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Clan Leslie

GRIP FAST


Clan Leslie are a Lowland Scottish clan. The clan are descended from a Hungarian nobleman named Bartolf, who was awarded lands in Fife, Angus and Aberdeenshire when he was made the Governer of Edinburgh Castle in the 11th century. The clan motto is said to originate with Bartolf, as advice he gave to the Queen of Scotland while helping her to cross a river on horseback.

The clan were awarded further lands after fighting with King Robert the Bruce, and took part in several battles in the 16th and 17th century. In particular, the Wars of the Three Kingdoms led to Alexander Leslie being awarded the title of Earl of Leven by King Charles I.

The Leslie clan motto is "Grip Fast" and the clan crest is a griffin.

Scottish History

of Clan Leslie


Four lines of Leslies

Clan Leslie can trace its roots all the way back to 1067 when a Hungarian nobleman by the name of Bartolf, or Bartholomew, whose father was Walter de Lesthlin, arrived in Scotland in the retinue of Edgar Aetheling. In 1066 William of Normandy conquered England and Edgar Aetheling, who should have succeeded to the English throne but was too young, fled to exile in Scotland with his mother and sisters. They were regally entertained by King Malcolm, whose father Duncan was murdered by Macbeth, at his royal palace in Dunfermline. One of Edgar's sisters, Margaret, attracted Malcolm’s eye and before long the couple were married. Bartolf found himself highly favoured and at the centre of the Scottish Royal court. He enjoyed the patronage of a grateful Queen Margaret after saving her life when a river crossing went wrong. He also impressed King Malcolm Canmore (Great Head) with his superb intellect and physical might. In 1070 Bartolf married Malcolm’s sister Beatrix and was granted extensive lands in Aberdeen, Angus and Fife. He was also made governor of Edinburgh Castle. He settled in Lesselyn in Aberdeenshire and it is from there that the clan inherited its name.

The king was concerned about rebellious Highlanders who attempted to set up independent areas in the north and west of the country. So he encouraged clans loyal to him, like the Leslies to settle in the north of the country to act as a deterrent to the Highlanders. The Leslies took to their task with vigour and through a combination of various means acquired great wealth and influence.

The first of Bartolf’s descendants to use Leslie as a surname was Sir Norman who was five generations down the line. Prior to that the head of the family, or by now clan, was referred to as The Constable of Inverurie. In the 14th century David Leslie went on Crusade to the Holy Land. He was away for so long, he was missing presumed dead and a distant relative, Sir George Leslie of Rothes, took over the leadership of the clan along with the castles and land that went with it. Sir George barely had time to settle in and enjoy his unexpected inheritance when David Leslie returned safe and well and reclaimed his heritage. However, he generously ceded his rights to the family fortune to Sir George. On David’s death forty years later Sir George’s son, Norman de Leslie, became the majority property owner, while the rest was inherited by David’s only child, Margaret, who was married to Alexander Leslie, a son of the Baron of Balquhain. Thus the Balquhain and Rothes lines of the family began to share greater prominence. And this is reflected today.

There were four major lines of Leslie families. The direct Leslie line, the Leslies of Ross, the Leslies of Balquhain and finally the Leslies of Rothes. The largest branch by far are the Leslies of Balquhain, which is in the Garioch district of Aberdeenshire, about three miles outside Inverurie. Paradoxically, this branch of the clan fought for both sides of a religious battle that was sweeping through Europe during the 17th century. Among the Leslies of Balquhain there were strong supporters of both the Protestant and Catholic causes. Indeed, during the Thirty Years War which was fought between the two religions across west and central Europe from 1618-48 two distinguished Leslie warriors fought on opposing sides.

Most of the North American Leslies are descended from the Balquhain branch. They originally settled in Ireland and from there went to America. They went to Ireland along with 200,000 other Scots in what was known as the Ulster Plantations System. The mass migration during most of the 17th century was encouraged by the British Crown and only around five per cent of those who made the crossing were non-Scots. The plan was to fill Ulster with Protestants loyal to Britain in an area which was predominately Catholic. Those who made the crossing were granted land and other priveleges in return for loyalty to the English king. The Leslies settled in County Down and County Donegal. Many others joined the Covenanters, who were Scottish Presbyterians, while during the Reformation, Norman Leslie was heavily involved in the murder of Cardinal Beaton in 1641. The Covenanter Army was led by Alexander Leslie, the first Lord Leven.

At the same time roughly, another Alexander Leslie, also from the Balquhain branch of the family, was a Count of the Holy Roman Empire, which was a union of western and central European kingdoms and principalities lasting nearly 1000 years until it was disbanded in 1806. The emperor was traditionally blessed by The Pope. Alexander’s brother Walter settled in Germany and became a Knight of Order of the Golden Fleece. This was a Catholic order of chivalry founded in 1430 by Duke Philip III of Burgundy to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Isabel of Aviz. It was restricted to 50 knights who enjoyed privileges far greater than those granted to any other nobility. There was also an Austrian branch of the Leslie family and John, the 24th Baron of Balquhain was a Count of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and an officer in the Austrian Hussars. Meanwhile, Fetternear Estate in Aberdeenshire, which became the property of the Barons of Balquhain in the 16th century, was a centre of Catholicism in the north of Scotland for hundreds of years until the end of the 19th century.

The Rothes line originates from Fife. Bartolf’s great grandson became a landowner in Fythkill, Fife in 1282. The area was later renamed Lesley. The Fife Leslies did well and by the middle of the 15th century George Leslie was granted the title of the Earl of Rothes. And it is this line of the family which has inherited and maintained the leadership of the clan. They have enjoyed a colourful and distinguished history. The third Earl died at Flodden, which trook place in Northumberland on September 9, 1513. King James IV led a Scots invasion but was massacred by the Earl of Surrey. King James was killed along with nine earls, 14 Lords of Parliament, several Highland chiefs, the Archbishop of St. Andrews and other prominent churchmen. In total 10,000 Scots lost their lives in that one battle.

His son, the fourth Earl, served as a lay member of the Court of Session, Scotland highest court.

The seventh Earl served as Lord High Treasurer of Scotland from 1663 to 1667 and Lord Chancellor of Scotland from 1667 to 1681. He was created a Duke by Charles II. The tenth Earl, was a Lieutenant-General in the Army and Commander-in-Chief of the forces in Ireland.

The 22nd Earl succeeded his father in 2005.

The fighting Leslies

The Clan Leslie has many claims to fame, but chief among them is that some distinguished members are renowned throughout Europe for their military prowess.

Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven (1580-1661) stands out as one of Scotland’s greatest soldiers and battlefield tacticians. He was the son of captain George Leslie and was a member of the Leslie family of Balquhain in Aberdeenshire. As a young man he sought fame and fortune abroad and joined the Dutch army, who were engaged in the Thirty Years’ War. He established a fine reputation as an officer and eventually transferred to the Swedish forces who had joined what was essentially a Protestant-Catholic conflagration which had engulfed western Europe. The Swedes were offering inducements of land to foreign mercenaries and thousands of Scots raced to join up.

By 1626 Leslie had attained the rank of lieutenant-general and had also been knighted by the Swedish king, Gustavos Adolphus. Over the next two years he led his forces to great success, most notably while defending Stralsund, a German port on the Baltic. In 1628 the Protestant town, which had allied itself with Sweden, faced an 11-week siege by Catholic forces led by Albrecht von Wallenstein, a famous commander who up till then had enjoyed many victories on the battlefield. The Swedes held out and the aggressors were forced to retire after sustaining 12,000 losses. It was the beginning of the end for Wallenstein’s military career but it was a great day for Alexander Leslie, whose famous victory is commemorated by an annual festival to this day. By now Leslie was no longer regarded as a mercenary by King Gustavos and became more of a friend and confidant. In 1630 after yet another triumph he was despatched to Scotland to raise a corps of British volunteers for the Swedish cause and they duly arrived a year later.

The year 1632 found Leslie commanding the British contingent at the siege of Frankfurt and after seizing the town he was made governor. During that year he injured his foot but he recovered to join King Gustavos at the battle of Lutzen. Although the Swedes won, the king was slain. The loss of his friend was greatly felt by Leslie, and there were fears for the very future of Protestanism.

Leslie continued as a senior officer in the Swedish army for several years and in 1635 was promoted to field marshall. In between battles he spent several periods in his homeland, investing his wealth in land and receiving the Freedom of Culross. In 1637 his eldest son, Gustav, who’d followed him in a military career was promoted to the rank of colonel in the same army.

But now events in Scotland forced him to return home. Leslie was an ardent Covenanter. The Covenanters were those who would not accept that King Charles I was head of the church. They signed a covenant which stated that only Jesus Christ could hold that position.

King Charles inherited the throne in 1625. His father James VI of Scotland became James I of England in March 1603. At that time Scotland and England operated like two distinct countries ruled by the same monarch. They each had their own distinct parliament, church, law courts and tax-raising powers. They could even go their own way on foreign policy. Outside the Highlands, where many retained their Catholic convictions, Scotland’s religion was Presbyterianism, a harsh strict form of Protestantism. King James believed that his rule had a higher authority than the church’s. Despite that he failed in his attempts to force the Scots to embrace his Episcopalian doctrine, which allowed the monarch to appoint bishops.

King Charles, who was born in Fife, decided to finish his father’s job and bring the Scots into line. It took him 12 years but in 1637 he ordered that the Book of Common Prayer should be read in St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh. The congregation was furious. Many believed it was closer to Catholicism than Protestantism.

Hostility to Charles continued to grow and seven months later, in February 1638, Scotland’s National Covenant was published. This document, prepared with the full support of the nobility and land-owning class, proclaimed Scotland’s opposition to the king’s new prayer book. It was put on public view in Edinburgh and immediately attracted 60,000 signatures. Copies were taken throughout the country and many more signed up. The Scots and the Crown were now on an inevitable collision course and it was against this backdrop that Alexander Leslie returned to his native land.

Leslie, whose reputation preceded him, was immediately asked to assume command of the Scottish forces, despite his lack of stature and battle-borne infirmities. He came back laden with weapons, which he’d received from the queen of Sweden in lieu of pay arrears. These included at least two cannons and 2000 muskets. He spent several months organising an army and once ready launched a surprise attack with only 1000 men on Edinburgh Castle, which was held by supporters of the English king. The operation was so brilliantly carried out it succeeded without a single loss of life. In May, 1639, General Leslie was in charge of a 25,000-strong Covenanters force which camped at Dunse Law near Berwick Upon Tweed. They carried flags bearing the motto “For Christ’s Crown and Covenant”. On the southern banks of the river were the English forces commanded by King Charles. The king could only muster around 20,000 fighters, many of whom had sympathy with the Scots. Charles realised it was a battle he probably could not win so decided to negotiate a peace treaty. But the truce did not last. Charles went back to London to plan another attempt at subduing the Scots. The Covenanters, meanwhile, were busy with their own preparations. And while Charles dithered, the Scots, under Leslie’s command, struck. They crossed the Border into Northumberland and easily defeated the heavily-outnumbered king’s forces at the Battle of Newburn on 28 August, 1640. From there they carried on to Newcastle and occupied the town choking the supply of coal to London. Charles was forced to agree another truce. But until the details were finalised the Scots army would stay in Northern England and would be paid £850 a day expenses. The king didn’t have access to so much money and was forced to recall parliament. And that started a chain of events which led to the English Civil War two years later.

In 1641 King Charles came to Edinburgh and was hosted by Leslie. During the visit the king bestowed upon him the titles Lord Balgonie and Earl of Leven and made him captain of Edinburgh Castle. In return Leven swore allegiance to the king. Just as Charles had planned, it was a move which led to conflicting loyalties just a short time later. The English Civil war began in 1642.The Scottish and English parliaments concluded a pact promising each other military support. This would mean Leven leading Scottish soldiers to fight alongside the Roundheads (Parliamentarians) against the Royalist army (Cavaliers). He took on the role of commander in chief, even though doing so left him open to accusations of breaking a personal oath to the king. But he had no option. He consoled himself with the belief that his actions would eventually free the king from evil courtiers who were giving him bad advice. Under Leven the Scots won a succession of battles against the royalist army. In 1646, at the height of the conflict, King Charles fled England and sought refuge with Leven. A year later, with the war over, the King was handed over to the victorous Roundheads. Leven, now in his mid sixties, was fed up with fighting and although he was still commander in chief of Scotland’s forces this was his final major involvement with active service. A second Civil War, with the Scots invading England, followed a few years later but Leven, now 70, was a leader in name only. The Scots were defeated and in 1651 he was arrested by English forces and sent to the Tower of London. He was released after paying £20,000 but was arrested again while on a visit to London. This time it took the intervention of the Queen of Sweden to secure his release. Leven finally retired in 1654, and went to live out his years at Balgonie in Fifeshire, where he died in 1661. He had accumulated large amounts of land and property, particularly among the rich farmlands of the Carse of Gowrie, Perthshire. One such property, Inchmartin was renamed Inchleslie by him.

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The Crests

of Clan Leslie

Clan Leslie
Clan Leslie (Tulloch)
Clan Leslie (of that Ilk, co. Aberdeen)
Clan Leslie
Clan Leslie
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Clan Leslie

65 Clan Leslie

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Divisions

of Leslie

Abernethy
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Spellings

of Leslie

Leslay
Lesley
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Lesli
Leslei
Lessley
Lessely

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