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Margaret Garden sent her transcript of a ‘portion’ of the manuscript belonging to George Leslie as an enclosure with her letter of 10th May 1877 to William Leiper.

Margaret Garden to William Leiper, 10 May 1877
By the time of writing, some of the words had already entirely faded, with the result that she found it difficult to make sense of the document as a whole. We must therefore be grateful to Mrs Garden for what she was able to preserve.

The original author was a child of Ann Gordon, daughter of George Gordon, VI of Terpersie. It appear that this was George Leslie himself; according to Bulloch (p. 128), George’s father was the Rev. William Leslie. It would be interesting to know to what extent personal knowledge, family lore and documentary research played their respective parts.

The Leslie manuscript is closely related to the materials in Section J, which appear to be based on it, and might well have been catalogued accordingly. In particular, it appears to be the common source for the pervasive claims that firstly, Charles Gordon, executed in 1745, was VII, not VI, of Terpersie, and secondly, that the wife of William, I of Terpersie, was a lawful sister of King James V of Scotland.

Margaret Garden’s transcript is itself now in four pieces but is still fully legible, with an effort.


     From a Manuscript belonging
to George Leslie grandfather of
Dr. William Henderson of Caskieben1

Ann Gordon my mother was
born 4th. January 1679. She was
daughter to George Gordon of Terpersie
the 6th. Laird. This George, my grand-
father, was married to Ann Burnett
daughter of Sir Alexr. Burnett of
Craigmile & by her had two sons &
four daughters.

1st. Charles who succeeded – he
was engaged in 1745 & suffered
for it at Carlysle (sic). He left a numerous
family of whom afterwards,

2nd Thomas, who died unmarried,

3rd. Christian, married to Peter Leith
of Threefield - has children

4th. Ann my mother

5 Jean married to Leslie of Buchanston

6th. Eliza married to William Kennedy
now in Holland

The fifth Laird of Terpersie,
James, my great grandfather, was
married to Ann Gordon a
daughter of Craig. One son
George who succeeded & two
daughters. Jean married to Leith
of Threefield – Janet married to
Gordon of Balbithan – three
sisters one of whom Isobel
was married to Forbes of Ske-
litor. The other two Harriet
and Helen are unmarried

The Fourth Laird of Terpersie,
William, father to James, of whom
formerly) was married to -------
Ogilvie daughter of Litchieson

He had children –

1st. James who succeeded
2nd. John 1st. Laird of Wardhouse
3. Harry 1st. Laird of Auchline
Grandfather to James Gordon
of Auchline & Knockespock
commonly called Judge Gordon
He had made money in
Antigua2 & lately purchased
Terpersie from the govern-
ment, who bought it under
forfeiture and resides mostly
in London.

William the third Laird of
Terpersie, married to -------
Ogilvie daughter of Invercharritie
and had children - William
before mentioned who succeeded

-         the first Laird of
Badenscoth, eldest         of the
family of Terpersie – one daughter –
married to Cumine of Cullen

George the second Laird was married
To Lady Cluny Gordon, Earl of Sutherland’s
daughter had no children I know
of but William who succeeded.

William the first Laird of Terpersie
was 2nd. son of James Gordon of Lesmore
by ------- Stuart lawful sister to
James the Fifth King of Scotland
& Relict of Barclay of Gartly. He
married ------- Ogilvie a daughter
of Banff by whom he had George
who succeeded. I know no other
children of his. The present Lineal
Heir of the family is James Gordon
who was engaged with his father, Charles,
in 1745 & taken prisoner in Carlysle
but pardoned on condition of his going
abroad. He is now in Jamaica and said3
to be making money very fast. He has two brothers
and four sisters

Notes

1 A son or other direct descendant of ‘John Henderson Esquire of Caskiebain’, mentioned in the 1806 Testament Testamentary and Inventory of Margaret Lindsay MS Gordon? Dr Henderson is stated in a letter from Margaret Garden to William Leiper, dated 10th May 1877, to have ‘died lately’.

2 James Gordon of Knockespock is more usually associated with St Kitts.

3 At this point Mrs Garden runs out of paper and, turning the page through 90o, continues her script over and at right angles to the previous text.