Norman Evelyn Leslie, 19th Earl of Rothes (13 July 1877 – 29 March 1927) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

soldier and

Scottish representative peer This is a list of representative peers elected from the Peerage of Scotland to sit in the House of Lords after the Acts of Union 1707 abolished the unicameral Parliament of Scotland, where all Scottish Peers had been entit ...

Background

Norman Leslie was the son of Martin Leslie Leslie (born Martin Leslie Haworth-Leslie) and Georgina Frances , daughter of Henry , of Waddeton Court,

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

. Norman's paternal grandparents were Captain Martin Edward Haworth later Haworth-Leslie (d. 1886) and Mary Elizabeth Leslie, 18th

Countess Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

of Rothes. Norman succeeded his grandmother to the

earldom Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...

in 1893.thepeerage.com Norman Evelyn Leslie, 19th Earl of Rothes
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Military career

Lord Rothes was commissioned into the 4th Battalion (1st Devon Militia), Devonshire Regiment in 1895. He was promoted

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in 1897 and resigned his commission in 1899. In 1905 he was appointed

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in the Fifeshire Royal Garrison Artillery (Militia). He resigned his commission in 1909. In 1911 he was appointed lieutenant-colonel commanding the Highland Cyclist Battalion of the

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry in ...

, which was badged to the

Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment ...

. The

Earl of Rothes Earl of Rothes (pronounced "''Roth''-es") is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1458 for George Leslie, 1st Lord Leslie. He had already been created Lord Leslie in 1445, also in the Peerage of Scotland. His grandson, the th ...

was elected a

in 1906, a position he retained until 1923. He fought in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and

Leslie House Leslie House in Leslie, Fife — a Grade A listed historic building in the County — is the largest and earliest Restoration house in Fife, Scotland, and was the seat of the Earls of Rothes for over 250 years, remaining today still the seat o ...

, the ancestral family seat, became a hospital for the injured. His wife, Noëlle, Countess of Rothes, worked ceaselessly during the war, both at Leslie House and in London at the Coulter Hospital, serving as a Red Cross nurse. The earl was promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in 1918. He sustained injuries during the war from which he never fully recovered. He sold Leslie House in 1919 and moved his family to England.

Family

Lord Rothes married Lucy Noël Martha Dyer-Edwardes, daughter of Thomas Dyer-Edwardes Jr. and Clementina Georgina Lucy Drummond Villiers, on 19 April 1900 in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

.''The Sketch'' (London), 25 April 1900, p. 8. They had two children: * Malcolm George Dyer-Edwardes Leslie, 20th Earl of Rothes (8 February 1902–1975), married Beryl Violet Dugdale, daughter of Captain James Lionel Dugdale and Maud Violet Woodroffe, on 17 July 1926 and had issue. *The Honourable John Wayland Leslie (b. 1909–1991). He died on 29 March 1927, aged 49, at their townhouse in

Chelsea, London Chelsea is an area in West London, England, due south-west of Kilometre zero#Great Britain, Charing Cross by approximately . It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the SW postcode area, south-western p ...

, and he was succeeded in the earldom by his eldest son, Malcolm.

References

1877 births 1927 deaths British Army colonels Nobility from Fife 19 Rothes, 19th Earl of Royal Artillery officers Devon Militia officers Fifeshire Militia officers Black Watch officers Scottish representative peers British Army personnel of World War I Military personnel from London {{Scotland-earl-stub