The Barony and Lordship of Leslie (Fife)


The Barony and Lordship of Leslie (Fife) is a lordship in the baronage of Scotland, chartered in 1382 and still in existence today. The current title holder is The Much Hon. Giacomo Merello, Baron and Lord of Leslie, known as Lord Leslie.

History

The history of the Barony and Lordship of Leslie, in the County of Fife (Scotland, UK) starts from the acquisition of a territory originally called “Fythkill” in Fife by Sir George Leslie, grandson of Sir Andrew Leslie and Mary Abernethy, in likely the mid 14th century. The actual earliest mention of the Barony is found in a charter by Robert II of 1382.[1] King Robert III in 1398[2] granted a further charter to Sir George Leslie and Elizabeth his spouse (the King's niece) of the Barony of Fythkill on the provision that for all time to come his heirs should render to the King or his successors, in the name of fee, ‘a pair of white gloves at the Market Cross of Cupar every Whitsunday’; shortly after, the Barony of Fythkill was renamed as “Leslie”, as in 1455 a charter related to Sir George's son Norman, who succeeded him,  refers to ‘the Barony of Leslie in the County of Fife’.[3] In 1458 the town of Leslie Green was erected into a free burgh of the barony. Norman was succeeded by his grandson George Leslie in 1489. In 1510 he had a Crown charter of the barony of Fythkill ‘now called Leslie’.[4] He died around 1512 and was briefly succeeded by his brother William who was killed at the Battle of Flodden in 1513.

In 1542 the Barony of Leslie was defined as ‘the lands of Pitgeddie, Ballingall, Formanhills, Hoill, Drummane, Strathenrie, Basillie, Pitcairn, Uchtermarnie, Blackhall, Awdy, Lalethin, Drummard, and Kennoquhy.’

On the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 and later years the original Leslie Castle was incorporated in a new mansion known as Leslie House designed by William Bruce,[5] which incorporated a vaulted kitchen and cellars of the Castle.

During the Jacobite Rising of 1715 the Leslie family supported the Hanoverian government and commanded a cavalry unit at the Battle of Sheriffmuir. This support resulted in Leslie House being looted by the rebels.[6]

In 1731 William Adam was commissioned to landscape the magnificent gardens around Leslie House;[7] however, in December 1763 the chief family residence, that so impressed Daniel Defoe (who wrote in 1720 about Leslie House that "[...] is the glory of the place, and indeed the whole province of Fife.")[8] was destroyed by fire, along with a major library, jewellery, paintings and other valuables. Leslie House was rebuilt anew as a three-storey classical mansion between 1765 and 1767, with later modifications by Sir Robert Lorimer.[9]

In 1817 Henrietta Anne (née Pelham) Leslie inherited the Barony and Lordship of Leslie and was succeeded by George William Gwyther Evelyn in 1819. In 1841 he was followed by his son, George William Evelyn. However the latter died unmarried and  was succeeded by his sister Henrietta Anderson-Morshead in 1859 who conveyed the ancestral lands, including Leslie House and the Barony and Lordship of Leslie to trustees in 1873. The trustees held the lands including  the  feudal titles  until  1919  when  they were purchased by Captain William Crundall, a property developer.[10] The latter sold Leslie House the following year to Sir Robert Spencer Nairn who donated it in 1952 to the Church of Scotland,[11] while retaining other parts of the feudal lands, including all the titles, in his family until 2004, when he was succeeded by a Canadian philanthropist for the following twenty years.

In November 2024,[12] Giacomo Merello, an Italian and Antiguan lawyer and diplomat,[13]  succeeded in the Barony and Lordship of Leslie.

Leslie House still lies north of Glenrothes, Fife, about half a mile from the town of Leslie and since 1952 was ran as an eventide home by the Church of Scotland, until a fire severely damaged the building in 2005; a second fire event in 2009[14] seemed to have put in doubt its future. However, after extensive works, Leslie House is today restored to its former splendor,[15] and is also the residence of the current Baron and Lord of Leslie.

References

  1. ^ "Register of the Great Seal of Scotland". Register of the Great Seal of Scotland (742): 1382.
  2. ^ "The Leslies of Rothes". electricscotland.com. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  3. ^ "Fiet Old Leslie". Fiet Old Leslie: 3.
  4. ^ "Historical Records of the Family of Leslie" (PDF).
  5. ^ Wemyss, Charles (2005). "Merchant and Citizen of Rotterdam: The Early Career of Sir William Bruce". Architectural Heritage. XVI.
  6. ^ "1715 - Jacobite Rising". digital.nls.uk. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  7. ^ "The Architecture of Scotland Introduction" (PDF). Edinburgh University Press.
  8. ^ "Decision due on restoration of 'once palatial' Fife mansion". Scottish Housing News. 2020-10-28. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  9. ^ "Leslie House from The Gazetteer for Scotland". www.scottish-places.info. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  10. ^ "Leslie House | Canmore". canmore.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  11. ^ "Leslie House | Canmore". canmore.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  12. ^ "Baronage – Registry of Scots Nobility". Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  13. ^ Hockley, Georgina (2024-11-27). "Antigua and Barbuda citizenship and more!". Moving To Singapore? Essential Guide - Expat Living in Singapore. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  14. ^ "Fire devastates historic Leslie House". The Herald. 2009-02-06. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  15. ^ "Grade-A Leslie House restoration approved by councillors". Scottish Housing News. 2020-10-29. Retrieved 2024-12-23.