Earl of Leven
Earl of Leven is a hereditary British title in the Peerage of Scotland . It is named after the town of Leven in Fife , Scotland .
The Earls family home is Glenferness House near Nairn in the Highland .
Award, subordinate and other titles
The title was awarded to the military Sir Alexander Leslie on October 11, 1641 . Together with the Earldom he was given the subordinate title of Lord Balgonie . In the absence of male descendants, the titles are also hereditary in the female line.
After the death of his great-granddaughter, the 4th Countess, in 1676 the titles were suspended because there was disagreement as to whether John Leslie, 1st Duke of Rothes or David Melville , was the next entitled heir. The dispute was resolved in 1681 when the Duke died and David Melville assumed the title of 5th Earl of Leven. David Melville, later took the surname Leslie , inherited the title of 2nd Earl of Melville in 1707 with the subordinate titles of 2nd Viscount of Kirkcaldy , 2nd Lord Raith, Monymaill and Balwearie and 5th Lord Melville . The Earldoms of Leven and Melville have since been united.
The eldest son of the respective earl bears the courtesy title of Lord Balgonie as heir apparent .
List of the Earls of Leven (1641)
- Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven (around 1580–1661)
- Alexander Leslie, 2nd Earl of Leven (around 1637–1664)
- Margaret Leslie, 3rd Countess of Leven († 1674)
- Catherine Leslie, 4th Countess of Leven (1663–1676)
- David Melville, 5th Earl of Leven , 2nd Earl of Melville (1660-1728)
- David Leslie, 6th Earl of Leven , 3rd Earl of Melville (1717–1729)
- Alexander Leslie, 7th Earl of Leven , 4th Earl of Melville († 1754)
- David Leslie, 8th Earl of Leven , 5th Earl of Melville (1722–1802)
- Alexander Leslie-Melville, 9th Earl of Leven , 6th Earl of Melville (1749-1820)
- David Leslie-Melville, 10th Earl of Leven , 7th Earl of Melville (1785–1860)
- John Leslie-Melville, 11th Earl of Leven , 8th Earl of Melville (1786–1876)
- Alexander Leslie-Melville, 12th Earl of Leven , 9th Earl of Melville (1817-1889)
- Ronald Leslie-Melville, 13th Earl of Leven , 10th Earl of Melville (1835-1906)
- John Melville, 14th Earl of Leven , 11th Earl of Melville (1886–1913)
- Archibald Leslie-Melville, 15th Earl of Leven , 12th Earl of Melville (1890–1947)
- Alexander Leslie-Melville, 16th Earl of Leven , 13th Earl of Melville (1924–2012)
- Alexander Leslie-Melville, 17th Earl of Leven , 14th Earl of Melville (* 1984)
The alleged heir to the title ( Heir Presumptive ) is the uncle of the current title holder Hon. Archibald Ronald Leslie-Melville (* 1957).
Web links
- Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages
- Leven, Earl of (S, 1641) at Cracroft's Peerage