David Leslie, 1st Lord Newark (c. 1600–1682) was a Scottish cavalry officer. He fought for the Swedish army of

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during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

. He had entered Swedish service in 1630, serving as a captain in the regiment of

Alexander Leslie Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven (15804 April 1661) was a Scottish soldier in Swedish and Scottish service. Born illegitimate and raised as a foster child, he subsequently advanced to the rank of a Swedish Field Marshal, and in Scotland b ...

(future Earl of Leven). He returned to Scotland just before the end of the Bishops' War, and participated in the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

and Scottish Civil Wars.

Early life

David Leslie was the fifth son of Sir

Patrick Leslie, 1st Lord Lindores Patrick Leslie, 1st Lord Lindores (died between 22 May and 5 October 1608) was a member of the Scottish nobility. Biography He was the second son of Andrew Leslie, 5th Earl of Rothes, and his first wife, Grizel Hamilton. He was Commendator of ...

, and Jean, daughter of

Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney and Lord of Zetland (Shetland) (spring of 1533 – 4 February 1593) was a recognised illegitimate son of James V, King of Scotland, and his mistress Eupheme Elphinstone. Robert Stewart was half-brother to M ...

Thirty Years War

David Leslie was one of the Scots who transferred from Swedish to Russian service under Alexander Leslie of Auchintoul (not to be confused with Leven) in 1632 to participate in the

Smolensk War The Smolensk War (1632–1634) was a conflict fought between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Russia. Hostilities began in October 1632 when Russian forces tried to capture the city of Smolensk. Small military engagements produced mix ...

and was mentioned by name in Leslie of Auchintoul's testimonial. David Leslie re-appeared in the Swedish army in 1634 where he served as a colonel and thereafter Field Marshal

Johan Banér Johan Banér (23 June 1596 – 10 May 1641) was a Swedish field marshal in the Thirty Years' War. Early life Johan Banér was born at Djursholm Castle in Uppland. As a four-year-old he was forced to witness how his father, the Privy Councillo ...

's adjutant-general with whom he participated in the

Battle of Wittstock The Battle of Wittstock took place during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). It was fought on 24 September (Julian calendar) or 4 October (Gregorian calendar) 1636. A Swedish-allied army commanded jointly by Johan Banér and Alexander Lesli ...

in 1636.

Return to Scotland

Leslie petitioned to leave Swedish service in August 1640 after being wounded in battle. The Swedish

Riksråd Riksrådet (in Norwegian and Swedish), Rigsrådet (in Danish) or (English: the Council of the Realm and the Council of the State – sometimes translated as the "Privy Council") is the name of the councils of the Scandinavian countries that rule ...

(Royal Council) records show that he and Colonel James Lumsden asked to return to Scotland at the same time. The seriousness of Leslie's wounds is questionable and it is likely that they were summoned home to support Alexander Leslie's Army of the

Covenant Covenant may refer to: Religion * Covenant (religion), a formal alliance or agreement made by God with a religious community or with humanity in general ** Covenant (biblical), in the Hebrew Bible ** Covenant in Mormonism, a sacred agreement b ...

, then participating in the Bishops' Wars against

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

. Both these officers were rewarded with a severance deal which included 200 muskets and 200 suits of armour each. Leslie also received a valuable gold chain as an indication of his loyal service to the Swedish Crown. The Stuart ambassador in Hamburg, Sir

Thomas Roe Sir Thomas Roe ( 1581 – 6 November 1644) was an English diplomat of the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods. Roe's voyages ranged from Central America to India; as ambassador, he represented England in the Mughal Empire, the Ottoman Empire ...

, informed London of Leslie's departure with Colonel Lumsden and 24 other Scottish officers from that city. They arrived in Scotland after the Bishops' Wars had effectively ended.

Civil War

After the parliaments of Scotland and England agreed the

Solemn League and Covenant The Solemn League and Covenant was an agreement between the Scottish Covenanters and the leaders of the English Parliamentarians in 1643 during the First English Civil War, a theatre of conflict in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. On 17 August 1 ...

in 1643, David Leslie became a Major General under Alexander Leslie (now Earl of Leven) in the Army of the Solemn League and Covenant which was sent to fight alongside the forces of the

English Parliament The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advised ...

in 1644. He played an important role at the critical

Battle of Marston Moor The Battle of Marston Moor was fought on 2 July 1644, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms of 1639 – 1653. The combined forces of the English Parliamentarians under Lord Fairfax and the Earl of Manchester and the Scottish Covenanters und ...

, west of

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

by leading a successful cavalry charge against the Royalist

Cavalier The term Cavalier () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of King Charles I and his son Charles II of England during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration (1642 – ). It ...

s while

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

was wounded. This allowed the infantry time to regroup and eliminate the Royalist battalia led by another former colleague, Lieutenant General James King, Lord Eythin. David Leslie subsequently commanded the force that besieged

Carlisle, Cumbria Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers Eden, Caldew and Petteril. It is the administrative centre of the Cit ...

. 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 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 Marquis of Montrose was destroyed by the Covenanter army of Sir David Leslie, ...

(September 1645) and was rewarded by the committee of estates with a present of 50,000

merks The merk is a long-obsolete Scottish silver coin. Originally the same word as a money mark of silver, the merk was in circulation at the end of the 16th century and in the 17th century. It was originally valued at 13 shillings 4 pence (exactly ...

and a gold chain; but his victory was marred by the butchery of the captured Irish—men, women and children—to whom quarter had been given. He was then declared lieutenant-general of the forces, and, in addition to his pay as colonel, had a pension settled on him. One of those captured at Philiphaugh was his old commanding officer, Alexander Leslie of Auchintoul, for whom he intervened personally to save from execution. Auchintoul was banished for life, leading to his return to Russia.National Archives of Scotland, PA7/23/48. 'The Humble Desire of Lieutenant General David Leslie (with sentence noted on the reverse) quoted in Alexia Grosjean and Steve Murdoch
The Scotland, Scandinavia and Northern European Biographical Database
ID Number 2916 Leslie returned to England and was present at the

siege of Newark Newark-on-Trent or Newark () is a market town and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is on the River Trent, and was historically a major inland port. The A1 road bypasses the town on the line of th ...

. When Earl of Leven left for

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

Leslie took over command of the Scottish army besieging Newark. While he was in command of that army Charles I travelled from Oxford and surrendered to him on 5 May 1646. Newark surrendered the next day. On his return to Scotland he reduced several of the Highland clans that supported the cause of the king. In 1647 Leslie besieged

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 (MacDonald). Little remains of the castle, although the site is protected as a sched ...

which was a

Clan MacDonald Clan Donald, also known as Clan MacDonald ( gd, Clann Dòmhnaill; Mac Dòmhnaill ), is a Highland Scottish clan and one of the largest Scottish clans. The Lord Lyon King of Arms, the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry i ...

stronghold. The MacDonalds surrendered and then perhaps 300 of them were killed (the

Dunaverty Massacre The Battle of Dunaverty involved a battle and the siege of Dunaverty Castle in Kintyre, Scotland, in 1647. The events involved the Covenanter Army under the command of General David Leslie on one side and 200–300 Highland troops under t ...

). In 1648 he refused to take part in the English expedition of the " engagers", the enterprise not having the sanction of the Kirk. Leslie then laid siege to the

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...

garrison at Kincardine Castle. The Castle was being held by "Smooth John" Macnab, Chief of Clan MacNab. When MacNab found that it would not be possible to maintain defence, he led the defenders, sword in hand at the head of 300 men, who 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, rejoined King Charles and continued to fight. MacNab was later killed at the

Battle of Worcester The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 in and around the city of Worcester, England and was the last major battle of the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. A Parliamentarian army of around 28,000 under Oliver Cromwell d ...

in 1651. In 1650, after Montrose had made another attempt at a Royalist uprising, he was captured by Neil Macleod of Assynt. Macleod, who had fought with Montrose at the siege of

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...

, delivered him up to the

Covenanter Covenanters ( gd, Cùmhnantaich) were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. The name is derived from ''Covenan ...

s (see

Battle of Carbisdale The Battle of Carbisdale (also known as Invercarron) took place close to the village of Culrain, Sutherland, Scotland on 27 April 1650 and was part of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It was fought by the Royalist leader James Graham, 1st Marq ...

). General Leslie, who was then at Tain, 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 John Gordon (1609–1679) was the 14th Earl of Sutherland. He was the son of John Gordon, 13th Earl of Sutherland and Agnes Elphinstone (d. 1617), a daughter of the Lord Treasurer, Alexander Elphinstone, 4th Lord Elphinstone. Civil War A stro ...

's regiments to

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. ...

. The defenders refused to yield, holding out valiantly for some days until their water supply was cut off, forcing them to 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 II in the hope that, in return for their support against his English enemies, he would impose their political and religious agenda on Great Britain. Leslie accordingly now found himself fighting for the King. When the Parliamentarian army under

invaded Scotland in July 1650 Leslie commanded the Scottish forces. By refusing battle, Leslie withstood Cromwell's attempts to attack

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

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 () is a town on the North Sea coast in East Lothian in the south-east of Scotland, approximately east of Edinburgh and from the English border north of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Dunbar is a former royal burgh, and gave its name to an ecc ...

. Although the Scottish army had twice as many men, divisions within the Committee of Estates and

Kirk Kirk is a Scottish and former Northern English word meaning "church". It is often used specifically of the Church of Scotland. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it. Basic meaning and etymology As a common noun, ''kirk' ...

instructing Leslie gave Cromwell the opportunity to inflict a decisive defeat on the Scots at the Battle of Dunbar on 3 September 1650. Leslie escaped with a tiny remnant of his army which then joined Charles II's Royalist forces in the Stirling area. Leslie led the Royalist army on another invasion of England in 1651, where he was again defeated by Cromwell, at the

on 3 September 1651. After his capture he was sent to the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...

. Released from captivity on the

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

of Charles II in 1660, Leslie was granted the title

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 was fifth son of Patr ...

. David Leslie, 1st Lord Newark, died in 1682.

Family

His son

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

was the 2nd Lord Newark. His daughter Jean Leslie (d. 1740) styled herself as 3rd "Lady Newark" i.e. a lady in her own right. She married Sir Alexander Anstruther of

Anstruther Anstruther ( sco, Ainster or Enster ; gd, Ànsruthair) is a small coastal resort town in Fife, Scotland, situated on the north-shore of the Firth of Forth and south-southeast of St Andrews. The town comprises two settlements, Anstruther ...

in 1694, and their sons William and Alexander were known semi-officially as the 4th and 5th Lords Newark. His cousin was John Leslie, Lord Newton, a

Lord of Session The senators of the College of Justice are judges of the College of Justice, a set of legal institutions involved in the administration of justice in Scotland. There are three types of senator: Lords of Session (judges of the Court of Session) ...

and also a Lt Colonel in the King's Horse Guards involved in several of the same battles.

Notes

References

* Attribution: *