LESLIE, George 4th Earl of Rothes, Sheriff of Fife ^{1 2 4 5}

   User ID: M548.

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Remarried: Margaret Crichton, by 21 October 1541. ^{1 5 6}

George married Margaret CRICHTON, daughter of William CRICHTON of Frendraught, 3rd Lord Crichton and Margaret STEWART, before 1 April 1517.¹ The marriage ended in annulment. (Margaret CRICHTON was born by 1494 ⁵.)

  Marriage Notes:

"George, Earl of Rothes, married, first, the honourable Margaret Crichton, daughter of William, third Lord Crichton of Frendraught, by Lady Margaret Stewart, second daughter of King James III."

"Whether an actual marriage took place between George, Earl of Rothes, and Margaret Crichton, in order to legitimate their previous union, is not stated. It is probable that there were some legal objections to their marriage, as in the charter already quoted one of the conditions required was, that they should get a dispensation if it were necessary. Whatever may have been the cause, the Earl of Rothes entered a process to have his marriage declared null on the ground that he was within the forbidden degree of affinity with the countess, he having had illicit intercourse, before his marriage, with Matilda Striveling, who was related to Margaret Crichton in the second and third degree of consanguinity, thus making him and Margaret related to each other in the same degrees of affinity, and rendering their marriage incestuous and illegal according to existing law. Whatever the facts may have been, the marriage was declared to have been null from the beginning by the ordinary, the rector of Flisk, 27th December 1520. The effect of this judgment was to leave the parties free to marry whom they would, while the issue of their previous union would be considered legitimate, on account of the good faith or ignorance of at least one of the parties. Hence the legitimacy of Norman, Master of Rothes, and of William Leslie of Cairny, was never doubted."

from Family of Leslie ¹

George next married Elizabeth GRAY, daughter of Andrew GRAY 2nd Lord Gray and Janet KEITH, before 5 June 1525.^{1 2} (Elizabeth GRAY was born about 1464 and died before 19 January 1529(1530) ².)

  Marriage Notes:

"George, Earl of Rothes, married, secondly, about 1525, Elizabeth Gray, daughter of Andrew, third Lord Gray, relict of John, fourth Lord Glammis, and of Alexander, third Earl of Huntly. George, Earl of Rothes, granted a charter, dated June 1525, of the lands and barony of Ballinbreich, to Elizabeth Gray, Countess of Huntly, relict of the deceased Alexander, Earl of Huntly, for her lifetime. By her the Earl of Rothes had no issue."

from Family of Leslie

Note:
Elizabeth was the daughter Andrew Gray, who was 2nd Lord Gray since his father had died before his father, Andrew, 1st Lord Gray.




"He (Alexander Gordon) married, secondly, Elizabeth, daughter of Andrew, Lord Gray, and widow of John, Lord Glamis .... She was married, secondly, before 5 June 1525, to George, Earl of Rothes ; she was dead before 29 January 1529-30."

from Scots Peerage (vol 4) ^{1 2}

George next married Agnes SOMERVILLE, daughter of Sir John SOMERVILLE of Quothquan, Baron of Cambusnethan and Elizabeth CARMICHAEL, by 29 January 1529 (1530).^{1 3} (Agnes SOMERVILLE was born about 1598 and died about 1541 ¹.)

  Marriage Notes:

"He (George Leslie) married, thirdly, Agnes Somerville, daughter of Sir John Somerville of Cambusnethan, widow of John, second Lord Flemming, predecessor
of the Earls of Wigton. Agnes Somerville, relict of the deceased John, Lord Flemming, got a charter of the lands of Carsehaur, in Menteith, 17th December 1526; and George, Earl of Rothes, and Agnes Somerville his spouse, got a charter of the lands of Cairny, 29th January 1530, so that the marriage must have taken place between 1526 and 1530... By this marriage the Earl of Rothes had issue"

from Family of Leslie ¹

George next married Isobel LUNDY, daughter of Sir William LUNDY of that Ilk, Sheriff of Fife and Elizabeth HEPBURN.¹ (Isobel LUNDY was born about 1490.)

  Marriage Notes:

"George, Earl of Rothes, married, fifthly, Isobel Lundy, daughter of Lundy of Lundy, and widow of David, seventh Earl of Crawford, who died in 1542.... By Isobel Lundy, the Earl of Rothes had no issue."

from Family of Leslie ¹