Blog
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Leslies in Aberdeenshire Part 8: Before the Civil War
The lands of the Abbey of Lindores were secularized by King James and the sale of the lands created many new lairdships. One of these was the lands of Badifurrow, with the Leslies of Kincraigie of Tough becoming the first lairds of Badifurrow. (Note: Tough is an area near Alford.) According to the author, Patrick…
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Leslies in Aberdeenshire Part 7: Early and Mid-1600’s
In 1562 after the General Assembly of the Reformed Church met, a celebration was held at the Chapel of the Garioch with Queen Mary present. In 1600, the King James VI and I turned vicarages of Lindores into parishes. Later in 1602, the King gave John Leslie, son of William Leslie of Balquhain, the defender…
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Queen Mary’s Visit to Balquhain
This is just a short post, but I wanted to keep the Leslies in our mind as some of us attend the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games. When Queen Mary was in France, a Leslie was in the party to negotiate her marriage to the Dauphin of France. In 1561, Mary returned to Scotland, Dr. John…
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Leslies in Aberdeenshire Part 5: Emergence of Branches of the Leslie Family
After the Battle of Harlaw, the branches of the Leslies family tree began to emerge. The Rothes branch was one of the earliest, along with the Kincraigie, Wardes, New Leslie, and Pitcaple. These branches were identified by the lands they held. There were four family branches from Sir William 4th Baron of Balquhain Sir William…
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The Leslies in Aberdeenshire Part 4: The Barons of Balquhain
The Barons of Balquhain The Balquhain family of Leslie dates back to the 14th century when Sir George Leslie, the first Baron of Balquhain, got a grant from his father, Norman de Leslie. The grant was confirmed by King David II by a charter in 1340 for his services during the reign of Robert I…
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The Leslies in Aberdeenshire Part 3: Before the War for Independence
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…
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The Battle of Inverurie in 1308
As I am reading and taking notes from the book Inverurie and the Earldom of the Garioch, I found a short section about this battle which is also known as the Battle of Barra or the Battle of Old Meldrum. This battle occurred as part of a civil war between Scottish leaders and preceded the…
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The Leslies in Aberdeenshire Part 2: Constables of Inverurie
This is a multi-part series based on the book Inverurie and the Earldom of the Garioch by The Rev. John Davidson, D.D. (1878) with focus on sections recounting the history of the Leslies of the area. We now find ourselves reading about Malcolm, son of Bartolf, as the first Constable of Inverurie, whose son, also…
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The Leslies in Aberdeenshire Part 1: Bartolf
The Leslie Story Begins This is a multi-part series based on the book Inverurie and the Earldom of the Garioch by The Rev. John Davidson, D.D. (1878) with focus on sections recounting the history of the Leslies of the area. There have been inhabitants of the Aberdeenshire area going back before the Pictish times. The…
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Scottish Government’s Scottish Connections (Diaspora) Work
Qualitative Research for the Scottish Government’s Scottish Connection (Diaspora) Work. Leith, Murray Stewart & Sim, Duncan (2022). University of the West of Scotland. Retrieved on online on November 2023 from https://www.gov.scot/publications/literature-review-scottish-governments-scottish-connections-diaspora-work-2/documents/ This is a report commissioned by the Scottish Government concerning the characteristics of a successful diaspora policy. The diaspora is not a single event,…
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Scotland Travel Consultant
Announcement A Scotland travel consultant Amy Tomlins of AToms Tours will be at the 2024 Grandfather Mountain Highland Games Scotland is a country with millions of people spread throughout the world with roots leading back to Scotland. These people of the diaspora frequently travel to Scotland to connect with the country and culture of the…
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USA – Scotland Relationships
One important aspect of the Leslie Global Diaspora Foundation is the program of creating collaborative relationships. We do this by engaging other organizations such as Scottish heritage organizations, Universities with Scottish Studies, Irish and Scottish Diaspora Centers, and individuals who share the common interest in preserving Leslie history and heritage. To accomplish this objective, we…
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Positional Statement of the
Leslie Global Diaspora FoundationThe Leslie Global Diaspora Foundation (LeslieGDF) recognizes that there are thousands of descendants of Leslies from Scotland dispersed throughout the world. These descendants of Leslies are the result of the diaspora where Leslies and the related families departed Scotland due to economic, military, religious, political, or social reasons. As generations pass there is a danger…
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A New Resource for Clan Leslie and its Septs
In an effort to provide Leslies and Leslie descendants worldwide, a new organization was launched in April 2024. The Leslie Global Diaspora Foundation will provide an interactive way for Leslies to learn about their history and heritage. The Foundation is not intended to replace or eliminate the need for a Facebook social media pages and…