John Leslie, The Fighting Bishop (b.1571 d.1671)
One of the few images of this gentleman.
Rev. John Leslie (b.1571 d.1671), The Fighting Bishop.
The Rev. John Leslie was born in Crichie (Stuartfield), Aberdeenshire, Scotland on 14 October 1571.
He was Anglican Bishop of Orkney (the Isles), Scotland (1628-1633), Church of Ireland Bishop of Raphoe in County Donegal (1633-1661), Church of Ireland Bishop of Clogher in County Monaghan (1661-1667). Also known as "The Fighting Bishop" due to opposing both the Irish Rebellion of 1641-1642, in which many Catholics feared invasion of Ireland by an army supported Parliamentarians who were in open opposition to King Charles I, and also for opposing Oliver Cromwell in 1649 when he led an invasion of Ireland by Parliamentarian forces.
The earlier part of Leslie’s education he received at Aberdeen, Scotland the latter part at Oxford however, his connection with Oxford is rather shadowy. His son, Charles told Anthony Wood that his father was an Oxford doctor both of divinity and laws, but the great antiquary (Wood) was unable to verify this, however during his time abroad he seems to have served as a Chaplin and received his Doctorate of Law and other degrees from continental Universities. On his return to Scotland, he re-entered Aberdeen University and graduated Master of Arts (M.A.) in 1614.
He was in his late 40s when he moved to England, and he was admitted to read in the Bodleian Library in Oxford in 1618 when he was 47. He was ordained deacon that year by John King (b.abt 1559 d.1621), Bishop of London, and at the age of 50 the King made him a domestic Chaplin c.1621.
He lived abroad for twenty-two years in Padua Italy, Leipzig Germany, Madrid, Salamanca and San Sebastian in Spain, but chiefly in the latter country. He spoke French, Spanish, and Italian fluently. In the Latin language he particularly excelled, and was so familiar, that it was said in Spain, when he resided there, ‘Solus Lesleius Latine loquitur’ roughly translates to, ‘Leslie is the only man that can speak Latin’.
Not only was he famous for abstruse knowledge, but his practice as a courtier gave him a peculiarly graceful character to his preaching.
In 1624 Leslie was awarded the degree of DD (lit. reg.) from Trinity College, Cambridge. In the same year, on nomination of King James I was made a Privy Councillor of Scotland and one of his royal chaplains. He was offered an appointment at Burmash in Kent but declined. That year also, Leslie received his first church appointment, as Rector of Hartlebury in Worcestershire, but he only remained there for three months, in the same year he was made D.D. of Cambridge by royal mandate. However, he exchanged Hartlebury for rector of Saint Faith’s in London on 2 March 1625 and was also appointed Rector of St Martin Vintry, London on 6 March 1625, just before the death of King James I on 27 March 1625.
It is said that Dr. Leslie was with George Villiers (b.1592 d.1628), Duke of Buckingham, at the Siege of Ile de Ré (near La Rochelle), in 1627 in support of the Huguenots fighting against the French crown, perhaps as Chaplain, very possibly as combatant. The 3-month siege was a disaster, as the French ships and troops managed to repel the Duke, who was forced to withdraw in defeat.
Leslie continued to enjoy royal favour, and he returned to Scotland at the age of 56 when King Charles 1st, appointed him Bishop of the Isles in August 1628.
In Scotland, neither episcopacy nor a far-flung diocese along the western coast had their attractions, with strong Presbyterian resistance to Charles I’s efforts to impose a brand of Anglicanism on the Church of Scotland. When Charles I was finally crowned in Edinburgh in June 1633, he rewarded Leslie’s loyalty with a new appointment as Bishop of Raphoe in Co. Donegal and he moved to Ireland around this time.
Leslie was almost 62, but Ireland offered a fresh start, in life and in love. Leslie found many of the diocesan estates had been acquired illegally by lay people, and he used the force of law to recover some of these lands.
In 1635 he had a dispute with one John Hamilton and at the request of Thomas Wentworth's (b.1593 d.1641) to undertake the arbitration he found an ally in John Bramhall (b.594 d.1663), Bishop of Derry and later, the Archbishop of Armagh.
Feeling threatened in his new location and having no official residence he used the stone from an existing ancient Round Tower which overlooked the town of Raphoe and in 1638 started building a new fortified episcopal palace, known as Bishop’s Palace.
Family
In 1638, the bishop married Catherine Conyngham (Cunningham) b.1617 d.1694 heiress of Glaslough and daughter of Alexander Conyngham (Cunningham) b.1590 d.1660 of Mount Charles, Dean of Raphoe (who lived at Inver, Co Donegal) and Marian Murray, daughter of James Murray of Broughton, Wigtownshire, Scotland. There was a gap of almost half a century between the ages of the bishop and Catherine – he was almost 67, she was only 18.
As he himself records, the bishop was a very happy man, during the years in this marriage he had 8 children, only 4 of which reach adulthood:
John, born 19th June 1639; died 18th January 1641, aged 2 years.
Alexander, born 19th February 1643; died 28th December 1645 aged 2 years.
John, born 5th January 1645; became Dean of Dromore in 1681, married in 1698 to Miss Hamilton of Caledon, and died in 1721 without issue.
George, born 22d December 1647; died 18th May 1650 aged 3 years.
Albert, born 23d April 1649; died 22d May 1650 aged 1 year.
Charles, (b.1650. d1727); succeeded to the estate at Glaslough.
Mary, born 15th August 1651; died on the 19th of the same month.
Jane, born 9th October 1655; married to R. Sanderson.
It’s not well documented, however I’ve found another record suggesting that Bishop Leslie may well have been married twice to another Katherine Cunningham (b.1617 d.1694) who was daughter of Sir James Cunningham (b.1579 d.1623) Laird of Glengarnock and Catherine Cunningham (b.1583 d.1631) of Glencairn and they had a daughter Elizabeth Leslie (b.1657 d.1727) who married Robert Hamilton (b.1665) who was son of Alexander Hamilton (b.1615 d.1676) of Killyleagh and Jean Hamilton (b.1640 d.c1699). Elizabeth and Robert had a daughter, Agnes Anderson Hamilton (b. 1702 d.1759)
John Leslie, The Fighting Bishop (b.1571 d.1671)
One of the few images of this gentleman.
Rev. John Leslie (b.1571 d.1671), The Fighting Bishop.
The Rev. John Leslie was born in Crichie (Stuartfield), Aberdeenshire, Scotland on 14 October 1571.
He was Anglican Bishop of Orkney (the Isles), Scotland (1628-1633), Church of Ireland Bishop of Raphoe in County Donegal (1633-1661), Church of Ireland Bishop of Clogher in County Monaghan (1661-1667). Also known as "The Fighting Bishop" due to opposing both the Irish Rebellion of 1641-1642, in which many Catholics feared invasion of Ireland by an army supported Parliamentarians who were in open opposition to King Charles I, and also for opposing Oliver Cromwell in 1649 when he led an invasion of Ireland by Parliamentarian forces.
The earlier part of Leslie’s education he received at Aberdeen, Scotland the latter part at Oxford however, his connection with Oxford is rather shadowy. His son, Charles told Anthony Wood that his father was an Oxford doctor both of divinity and laws, but the great antiquary (Wood) was unable to verify this, however during his time abroad he seems to have served as a Chaplin and received his Doctorate of Law and other degrees from continental Universities. On his return to Scotland, he re-entered Aberdeen University and graduated Master of Arts (M.A.) in 1614.
He was in his late 40s when he moved to England, and he was admitted to read in the Bodleian Library in Oxford in 1618 when he was 47. He was ordained deacon that year by John King (b.abt 1559 d.1621), Bishop of London, and at the age of 50 the King made him a domestic Chaplin c.1621.
He lived abroad for twenty-two years in Padua Italy, Leipzig Germany, Madrid, Salamanca and San Sebastian in Spain, but chiefly in the latter country. He spoke French, Spanish, and Italian fluently. In the Latin language he particularly excelled, and was so familiar, that it was said in Spain, when he resided there, ‘Solus Lesleius Latine loquitur’ roughly translates to, ‘Leslie is the only man that can speak Latin’.
Not only was he famous for abstruse knowledge, but his practice as a courtier gave him a peculiarly graceful character to his preaching.
In 1624 Leslie was awarded the degree of DD (lit. reg.) from Trinity College, Cambridge. In the same year, on nomination of King James I was made a Privy Councillor of Scotland and one of his royal chaplains. He was offered an appointment at Burmash in Kent but declined. That year also, Leslie received his first church appointment, as Rector of Hartlebury in Worcestershire, but he only remained there for three months, in the same year he was made D.D. of Cambridge by royal mandate. However, he exchanged Hartlebury for rector of Saint Faith’s in London on 2 March 1625 and was also appointed Rector of St Martin Vintry, London on 6 March 1625, just before the death of King James I on 27 March 1625.
It is said that Dr. Leslie was with George Villiers (b.1592 d.1628), Duke of Buckingham, at the Siege of Ile de Ré (near La Rochelle), in 1627 in support of the Huguenots fighting against the French crown, perhaps as Chaplain, very possibly as combatant. The 3-month siege was a disaster, as the French ships and troops managed to repel the Duke, who was forced to withdraw in defeat.
Leslie continued to enjoy royal favour, and he returned to Scotland at the age of 56 when King Charles 1st, appointed him Bishop of the Isles in August 1628.
In Scotland, neither episcopacy nor a far-flung diocese along the western coast had their attractions, with strong Presbyterian resistance to Charles I’s efforts to impose a brand of Anglicanism on the Church of Scotland. When Charles I was finally crowned in Edinburgh in June 1633, he rewarded Leslie’s loyalty with a new appointment as Bishop of Raphoe in Co. Donegal and he moved to Ireland around this time.
Leslie was almost 62, but Ireland offered a fresh start, in life and in love. Leslie found many of the diocesan estates had been acquired illegally by lay people, and he used the force of law to recover some of these lands.
In 1635 he had a dispute with one John Hamilton and at the request of Thomas Wentworth's (b.1593 d.1641) to undertake the arbitration he found an ally in John Bramhall (b.594 d.1663), Bishop of Derry and later, the Archbishop of Armagh.
Feeling threatened in his new location and having no official residence he used the stone from an existing ancient Round Tower which overlooked the town of Raphoe and in 1638 started building a new fortified episcopal palace, known as Bishop’s Palace.
Family
In 1638, the bishop married Catherine Conyngham (Cunningham) b.1617 d.1694 heiress of Glaslough and daughter of Alexander Conyngham (Cunningham) b.1590 d.1660 of Mount Charles, Dean of Raphoe (who lived at Inver, Co Donegal) and Marian Murray, daughter of James Murray of Broughton, Wigtownshire, Scotland. There was a gap of almost half a century between the ages of the bishop and Catherine – he was almost 67, she was only 18.
As he himself records, the bishop was a very happy man, during the years in this marriage he had 8 children, only 4 of which reach adulthood:
John, born 19th June 1639; died 18th January 1641, aged 2 years.
Alexander, born 19th February 1643; died 28th December 1645 aged 2 years.
John, born 5th January 1645; became Dean of Dromore in 1681, married in 1698 to Miss Hamilton of Caledon, and died in 1721 without issue.
George, born 22d December 1647; died 18th May 1650 aged 3 years.
Albert, born 23d April 1649; died 22d May 1650 aged 1 year.
Charles, (b.1650. d1727); succeeded to the estate at Glaslough.
Mary, born 15th August 1651; died on the 19th of the same month.
Jane, born 9th October 1655; married to R. Sanderson.
It’s not well documented, however I’ve found another record suggesting that Bishop Leslie may well have been married twice to another Katherine Cunningham (b.1617 d.1694) who was daughter of Sir James Cunningham (b.1579 d.1623) Laird of Glengarnock and Catherine Cunningham (b.1583 d.1631) of Glencairn and they had a daughter Elizabeth Leslie (b.1657 d.1727) who married Robert Hamilton (b.1665) who was son of Alexander Hamilton (b.1615 d.1676) of Killyleagh and Jean Hamilton (b.1640 d.c1699). Elizabeth and Robert had a daughter, Agnes Anderson Hamilton (b. 1702 d.1759)