According to the author Rev. Davidson, Norman de Leslie, the son of Norino, was the first to adopt the name Leslie. Norman married Elizabeth Leith of Edingerack. King Alexander III gifted him the lands of Fythkill, which is now the Leslie in Fife.
In 1296 Balliol rebelled against the Edward I, King of England. At that time the Bishop of Fetternear, along with Sir Norman de Lesselyn, Sir Alexander Lamberton, Sir Gilbert de la Haye, Sir Hugh de la Hay, and Sir William Innes swore fealty to Edward I. Most of these men held large estates in Scotland and England. Within a month, Edward marched his army across the Garioch. A year after Edward’s march across the Garioch, Sir William Wallace visited Fetternear in his advance in the area and nearly expelled the English. There was at one time a part of Fetternear called Wallace’s Tower. It was removed before the 1800’s.
As I read this, I wonder what side the Leslies were on during the conflict between the English and the Scots who were asserting their independence. One clue is found on page 71 of the book that states:
“Edward made Gartney and Bishop Henry his Sheriffs in Aberdeenshire, and possibly Gartney may have continued in that dignity until 1305, when Sir Norman Leslie held it.”
In 1305, Wallace was betrayed and not long after, Robert the Bruce turned against Edward. Bruce fled for his safety.
In the early 1300’s, the hostilities between England and Scotland were focused in southern regions. Robert the Bruce, the fourth, and Comyn, the Earl of Buchan, who was Edward’s enforcer in Scotland, were in conflict. As we might know, Edward I sought to assert his control over Scotland. In 1306, Robert the Bruce met John Comyn, nephew of Balliol, on the battlefield near Inverurie.