Leslie | |
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![]() Leslie War Memorial | |
Location within Fife | |
Population | 3,060 (mid-2016 est.) [1] |
OS grid reference | NO249017 |
Council area | |
Lieutenancy area | |
Country | Scotland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | GLENROTHES |
Postcode district | KY6 |
Dialling code | 01592 |
Police | Scotland |
Fire | Scottish |
Ambulance | Scottish |
UK Parliament | |
Scottish Parliament | |
Leslie (Scottish Gaelic: Fiodh Chill) [2] is a large village and parish on the northern tip of the River Leven Valley, to the west of Glenrothes in Fife. According to the population estimates (2006), the village has a population of 3,092. [3] The village was granted burgh of barony status by James II in 1458 for George Leslie who became the first Earl of Rothes. Later, this was upgraded to a police burgh in 1865. [4] [5]
The civil parish has a population of 12,254 (in 2011). [6]
Leslie is a linear settlement with the historic high street as its main focus. A large proportion of housing in Leslie is traditional however there are concentrations of more contemporary housing in the west of the village. The high street contains a number of community facilities including shops, pubs, restaurants and a dentist. Leslie also has a primary school which is located in the west of the village. The former Fettykil paper mill lies within the Leven valley to the south and historic Leslie House, former stately home of the Earls of Rothes, sits in large grounds to the south-east of the village within Riverside Park.
Little is known about the history of Leslie before 1300. The original name of the village was Fiodh Chill, Scottish Gaelic for "Wooden Church". [7] [2] The village currently bears the name of the Leslie family descended from Bartolf or Bartholomew who was a Hungarian or maybe Flemish tradesman, who according to legend arrived in Scotland with Queen Margaret, the sister of Edgar the Ætheling in 1057. [8] [9] Finding favour with Queen Margaret's husband, Malcolm III, Bartolf became the governor of Edinburgh Castle and was knighted and granted with lands in the Garioch in Aberdeenshire, making his residence at Leslie. [8] [9] A charter by William the Lion between 1172 and 1190, granted the lands in Aberdeenshire which were owned by Bartholomew to be passed down to his descendant. [9] In 1283, Norman de Leslie (the fourth descendant of Bartholomew) was granted the lands 'Fettykill' or 'Fythkill' from Alexander III. [8] [10] A settlement also known as 'Fettykill' began to develop around these lands. [8] [10] In 1455, the settlement was renamed '"Leslie"' after Sir George Leslie. Burgh of Barony status followed in 1458 being awarded by James II after Sir George Leslie who became 1st Earl of Rothes (a title which came from the family owning land at Rothes, near Elgin). [8] [11] During this time, the family started to become prominent in Scottish affairs. [11] John Leslie, the then Earl of Rothes, was awarded the title of Lord High Chancellor to Charles II in 1667 and then became known as the Duke of Rothes in 1680. [4] [11] Leslie House was built for the Duke of Rothes between 1667 and 1674 and this became the seat of the Rothes family. [4]
The main industry was paper making, in the form of what was known as Fettykil Paper Mill, operated by Smith Anderson, which continued into the 21st.century. Transport of raw materials was largely by rail, as the factory was rail-linked by the Leslie Railway. Raw materials were brought in and finished product dispatched - even as late as the mid-1960s - by steam-hauled branch goods services.
The town is a key destination on the Fife Pilgrim Way- a historic walking route for pilgrims making their way to St Andrews. [12]
The village has its own 9-hole golf course and a public park to the north. Leslie Hearts play in the Kingdom of Fife Amateur Football Association's Championship, based at Quarry Park.
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south; it borders the counties of Inverness-shire and Aberdeenshire to the north, Angus to the east, Fife, Kinross-shire, Clackmannanshire, Stirlingshire and Dunbartonshire to the south and Argyllshire to the west. It was a local government county from 1890 to 1930.
Fife is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire. By custom it is widely held to have been one of the major Pictish kingdoms, known as Fib, and is still commonly known as the Kingdom of Fife within Scotland. A person from Fife is known as a Fifer. In older documents the county was very occasionally known by the anglicisation Fifeshire.
A royal burgh was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished by law in 1975, the term is still used by many former royal burghs.
Cupar is a town, former royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland. It lies between Dundee and Glenrothes. According to a 2011 population estimate, Cupar had a population around 9,000, making it the ninth largest settlement in Fife, and the civil parish a population of 11,183. It is the historic county town of Fife, although the council now sits at Glenrothes.
The County of Kinross or Kinross-shire is a historic county and registration county in eastern Scotland, administered as part of Perth and Kinross since 1930. Surrounding its largest settlement and county town of Kinross, the county borders Perthshire to the north and Fife to the east, south and west.
Methil is an eastern coastal town in Scotland. It was first recorded as "Methkil" in 1207, and belonged to the Bishop of St Andrews. Two Bronze Age cemeteries have been discovered which date the settlement as over 8,000 years old. Famous for its High Street having the most pubs per mile in Scotland, it was part of its own barony in 1614 and also part of the former burgh of Buckhaven and Methil. This burgh existed between 1891 and 1975. It is situated within a continuous urban area described as Levenmouth.
Glenrothes is a town situated in the heart of Fife, in east-central Scotland. It is about 30 miles (48 km) north of Edinburgh and 30 miles (48 km) south of Dundee. The town had a population of 39,277 in the 2011 census, making it the third largest settlement in Fife and the 18th most populous settlement in Scotland. The name Glenrothes comes from its historical link with the Earl of Rothes, who owned much of the land on which the new town has been built; "Glen" was added to the name to avoid confusion with Rothes in Moray and in recognition that the town lies in a river valley. The motto of Glenrothes is Ex terra vis, meaning "From the earth strength", which dates back to the founding of the town.
Newburgh is a royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland, at the south shore of the Firth of Tay. The town has a population of 2,171, which constitutes a 10% increase since 1901 when the population was counted at 1,904 persons.
Rothes is a town in Moray, Scotland, on the banks of the River Spey, 10 miles (16 km) south of Elgin. The town had a population of 1,252 at the 2011 Census. A settlement has been here since AD 600.
Falkland, previously in the Lands of Kilgour (c1200), is a village, parish and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, at the foot of the Lomond Hills. According to the 2008 population estimate, it has a population of 1,180.
Markinch (, is both a village and a parish in the heart of Fife, Scotland. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the village has a population of 2,420. The civil parish had a population of 16,530. Markinch is east of Fife's administrative centre, Glenrothes and preceded Cupar as Fife's place of warranty and justice prior to the 13th century.
Clan Leslie is a Lowland Scottish clan.
Balgonie Castle is located on the south bank of the River Leven near Milton of Balgonie, 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) east of Glenrothes, Fife, Scotland. The castle keep dates from the 14th century, and the remaining structures were added piecemeal until the 18th century. The keep has been recently restored, although other parts of the castle are roofless ruins. Balgonie, excepting the tower which is used for residential purposes, is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Strathmiglo is a village and parish in Fife, Scotland on the River Eden. It lies on the old A91 road from Milnathort to Cupar and St. Andrews but was bypassed by a new road to the north in the 1970s. The population is around 1000. Nearby settlements include Auchtermuchty and Falkland.
Kirkcaldy was a local government district in the Fife region of Scotland from 1975 to 1996, lying a short distance to the south of the regional capital Glenrothes which lay within the district.
West Wemyss is a village lying on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, in Fife, Scotland. According to the 2007 population estimate, the village has a population of 237. The village was granted burgh of barony status in 1511, bearing the name from the Wemyss family who lived in Wemyss Castle.
George Leslie, 1st Earl of Rothes was a Scottish nobleman and the first to hold the title of "Earl of Rothes", a hereditary title of the ruler of Leslie, Fife and the lands belonging to the Earl of Rothes.
Leslie House in Leslie, Fife was the largest and earliest Restoration house in Fife, Scotland. The building was gutted in a 2009 fire. Several of the buildings are listed. Sir Robert Spencer Nairn acquired the house in 1919 and in 1952, donated it to the Church of Scotland.
Bartolf also known as Bartholomew was a Scottish and Hungarian nobleman and the founder of the Leslie family, who currently serve as Earls of Leven and Earls of Rothes and Lord Newark, all of which are situated in the historic kingdom of Scotland. He came over from Hungary in 1067 with Margaret later St Margaret of Scotland.
Riverside Park is a town park situated in the town of Glenrothes, Fife. The park has pleasant woodland walks, floral gardens, a pond and recently an Arboretum has been planted. The park has several play areas and town art sculptures, adventure play areas, seasonal toilets and fitness equipment. It also features a few statues and objects from Boblingen, Germany, the twin town of Glenrothes.
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