Earl of Leven
Encyclopedia
Earl of Leven is a title in the Peerage of Scotland
. It was created in 1641 for Alexander Leslie. He was succeeded by his grandson Alexander, who was in turn followed by his daughters Margaret and Catherine (who are usually not included in the numbering of the Earls). Thereafter, there was a dispute relating to succession to the title between David Melville and John Leslie, 1st Duke of Rothes. However, in 1681, Melville's claim was admitted after the Duke of Rothes died. In 1707, Melville succeeded to the title Earl of Melville, and thereafter the earldoms have been united.
The other titles held by the Earl are: Viscount of Kirkaldie (created 1690), Lord Melville of Monymaill (1616), Lord Balgonie (1641), Lord Raith, Monymaill and Balwearie (1690). All are in the Peerage of Scotland.
The heir apparent to the Earldoms is styled Lord Balgonie.
The family seat is Old Spey Bridge, near Grantown-on-Spey
, Highland
.
The heir apparent
is the present holder's grandson Alexander Ian Leslie-Melville, Lord Balgonie (b. 1984)
Peerage of Scotland
The Peerage of Scotland is the division of the British Peerage for those peers created in the Kingdom of Scotland before 1707. With that year's Act of Union, the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England were combined into the Kingdom of Great Britain, and a new Peerage of Great Britain was...
. It was created in 1641 for Alexander Leslie. He was succeeded by his grandson Alexander, who was in turn followed by his daughters Margaret and Catherine (who are usually not included in the numbering of the Earls). Thereafter, there was a dispute relating to succession to the title between David Melville and John Leslie, 1st Duke of Rothes. However, in 1681, Melville's claim was admitted after the Duke of Rothes died. In 1707, Melville succeeded to the title Earl of Melville, and thereafter the earldoms have been united.
The other titles held by the Earl are: Viscount of Kirkaldie (created 1690), Lord Melville of Monymaill (1616), Lord Balgonie (1641), Lord Raith, Monymaill and Balwearie (1690). All are in the Peerage of Scotland.
The heir apparent to the Earldoms is styled Lord Balgonie.
The family seat is Old Spey Bridge, near Grantown-on-Spey
Grantown-on-Spey
Grantown-on-Spey is a town in the Highland Council Area in Scotland.It was founded in 1765 as a planned settlement on a low plateau at Freuchie beside the river Spey at the northern edge of the Cairngorm mountains, about 20 miles South East of Inverness .It is the main town in what was the...
, Highland
Highland (council area)
Highland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...
.
Earls of Leven (1641)
- Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of LevenAlexander Leslie, 1st Earl of LevenAlexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven was a Scottish soldier in Dutch, Swedish and Scottish service. Born illegitimate and raised as a foster child, he subsequently advanced to the rank of a Dutch captain, a Swedish Field Marshal, and in Scotland became lord general in command of the Covenanters,...
(c. 1580–1661)- Alexander Leslie, Lord Balgonie (d. c. 1642)
- Alexander Leslie, 2nd Earl of Leven (c. 1637–1664)
- Margaret Leslie, Countess of Leven (d. 1674)
- Catherine Leslie, Countess of Leven (1663–1676)
- David Melville, 3rd Earl of Leven, 2nd Earl of MelvilleDavid Melville, 3rd Earl of LevenDavid Leslie-Melville, 3rd Earl of Leven and 2nd Earl of Melville was a Scots aristocrat, politician, and soldier.The third son of George Melville, 1st Earl of Melville and his second wife Catherine Leslie-Melville, he shared the Whig political and the Presbyterian religious sympathies of his...
(1660–1728)- George Leslie, Lord Balgonie (1695–1721)
- David Melville, 4th Earl of Leven, 3rd Earl of Melville (1717–1729)
- Alexander Melville, 5th Earl of Leven, 4th Earl of MelvilleAlexander Melville, 5th Earl of LevenAlexander Melville , 5th Earl of Leven was the son of David Melville, 3rd Earl of Leven....
(d. 1754) - David Melville, 6th Earl of Leven, 5th Earl of MelvilleDavid Melville, 6th Earl of LevenDavid Melville, 6th Earl of Leven was the son of Alexander Melville, 5th Earl of Leven.Grand Master of Scottish Freemasons 1759-61; Deputy Governor of the Bank of Scotland; a Lord of Police 1772-82; High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 1783-1801On 29 July 1747, he...
(1722–1802) - Alexander Leslie-Melville, 7th Earl of Leven, 6th Earl of MelvilleAlexander Leslie-Melville, 7th Earl of LevenAlexander Leslie-Melville, 7th Earl of Leven was a Scottish Whig politician and peer.As the eldest son of David Melville, 6th Earl of Leven, he succeeded his father as Earl of Leven and Earl of Melville on 9 June 1802...
(1749–1820) - David Leslie-Melville, 8th Earl of Leven, 7th Earl of MelvilleDavid Leslie-Melville, 8th Earl of LevenDavid Leslie-Melville, 8th Earl of Leven, 7th Earl of Melville was a Scottish peer and admiral.He entered the Royal Navy c. 1800; he became Rear Admiral in 1846, and Vice Admiral in 1858....
(1785–1860)- Alexander Leslie-Melville, Lord BalgonieAlexander Leslie-Melville, Lord BalgonieAlexander Leslie-Melville, Viscount Balgonie was a British soldier.He held the title of Lord Balgonie as a courtesy title; he was the eldest son of David-Leslie Melville, 8th Earl of Leven, 7th Earl of Melville. He served in the Grenadier Guards, and died in 1857 as a result of hard campaigning in...
(1831–1857)
- Alexander Leslie-Melville, Lord Balgonie
- John Thornton Leslie-Melville, 9th Earl of Leven, 8th Earl of MelvilleJohn Leslie-Melville, 9th Earl of LevenJohn Thornton Leslie-Melville, 9th Earl of Leven, 8th Earl of Melville was a Scottish peer, and soldier.He succeeded his brother David Leslie-Melville, 8th Earl of Leven....
(1786–1876) - Alexander Leslie-Melville, 10th Earl of Leven, 9th Earl of MelvilleAlexander Leslie-Melville, 10th Earl of LevenAlexander Leslie-Melville, 10th Earl of Leven, 9th Earl of Melville He was the son of John Leslie-Melville, 9th Earl of Leven.He was a partner in Williams...
(1817–1889) - Ronald Ruthven Leslie-Melville, 11th Earl of Leven, 10th Earl of Melville (1835–1906)
- John David Melville, 12th Earl of Leven (1886–1913)
- Archibald Alexander Leslie-Melville, 13th Earl of Leven and 12th Earl of Melville (1890–1947)
- Alexander Robert Leslie-Melville, 14th Earl of Leven and 13th Earl of Melville (b. 1924)
- David Alexander Leslie Melville, Lord Balgonie (1954–2007)
The heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
is the present holder's grandson Alexander Ian Leslie-Melville, Lord Balgonie (b. 1984)