The eldest son of Ralph St Leger, a gentleman of Kent, he was educated abroad and at the University of Cambridge. He quickly gained the favour of King Henry VIII, and in 1537 was appointed president of a commission of enquiry into the condition of Ireland. In the course of this work, he obtained much useful knowledge of the country. In 1540 he was appointed Lord Deputy of Ireland and tasked with the repression of disorder. He moved against the Kavanaghs, permitting them to retain their lands only by accepting feudal tenure on the English model. By a similar policy he exacted obedience from the O'Mores, the O'Tooles and the O'Conors in Leix and Offaly; and having conciliated the O'Briens in the west and the Earl of Desmond in the south, he carried an act in the Irish parliament in Dublin conferring the title of King of Ireland on Henry VIII and his heirs. Conn O'Neill, who had remained sullenly hostile, was forced to submit.
St Leger's policy was generally one of moderation and conciliation--more so than Henry VIII wished. He recommended The O'Brien, when he gave token of a submissive disposition, for the title of Earl of Thomond; O'Neill was created Earl of Tyrone; an administrative council was instituted in the province of Munster; and in 1544 a levy of Irish soldiers was raised for service in Henry VIII's wars. St Leger's personal influence was proved by an outbreak of disturbance when he visited England in 1544, and the prompt restoration of order on his return some months later. St Leger retained his office under Edward VI, and again effectively quelled attempts at rebellion by the O'Conors and O'Byrnes. From 1548 to 1550 he was in England, and returned charged with the duty of introducing the reformed liturgy into Ireland. His conciliatory methods led to his recall in the summer of 1551. After the accession of Queen Mary he was again appointed Lord Deputy in October 1553, but a charge of keeping false accounts caused him to be recalled for the third time in 1556. He died while the accusation was still under investigation.
By his wife Agnes, daughter of Hugh Warham, a niece of Archbishop William Warham, he had three sons, William, Warham and Anthony. William died in his father's lifetime leaving a son, Sir Warham St Leger (d. 1600), who was father of Sir William St Leger (d. 1642), president of Munster.
A biography of Sir Anthony St Leger will be found in Athenae Cantabrigienses, by CH Cooper and T Cooper (Cambridge, 1858); see also Calendar of State Papers relating to Ireland, Hen. VIII-Eliz.; Calendar of Letters and Papers of the Reign of Henry VIII.; Calendar of State Papers (Domestic Series), Edward VI-James I; Calendar of Carew Manuscripts; J O'Donovan's edition of Annals of Ireland by the Four Masters (7 vols., Dublin, 1851); Richard Bagwell, Ireland under the Tudors (3 Vols., London, 1885-1890); JA Froude, History of England (12 vols., London, 1856-1870). For Sir William St Leger, see Strafford's Letters and Despatches (2 vols., London, 1739); Thomas Carte, History of the Life of James, Duke of Ormonde (6 vols., Oxford, 1851); History of the Irish Confederation and the War in Ireland, edited by Sir JT Gilbert (Dublin, 1882-1891).
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