David Leslie
Encyclopedia
David Leslie, Lord Newark (c. 1600-1682) was a cavalry officer and General
in the English Civil War
and Scottish Civil Wars. A son of Patrick Leslie, 1st Lord Lindores
, he fought for the Swedish army of Gustavus Adolphus
as a professional soldier during the Thirty Years' War
.
in Great Britain
and Ireland
, he returned to his native Scotland
, to command the armies of the Covenanter
Scottish government. Leslie was second in command of the Scottish armies who were sent to fight for the English Parliament from 1644 and had won the day at the critical Battle of Marston Moor
, west of York
, for a wounded Oliver Cromwell
, leading a cavalry charge that defeated the Royalist Cavalier
s.
In 1645 Leslie was sent back to Scotland to deal with the Royalists there during the Scottish Civil War
. He routed the main Royalist force under James Graham, Marquis of Montrose at the Battle of Philiphaugh
and afterwards mopped up the remaining Royalists in Kintyre in the west of Scotland.
Dunaverty Castle
was a Clan MacDonald
stronghold. It was besieged in 1647 by David Leslie. The MacDonalds surrendered and then perhaps 300 of them were killed (the Dunaverty Massacre).
David Leslie then laid siege to the Royalist
garrison at Kincardine Castle
. The Castle was being held by the Chief of Clan MacNab
. MacNab found that it would not be possible to maintain defense and during the night, sword in hand at the head of 300 men they cut their way through the besieging force. All made it through apart from the MacNab chief himself and one other man who were captured and sent to Edinburgh as prisoners of war. The chief was sentenced to death but he escaped and rejoined King Charles and continued to fight. MacNab was later killed at the Battle of Worcester
in 1651.
In 1650, after Montrose had made another attempt at a Royalist uprising, he was captured by Neil Macleod of Assynt. Macleod, who fought with Montrose during the siege of Inverness
, delivered him up to the Covenanters. See Battle of Carbisdale
. General Leslie, who was then at Tain
, had sent Major General James Holborne
with a troop of horse to fetch Montrose to meet his judges. Whilst Montrose was being led to his death Leslie dispatched five troops of horse, including some from Holborne’s and the John Gordon, 14th Earl of Sutherland
's regiments to Dunbeath Castle
. The defenders refused to yield, holding out valiantly for some days until their water supply was cut off, forcing them into surrender. They were finally marched under escort to Edinburgh, where Montrose was executed.
to impose their political and religious agenda on Great Britain. Leslie accordingly now found himself fighting for the King. When the Parliamentarian army under Oliver Cromwell
invaded Scotland in July 1650 Leslie commanded the Scottish forces. By refusing battle, Leslie withstood a siege at Edinburgh
and when the English were forced to retreat in August 1650 he pursued them down the east coast, eventually trapping 11,000 English soldiers south of Dunbar
with an army of 14,000 Scottish. But a divided Royalist command gave Cromwell the opportunity to inflict a decisive defeat on the Scottish at the Battle of Dunbar
on 3 September 1650. Leslie escaped with a tiny remnant of his army.
Leslie led the Royalist army on another invasion of England in 1651, where he was again defeated by Cromwell, at the Battle of Worcester
on 3 September 1651. After his capture he was sent to the Tower of London
.
Released from captivity on the Restoration
of Charles II
in 1660, Leslie was granted the title Lord Newark
. David Leslie, 1st Baron Newark, died in 1682. His daughter Jean (d.1740) styled herself as "Lady Newark" http://www.thepeerage.com/p1592.htm#i15914, as a baroness in her own right. She married Sir Alexander Anstruther of Anstruther
in 1694, and their sons William and Alexander were known semi-officially as the 3rd and 4th Lords Newark.
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
in the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
and Scottish Civil Wars. A son of Patrick Leslie, 1st Lord Lindores
Patrick Leslie, 1st Lord Lindores
Patrick Leslie, 1st Lord Lindores was a member of the Scottish nobility. He was the second son of Andrew Leslie, 5th Earl of Rothes, and his first wife, Grizel Hamilton...
, he fought for the Swedish army of Gustavus Adolphus
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Gustav II Adolf has been widely known in English by his Latinized name Gustavus Adolphus Magnus and variously in historical writings also as Gustavus, or Gustavus the Great, or Gustav Adolph the Great,...
as a professional soldier during the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
.
Civil war
On the outbreak of the Civil WarsWars of the Three Kingdoms
The Wars of the Three Kingdoms formed an intertwined series of conflicts that took place in England, Ireland, and Scotland between 1639 and 1651 after these three countries had come under the "Personal Rule" of the same monarch...
in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, he returned to his native Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, to command the armies of the Covenanter
Covenanter
The Covenanters were a Scottish Presbyterian movement that played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England and Ireland, during the 17th century...
Scottish government. Leslie was second in command of the Scottish armies who were sent to fight for the English Parliament from 1644 and had won the day at the critical Battle of Marston Moor
Battle of Marston Moor
The Battle of Marston Moor was fought on 2 July 1644, during the First English Civil War of 1642–1646. The combined forces of the Scottish Covenanters under the Earl of Leven and the English Parliamentarians under Lord Fairfax and the Earl of Manchester defeated the Royalists commanded by Prince...
, west of York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, for a wounded Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
, leading a cavalry charge that defeated the Royalist Cavalier
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
s.
In 1645 Leslie was sent back to Scotland to deal with the Royalists there during the Scottish Civil War
Scottish Civil War
Between 1644 and 1651 Scotland was involved the Wars of the Three Kingdoms during a period when a series of civil wars that were fought in Scotland, England and in Ireland...
. He routed the main Royalist force under James Graham, Marquis of Montrose at the Battle of Philiphaugh
Battle of Philiphaugh
The Battle of Philiphaugh was fought on 13 September 1645 during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms near Selkirk in the Scottish Borders. The Royalist army of the Marquess of Montrose was destroyed by the Covenanter army of Sir David Leslie, restoring the power of the Committee of Estates.-Prelude:When...
and afterwards mopped up the remaining Royalists in Kintyre in the west of Scotland.
Dunaverty Castle
Dunaverty Castle
Dunaverty Castle is located at Southend at the southern end of the Kintyre peninsula in western Scotland. The site was once a fort belonging to the Clan Donald . Little remains of the castle, although the site is protected as a scheduled monument....
was a Clan MacDonald
Clan Donald
Clan Donald is one of the largest Scottish clans. There are numerous branches to the clan. Several of these have chiefs recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms; these are: Clan Macdonald of Sleat, Clan Macdonald of Clanranald, Clan MacDonell of Glengarry, Clan MacDonald of Keppoch, and Clan...
stronghold. It was besieged in 1647 by David Leslie. The MacDonalds surrendered and then perhaps 300 of them were killed (the Dunaverty Massacre).
David Leslie then laid siege to the Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
garrison at Kincardine Castle
Kincardine Castle (Auchterarder)
Kincardine Castle is a 19th-century manor house near Auchterarder in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The building lies south-west of the town, on the Ruthven Water. The Gothic house was constructed in 1801–1803, and is a category B listed building....
. The Castle was being held by the Chief of Clan MacNab
Clan MacNab
Clan Macnab is a Highland Scottish clan.-History:Clan Macnab is often said to have been a branch of the Clan Macdonald. However a bond of manrent exists to say that the Clan Macnab was an ally of the Clan Mackinnon and the Clan Gregor...
. MacNab found that it would not be possible to maintain defense and during the night, sword in hand at the head of 300 men they cut their way through the besieging force. All made it through apart from the MacNab chief himself and one other man who were captured and sent to Edinburgh as prisoners of war. The chief was sentenced to death but he escaped and rejoined King Charles and continued to fight. MacNab was later killed at the Battle of Worcester
Battle of Worcester
The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 at Worcester, England and was the final battle of the English Civil War. Oliver Cromwell and the Parliamentarians defeated the Royalist, predominantly Scottish, forces of King Charles II...
in 1651.
In 1650, after Montrose had made another attempt at a Royalist uprising, he was captured by Neil Macleod of Assynt. Macleod, who fought with Montrose during the siege of Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
, delivered him up to the Covenanters. See Battle of Carbisdale
Battle of Carbisdale
The Battle of Carbisdale took place close to the Village of Culrain on 27 April 1650 and was part of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
. General Leslie, who was then at Tain
Tain
Tain is a royal burgh and post town in the committee area of Ross and Cromarty, in the Highland area of Scotland.-Etymology:...
, had sent Major General James Holborne
James Holborne of Menstrie
Major General Sir James Holborne of Menstrie was a Scottish soldier during the years of the English Civil War. Although he initially fought on the side of the English Parliament, he later became a senior officer in the Scottish Army, fighting against Cromwell...
with a troop of horse to fetch Montrose to meet his judges. Whilst Montrose was being led to his death Leslie dispatched five troops of horse, including some from Holborne’s and the John Gordon, 14th Earl of Sutherland
John Gordon, 14th Earl of Sutherland
John Gordon was the 14th Earl of Sutherland. He was married to Lady Jean Drummond. He was appointed by the Parliament of Scotland to the post of Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland in 1649 and he held the post until 1660. He is the only Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland to be appointed by the...
's regiments to Dunbeath Castle
Dunbeath Castle
Dunbeath Castle is located on the east coast of Caithness, south of Dunbeath, in northern Scotland. Although a castle has stood here since the 15th century, the present building is of mainly 17th-century origin, with 19th century extensions.-History:...
. The defenders refused to yield, holding out valiantly for some days until their water supply was cut off, forcing them into surrender. They were finally marched under escort to Edinburgh, where Montrose was executed.
Royalist from 1650
By 1650, the Scottish Covenanter government had grown disillusioned with the English Parliament, and instead backed Charles IICharles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
to impose their political and religious agenda on Great Britain. Leslie accordingly now found himself fighting for the King. When the Parliamentarian army under Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
invaded Scotland in July 1650 Leslie commanded the Scottish forces. By refusing battle, Leslie withstood a siege at Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and when the English were forced to retreat in August 1650 he pursued them down the east coast, eventually trapping 11,000 English soldiers south of Dunbar
Dunbar
Dunbar is a town in East Lothian on the southeast coast of Scotland, approximately 28 miles east of Edinburgh and 28 miles from the English Border at Berwick-upon-Tweed....
with an army of 14,000 Scottish. But a divided Royalist command gave Cromwell the opportunity to inflict a decisive defeat on the Scottish at the Battle of Dunbar
Battle of Dunbar (1650)
The Battle of Dunbar was a battle of the Third English Civil War. The English Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell defeated a Scottish army commanded by David Leslie which was loyal to King Charles II, who had been proclaimed King of Scots on 5 February 1649.-Background:The English...
on 3 September 1650. Leslie escaped with a tiny remnant of his army.
Leslie led the Royalist army on another invasion of England in 1651, where he was again defeated by Cromwell, at the Battle of Worcester
Battle of Worcester
The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 at Worcester, England and was the final battle of the English Civil War. Oliver Cromwell and the Parliamentarians defeated the Royalist, predominantly Scottish, forces of King Charles II...
on 3 September 1651. After his capture he was sent to the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
.
Released from captivity on the Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
of Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
in 1660, Leslie was granted the title Lord Newark
Lord Newark
The title Lord Newark was a Lordship of Parliament in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1661 and extinct in 1694, though the title continued to be claimed until the 19th century.-David Leslie, 1st Lord Newark:...
. David Leslie, 1st Baron Newark, died in 1682. His daughter Jean (d.1740) styled herself as "Lady Newark" http://www.thepeerage.com/p1592.htm#i15914, as a baroness in her own right. She married Sir Alexander Anstruther of Anstruther
Anstruther
Anstruther is a small town in Fife, Scotland. The two halves of Anstruther are divided by a small stream called Dreel Burn. Anstruther lies 9 miles south-southeast of St Andrews. It is the largest community on the stretch of north-shore coastline of the Firth of Forth known as the East Neuk,...
in 1694, and their sons William and Alexander were known semi-officially as the 3rd and 4th Lords Newark.
See also
- Clan LeslieClan LeslieClan Leslie is a Lowland Scottish clan.-Origins:The family name comes from the Leslie lands of Aberdeenshire and was to become famous in Germany, Poland, France and Russia...
- Susanna Montgomery, Countess of EglintonSusanna Montgomery, Countess of EglintonSusanna or Susannah Montgomery or Montgomerie was the daughter of Sir Archibald Kennedy, 1st Baronet of Culzean and the third wife of Alexander Seton Montgomerie , ninth Earl of Eglinton in the Peerage of Scotland. Born in 1690, she died at Auchans on March 18, 1780 at the age of 90. She had been a...
A grand-daughter