
John Leslie, 1st Duke of Rothes
'John Leslie' (c.
1630–
1681), son of
John Leslie, 6th Earl of Rothes, was the 7th
Earl of Rothes and 1st
Duke of Rothes. He was a descendant of Princess Beatrix, sister of King
Malcolm III of Scotland. His family had been married to both the
Stuarts and the
Bruces.
King Charles II made him the Lord High
Treasurer of Scotland, Lord Keeper of the
Great Seal of Scotland,
Lord Chancellor of Scotland for life, and
President of the Privy Council of Scotland. He carried the
sword of state at the
coronation of Charles II. He was captured at the
Battle of Worcester in
1651, returned to Scotland in
1655 and, on a payment of a fine to
Oliver Cromwell, was set free. He married Anne Crawford-Lindsay, the daughter of
John Lindsay, 17th Earl of Crawford. He built the Palace of Leslie (also known as
Leslie House), which nearly burnt completely in a fire on Christmas Day 1763.
John died at
Holyrood Palace in
Edinburgh on
July 27,
1681. He was awarded a
state funeral (the procession was over seventeen miles long). John left behind a huge debt to his daughter,
Margaret Leslie. As he had no male issue, the Dukedom of Rothes became extinct, the Earldom only being passed to his daughter.
External links
★
Clan Leslie Trust