Sir Andrew de Leslie, Eighth Dominus Ejusdem

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VIII. SIR ANDREW DE LESLIE, DOMINUS EJUSDEM.

Sir Andrew de Leslie, son of Sir Andrew de Leslie, VII. Dominus Ejusdem, succeeded his father as VIII. Dominus Ejusdem before 1353.

There is a charter in the possession of the Earl of Strathmore, by which Andrew de Leslie, Dominus Ejusdem, confirms a charter from Walter de Leslie, Dominus de Philorth, of all the lands which the said Walter had in territorio de Monergood, to John Lyon de Terteviot. In this charter Sir Andrew de Leslie calls Sir Walter de Leslie his uncle - viz., "Sciatis nos vidisse cartam dilecti patrui nostri Walteri de Lesley de Philorth, &c."

There is no date in this charter of confirmation, but it must have been granted between 1365, the year in which Sir Walter de Leslie married Euphemia, daughter of the Earl of Koss, and assumed the title of Lord of Philorth, and the year 1372, when he became Earl of Ross in right of his wife, on the death of William, Earl of Ross, his father-in-law.

In a charter by Sir Andrew de Leslie of that Ilk, in favour of Sir Hugh Barclay of Kilnaim, Sir Andrew gives Sir Hugh 24 merks yearly out of his barony of Ballinbreich. The witnesses are, Alexander and Patrick, Bishops of Aberdeen and Brechin ; Roger and Patrick, Abbots of Lindores and Balmerino ; "Waltero de Lesley, Domino de Ross, patruo suo;" James de Lindsay; William de Ramsay de Colthithie ; John de Kinloch ; and many others.

This charter must have been granted between 1373, when Sir Walter de Leslie became Earl of Ross, and 1381, when Alexander Kininmund, Bishop of Aberdeen, died.

Sir Andrew de Leslie granted a charter of the lands of Culmelly and Auld Culmelly, in the barony of Cushney in Aberdeenshire, to Bernard de Kergyle, which charter was confirmed by King Robert II., 8th January 1373.

In the charter-room of the Earl of Errol there is a discharge by Sir Andrew de Leslie, Dominus Ejusdem, to Thomas de Haia, Lord of Errol, for £200, good and lawful sterling, which the said Thomas stood bound to pay to the said Andrew, by reason of a contract of marriage between the said Sir Andrew's son and Lord Errol's daughter. The discharge is dated at Dundee, 12th July 1376.

In a charter to his uncle Walter, Earl of Ross, Sir Andrew de Leslie, VIII. Dominus Ejusdem, calls Sir James de Lindsay, Dominus de Crawford, consanguineus suus (his cousin), and Sir Alexander Lindsay of Glenesk, patruus suus (his uncle), they being thus related through Mary Abernethy, the grandmother of Sir Andrew de Leslie and Sir James de Lindsay, and the mother of Sir Alexander Lindsay of Glenesk.

Sir Andrew de Leslie, Dominus Ejusdem, confirmed a charter granted by Andrew de Garvyack, Dominus de Caskyben, anent the devolution of his lands of Badachache, lying in the barony of Rothienorman and shire of Aberdeen, to Stephen Clerk, his son-in-law, and Margaret his spouse, to be holden by them as freely and quietly as the said Andrew and his predecessors held the same of the said Sir Andrew de Leslie, and doing therefor to the king, chief lord of the said lands, the services used and wont, and giving to the said Andrew de Garvyack a penny money at the old manor-place of Kynbruyn yearly, for the ward, relief, marriages, escheats, and all other service for the said lands.

This charter is dated 14th April 1380, but the charter of confirmation by Sir Andrew de Leslie is without date.

Sir Andrew de Leslie, VIII. Dominus Ejusdem, married, but no record has been found of the lady's name. By her he had a son, Norman, as is proved by deeds and transactions hereafter narrated.

It would appear that he had also another son, John, but the only records found concerning him are the following - viz. In some Peerages, under the title of Earls of Errol, it is stated that Margaret, second daughter of Sir Thomas Hay of Errol, Constable of Scotland, married John, son and heir of Sir Andrew de Leslie. This seems to be the marriage referred to in the discharge already mentioned, given, 12th July 1376, by Sir Andrew de Leslie to Sir Thomas de Haia for £200, on account of a contract of marriage between Sir Andrew's son and Sir Thomas's daughter. As no trace of this John, son and heir of Sir Andrew de Leslie, has been found in any of the family charters, it is probable that he died without issue at an early age.

Sir Andrew de Leslie, for some reason, perhaps from having arrived at an advanced age, about 1389 resigned great part of his estates to his son Norman.

Norman married, but his wife's name and family are not recorded. By her he had a son, David, who, it seems, had gone abroad to the holy war in Palestine, and having been absent for several years without any tidings of him having reached home, he was supposed to be dead. Under this impression, Norman, in consequence of his father's resignation of the family estates to him, executed a deed of entail, settling certain estates on his own heirs-male, failing whom, on his consanguineus, i.e. cousin, Sir George Leslie of Rothes. In execution of this settlement, Norman Leslie resigned the barony of Ballinbreich in Fife, the barony of Lowr and Dunlopie in Forfarshire, and the baronies of Cushney and Kothienorman in Aberdeenshire, into the hands of King Robert II.; and at the last council held by Robert II. at Linlithgow, 1389, Norman received from the king a grant of the said lands in favour of himself and the heirs-male of his body, whom failing, of Sir George Leslie of Bothes. Norman Leslie afterwards got a charter from Robert III. dated at Scone, 18th August 1390, confirming to him the grant made by the deceased King Robert II. of the foresaid lands, to be holden by Norman, and the heirs-male of his body, whom failing, by Sir George Leslie, knight, and his heirs-male, whom failing, by the said Norman's lawful heirs whomsoever, in fee and heritage; reserving nevertheless to the said Norman Leslie's father, Sir Andrew de Leslie, the free tenement and liferent of the whole lands during all the days of his life.

Sir Andrew de Leslie, Dominus Ejusdem, and Norman de Leslie, his son and heir, entered into an agreement with Dominus Andreas de Leslie de Syde, the third Baron of Balquhain, whereby the said Sir Andrew and his son Norman, of one consent, give, grant, and confirm to the said Andrew de Leslie of Syde, their consangnineus or cousin, an annual rent of £13 : 6 : 8, to be paid out of the rents of the barony of Leslie within the regality of St. Andrews, or out of the lands and barony of Cushney in the shire of Aberdeen, at the option of the said Andrew de Leslie of Syde, to be received by him, by the bailies of the said Norman de Leslie, at the feasts of Whitsunday and Martinmas by equal portions, for his service and keeping, from the said Sir Andrew and Norman his son, and the longest liver of them, to be holden by the said Andrew de Leslie of Syde, for the whole term of his life, as freely and quietly as any other annual rent is held within the kingdom of Scotland. And the said Sir Andrew de Leslie and his son Norman did give and grant that, should the said Sir Andrew de Leslie of Syde want the payment of the said annual rent fourteen days after any term, he should be at liberty to poind the goods upon the said baronies aye and while he was completely paid what was due. And the said Sir Andrew and his son Norman oblige themselves to procure the confirmation of George de Leslie, Dominus de Rothes, upon the whole premises. The agreement is dated at Leslie, 24th November 1390.

Sir Andrew de Leslie, Dominus Ejusdem, with the consent and assent of Norman de Leslie, his son and heir, granted to David de Abercrombie and Margaret de Leslie, his spouse, sister to the said Sir Andrew, a charter of the lands of Aquhorties, Acquhorsk, and Blairdaff, to be held by the said David and Margaret, and the longest liver of them, and by the heirs of their bodies; whom failing, to revert to the said Sir Andrew and his hens whomsoever. The charter is dated 30th May 1391.

Norman Leslie died shortly after this, during the lifetime of his father Sir Andrew; and there being still no account of Norman's son David, Sir George Leslie of Rothes, the next substitute, on the supposition that David was dead, was served heir of entail to Norman, as is proved by a precept of Chancery, dated at Clerkingtown 7th January anno regni 2do Roberti II., A.D. 1391-2, proceeding upon the retour of George de Leslie, knight, consanguineus or cousin of the deceased Norman de Leslie, knight, as nearest and lawful heir of tailzie to the said Norman in the baronies of Ballinbreich, Cushney, Rothienorman, etc., saving every one's right, and taking security for 200 merks as the relief of the said baronies, etc. But Sir George Leslie did not obtain possession of these lands during the lifetime of Sir Andrew de Leslie, Norman's father, as is proved by the following extract from the Chamberlain's accounts, rendered by Alexander Fraser, vicecomes de Aberdene, 1392 :-

"Et memorandum quod computans non oneratur ad presens de relevis quadraginta librorum debit., debaronia de Cushney, nee de viginta libris relevii debitis de baronia de Rothienorman per mortem Domini Normani de Lesley, domini earundem, filii scilicet Domini Andreae de Lesley, qui habet possessionem illarum terrarum in libero tenemento, pro tempore vitae suae : quae quidem relevia respectuanter quousque Dominus Georgius de Lesley nunc habens feodum illarum terrarum assecutus fuerit et adeptus liberum tenementum illarum terrarum cum feodo, et precipitur vicecomes quod tunc compellat."

King Robert III., 7th April 1392, granted a charter confirming a charter granted by the then deceased Norman de Leslie, knight, to Sir John Ramsay of Culathy, dated at Ballinbreich, 15th August 1390.

From these documents it is evident that Norman Leslie died after the 30th May 1391, when, with his consent, his father, Sir Andrew, granted the charter of Aquhorties, etc., to David de Abercrombie, and before the 7th January 1392, the date of the precept for serving Sir George Leslie as his heir of entail.

It appears that Sir Andrew de Leslie possessed other lands besides those which he assigned to his son Norman, as there is a charter in the charter-room of the Earls of Rothes, dated at Aberdeen, 24th October 1396, whereby Andrew de Leslie, knight, Dominus Ejusdem, dispones to his dear cousin, George de Leslie, knight, Dominus de Rothes, all right or claim which he had or could have, in any manner, in time coming, in the barony of Cairney in Perthshire, and the superiority thereof, without any gain-calling by him or his heirs for ever, promising, upon his good faith and under hypotheck of all his goods, to have the evidents of the said lands given to the said Sir George de Leslie and his heirs, whenever need shall be or it shall seem expedient.

Sir Andrew de Leslie, VIII. Dominus Ejusdem, died about 1398, and was succeeded by his grandson, David de Leslie.