton, 7th Baronet
  Sir Baldwin Leighton, 7th Baronet was an English landowner and politician, who sat in the House of Commons from 1859 to 1865....
  
   (1805-1871)
• Sir Baldwyn Leighton, 8th Baronet
  Sir Baldwyn Leighton, 8th Baronet
  Sir Baldwyn Leighton, 8th Baronet was an English Conservative Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1877 to 1885....
  
   (1836-1897)
• Sir Bryan Baldwin Mawddwy Leighton, 9th Baronet (1868-1919)
• Sir Richard Tihel Leighton, 10th Baronet (1893-1957)
• Sir Michael John Bryan Leighton, 11th Baronet (b. 1935)