ROTHES.
Earldom. [S.]I. 14571 1. George Leslie, of Rothes in Moray, and of Ballinbreich, co. Fife, s. and h. of Norman Leslie, of the same, by Christian, da. of Sir John Seton, of Seton, is said(a)[1] to have been cr. a Lord of Parl., in 1445, as Lord Leslie or Lord Leslie of Leven [S.] and was cr., before 20 March 1457/8, EARL OF ROTHES [S.] at which date his lands in the Sheriffdoms of Aberdeen, Elgin, Perth, and Fife were united into the Barony of Ballinbreich. He had pardon of forfeiture under the Great Seal, 15 Oct. 1404 He m. firstly c. 1435, Margaret, da. of John Lundin, of Lundin. She d. s.p. Secondly, Christian, da. of Walter (Halyburton), 1st Lord Dirletoun [S.), by Isabel, da. of Robert (Stewart), Duke of Albany [S.]. He d. 1489 or 1490.
[Andrew Leslie, Master of Rothes, only s. and h. sp., by second wife, had sasine of lands at Tasis, co. Fife, 16 Nov. 1459. He m. Marjory, da. of William (Sinclair), Earl of Orkney [S.] He d. v.p. c. 1486.]
II. 1490? 2. George (Leslie), Earl of Rothes, &c. [S.] grandson and h., being 2nd but lst surv, s. and h.(b)[2] of Andrew Leslie and and Marjory his wife, both abovenamed. He suc. to the peerage about 1490, and was defendant in a civil suit in Parl. 14 May 1491, but d. unm. before 31st March 1513 (Act of Parl. of that date) under forfeiture, for having alienated lands without royal licence.
III. 1512? 3. William (Leslie), Earl of Rothes, &c. [S.], br. and h., suc. to the peerage c. 1512,(a) but was never formally invested therewith, He m. Margaret, da. of Sir Michael Balfour, of Montquhanie. He was slain at the battle of Flodden, 9 Sep. 1513.(c)[3]
IV. 1513. 4. George (Leslie), Earl of Rothes, &c. [I.], 1st s. and h.; suc. to the peerage, 9 Sep. 1513; Sheriff of Fife, 1529, that office being, in 1540, made hereditary; was at Paris at the marriage of James V. [S.], in 1536; an extra. Lord of Session, 1541; a Lord of the Articles, 1544; Ambassador to Denmark, 24 June 1550, and one of the eight members delegated to represent the nation at the marriage, 24 April 1558, of Mary, Queen of Scots, with the Dauphin. He m. firstly, contract 1 April 1517, Margaret, widow of (-) Pantar, of Montrose,(d)[4] illegit, da. of William (Crichton), 3d Lord Cricchton [S.], by Margaret, 2d da. of James II. [S.](e)[5] This union was, however, set aside on account
- ↑ (a) Burke's Peerage, 1884 (et post), the article in which was carefully corrected by George Burnett, Lyon King of Arms, and is followed in this work.
- ↑ (b) His elder br. John Leslie, living 21 Jan. 1477/8, m., about that date, Janet, da. of William (Keith), 1st Earl Marischal (S.), but d. s.p. before 1489. His widow m. Thomas (Stewart), Lord Innermeath [S] who was slain at the battle of Flodden 9 Sep. 1513.
- ↑ (c) See vol. v, p. 63, note "b," sub "Lennox" for a list of the Scotch nobles slain at Flodden.
- ↑ (d) According to the "Nat. Biogr.," she was the "widow of, first, William Todrick, Burgess of Edinburgh and secondly [of] George Halkerton, Burgess of Edinburgh." See, however, Nisbet's "Heraldry" (1816) vol. ii, appendix p. 142, where the name is given as Paular," and the designation as of the town of Montrose," and where it is added that "she was a great fortune and that her vast estate in money contributed not a little to relieve the family from the great burden it was under," it having been before stated that "the family of Rothes" was "then low." Keith, however, says that this Pantar was Margaret's second husband. Qy. married (1520-40), between the Earls two marriages with her. M. J. Shaw. Stewart writes, "This must have been David Pantar, elder br. of Patrick P. the Secretary, and father (by her ?) of David P., Bishop of Ross, 1553, who d. in Stirling, 1 Oct. 1558." Another account of the matter is that Margaret was divorced by the Earl because when he is Ambassador she had a bairn to Panter, Bishop of Ross [Balfour's MSS. as quoted in Riddell's "Devon Case," (1833) p. 183.)
- ↑ (e) See vol. ii, p. 424, note "f" sub "Crichton."
