As part of the mission of the Leslie Global Diaspora Foundation we pursue and digitize historical records for the Family of Leslie. We believe that it is essential to locate and preserve documents/records that may help Leslies, and their descendants, understand our history and heritage.
A neglected aspect of the Leslie history is the Leslies of Ireland. It is essential that researchers have access to these Irish records. The Leslies have a long and illustrious history in Ireland and it seemed appropriate that researching and writing about the Ireland Leslies was a good project.
While we have done research at the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) previously, this time was different in that the entire week was exclusively Leslie research. We began by requesting the Family Tree of the Family of Leslie and was awestruck by the 3 by 3 foot family tree that was presented for us to view. It was an original document with the writing done in India ink, with some evidence of sketching done in graphite pencil. (on parchment)
The family tree looked like an earlier version of the Leslie family tree on display at the Warthill Estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland . This version did not have all of the people detailed of the Wardhill version, but it was quite clear that the Warthill version was modeled after the version held in the PRONI.
Are the Leslies Related to Attila the Hun?
At the base of the family tree the information was as follows:
Bartholomew Leslie
A noble young Hungarian descended from Lessele son of Attila King of the Huns by Honoria of the Empress Galla Placidia + sister of the Emperor Valentinian III came to England in 1067 accompanied St. Margaret to Scotland where he married the sister of King Malcolm Canmore. He was made Lord Leslie and held from the Crown thaneship or Earldom of Ross. He died AD 1120
The most recent entries on the family tree are 1878, thereby dating this document.
Is this document the origin or the assertion that Bartholomew was descended from Attila the Hun?
The Laurus Leslaeana originally written in Latin in 1692, makes no mention of this connection to Attila.
In the next blog posting, we will reveal more of the information that we transcribed from this family tree document found at PRONI.
All costs of the trip were funded by a private donation.
One response to “April 2025 Ireland Research Trip”
This research trip to PRONI was very successful in archiving Leslie documents that are stored there. We hope this information will be helpful to your family and you.
Christine