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 acquired Kincraigie in 1470
- George became the first Laird of New Leslie
- Alexander acquired Wardes on about 1460
- David Leslie acquired Pitcaple in 1457 from the Balquhain lands.
About 1480, Alexander Glaster of Glaek sold Little Warthill to John Gordon and Cruikshank of Tillymorgan acquired Warthill when his daughter married a Leslie.
Near the Garioch, the barony of Rothynorman was part of the lands held by Norman de Leslie in 1390.
The Balquhain Line
The line of Leslies of Balquhain continued through to the last recorded Leslie in the book “The Family of Leslie” to the 26th Baron of Balquhain, Colonel Charles Leslie. Charles Leslie had a son, Charles Stephen Leslie b. 28 Apr 1832 in Omagh, Ireland. Col. Charles Leslie also had a son Charles Radcliff Aloysius Leslie b. 13 May 1859, Anthony Ignatius Leslie b. 7 Feb 1861 d. 1861, and lastly John Cuthbert Eyre Leslie b. 24 Apr 1869 in Sussex.
Lairds of the esteemed families of the Garioch were on occasion used as hostages in England for persons of high rank. For example, William Leith was a hostage for David II in 1358. David de Leslie was a hostage for James I and remained in captivity for 9 years.
The Feud
In the 1400s, life was marked by some lawlessness. Sir Andrew Leslie, Master of Horse for the Earl of Mar, It is recorded that he would occasionally carry off young women to his lodging on Benachie. One time the Fair Maid of Kenmay, who was bethrothed to Sir John Forbes, was carried off. Sir John Forbes and accomplices attached the castle of Balquhain and burned it. This led to the feud between the Leslies and the Forbes.
You can read more about the feud in this blog post by Bart Forbes