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"John Leslie,

"Twelfth Baron of Balquhain.

"John Leslie, eldest son of John Leslie, eleventh Baron of Balquhain, by Janet Innes his wife, succeeded as twelfth Baron of Balquhain, on the death of his father, in 1638.

"Owing to the expensive habits and mismanagement of his father and grandfather, the tenth and eleventh barons, John Leslie found the family estates much reduced, and deeply in debt, so that little remained to him but the castle and Mains of Balquhain. He therefore left his estates to nurse, and being a gallant young gentleman, he served in the civil wars from 1639 till 1647, as captain in the troop of Guards of Alexander Leslie, Earl of Leven, General of the Scotch army. After this he left his native country, and went first to Germany, and from thence to Russia, where he entered the Muscovite service, in which he attained the rank of colonel of calvalry.

"In the time of John Leslie, twelfth Baron of Balquhain, Alexander Gordon of Kincraigie had the lands of Syde, with the mill, the Peil, the customs of St. Rule's fair, the alehouse-croft of Syde, Arnbrig, Erllisfield, Seggydene, Kirkhill, and Mostown, adjudged to him from the heirs of Balquhain on the following grounds: --

"By a contract, dated 15th May 1608, John Leslie, fiar, afterward eleventh Baron of Balquhain, ratified an alienation of the said lands made by his father, John Leslie, tenth Baron, to Sir Thomas Gordon of Cluny, which contract was registered in the books of Council 13th December 1613. Sir Alexander Gordon of Cluny got an inhibition against John Leslie, tenth Baron, and his son, John Leslie, fiar of Balquhain, proceeding on the foresaid contract, and execution was registered at Aberdeen 16th September 1616. He assigned to John Leith of Bucharn all the claims, rights, and titles, competent to him by the said inhibition, 11th February 1638; and John Leith of Bucharn afterwards transferred all his rights to the said lands to Alexander Gordon of Kincraigie, who had them adjudged to him 24th December 1649, so that these lands were lost to the Balquhain family.

"John Leslie, fiar of Balquhain, as principal, and Robert Smith in Blairdaff, as cautioner, granted a heritable bond for 600 merks, to John Watt at New Mill of Knockallochy, registered in the books of Council and Session 7th October 1626.

"John Leslie, eleventh Baron of Balquhain, in May 1638 assigned to his son, John Leslie, fiar of Balquhain, a contract containing a tack of the teind-sheaves of the lands of Balquhain and Aquhorties, granted to him by Patrick, Lord Lindores, in August 1615.

"Alexander Strachan, minister of Chapel of Garioch, obtained a decreet of locality against the heritors of the parish, 20th February 1643, and a correspondence ensued concerning the decreet between John Leslie of Balquhain and the Laird of Pittodrie.

"John Leslie of Balquhain married Miss Crawford, daughter of Colonel Crawford in Muscovy, and by her had two daughters, who, with their mother, died of the pestilence.

"John Leslie, twelfth Baron of Balquhain, was killed at the storming of Igolwitz, 30th August 1655, when the Russians invaded Poland. He was succeeded by his uncle, William Leslie, thirteenth Baron."