Leslie
Modern Crest
Gaelic Name: Mac an Fheisdeir
Motto: Grip Fast
Badge: Rue Lands: Aberdeenshire
Origin of Name: Placename, Aberdeenshire
The family name comes from the Leslie lands of Aberdeenshire and was to become famous in Germany, Poland, France and Russia. An Hungarian noble named Bartholf (or Batholomew) settled in this area and in the 12th century one of his sons obtained a charter for the Barony of Lesly from William the Lion. Sir Andrew de Lesly was one of the signatories when a letter, the Declaration of Arbroath, was sent to the Pope in 1320 asserting Scotland’s independence. When his son Walter died before gaining a son of his own the Battle of Harlaw resulted in 1411.