Leslie is a large village on the northern tip of the River Leven Valley, to the west of Glenrothes in Fife. The population of Leslie is just over 3000. The village was granted burgh of barony status by James II in 1458 for Sir George Leslie who became the first Earl of Rothes. Later, this was upgraded to a police burgh in 1865.
Leslie is a linear settlement with the historic high street as its main focus. A large proportion of housing in Leslie is traditional however there are concentrations of more contemporary housing in the west of the village. The high street contains a number of community facilities including shops, pubs, restaurants and a dentist. Leslie also has a primary school which is located in the west of the village. The former Fettykil paper mill lies within the Leven valley to the south and historic Leslie House, former stately home of the Earls of Rothes, sits in large grounds to the south-east of the village within Riverside Park.
Little is known about the history of Leslie before 1300. The village which bears the name of the Leslie Family area descended from Bartolf or Bartholomew who was a Hungarian or maybe Flemish tradesman, who according to legend arrived in Scotland with Queen Margaret. Finding favour with Queen Margaret's husband, Malcolm III, Bartolf became the governor of Edinburgh Castle and was knighted and granted with lands in the Garioch in Aberdeenshire, making his residence at Leslie. A charter by William the Lion between 1172 and 1190, granted the lands in Aberdeenshire, which were owned by Bartholomew to be passed down to his descendent. In 1283, Norman de Leslie (the fourth descendent of Bartholomew) was granted the lands 'Fettykill' or 'Fythkill' from Alexander III. A settlement also known as 'Fettykill' began to develop around these lands. In 1455, the settlement was renamed '"Leslie"' after Sir George Leslie. Burgh of Barony status followed in 1458 being awarded by James II after Sir George Lesie who became 1st Earl of Rothes (a title which came from the family owning land at Rothes, near Elgin). During this time, the family started to become prominent in Scottish affairs. John Leslie, the then Earl of Rothes, was awarded the title of Lord High Chancellor to Charles II in 1667 and then became known as the Duke of Rothes in 1680. Leslie House was built for the Duke of Rothes between 1667 and 1674 and this became the seat of the Rothes Family.
The main industry was paper making, in the form of what was known as Fettykil Paper Mill, which continued into the 21st.century. Transport of raw materials was largely by rail, as the factory was rail-linked by its own branch line. Raw materials were brought in and finished product dispatched - even as late as the mid-1960's - by steam-hauled branch goods services.
According to legend, Fife is one of the seven sub-kingdoms of the Pictish realm. The name is recorded as Fib in A.D. 1150 and Fif in 1165.
Fife was an important royal and political centre from the reign of King Malcolm III onwards, as the leaders of Scotland gradually moved southwards away from their ancient strongholds around Scone. Malcolm had his principal home in Dunfermline and his wife Margaret was the main benefactor of Dunfermline Abbey. The Abbey replaced Iona as the final resting place of Scotland's royal elite, with Robert I amongst those to be buried there.
The Earl of FIfe was until the 15th century considered the principal peer of the Scottish realm, and was reserved the right of crowning the nation's monarchs, reflecting the prestige of the area.
A new royal palace was gradually constructed at Falkland, formerly the stronghold of Clan MacDuff, and was used by successive monarchs of the House of Stuart, who favoured Fife for its rich hunting grounds.
King James VI of Scotland described Fife as a "beggar's mantle fringed wi gowd", the golden fringe being the coast and its chain of little ports with their thriving fishing fleets and rich trading links with the Low Countries. Wool, linen, coal and salt were all traded. Salt pans heated by local coal were a feature of the Fife coast in the past. The distinctive red clay pan tiles seen on many old buildings in Fife arrived as ballast on trading boats and replaced the previously thatched roofs.
In 1598, King James VI employed a group of 12 men from Fife, who became known as the Fife adventurers, to colonise the Isle of Lewis in an attempt to begin the "civilisation" and de-gaelicisation of the region. This endeavour lasted until 1609 when the colonists, having been opposed by the native population, were bought out by Kenneth MacKenzie, the clan chief of the MacKenzies.
Fife became a centre of heavy industry in the 19th century. Coal had been mined in the area since at least the 12th century, but the number of pits increased ten-fold as demand for coal grew in the Victorian period. Previously rural villages such as Cowdenbeath rapidly swelled into towns as thousands moved to Fife to find work in its mines. The opening of the Forth and Tay rail bridges linked Fife with Dundee and Edinburgh and allowed the rapid transport of goods. Modern ports were constructed at Methil, Burntisland and Rosyth. Kirkcaldy became the world centre for the production of linoleum. Postwar Fife saw the development of Scotland's second new town, Glenrothes. Originally to be based around a coal mine, the town eventually attracted a high number of modern Silicon Glen companies to the region. Fife Council and Fife Constabulary also centre their operations in Glenrothes.
There are numerous notable historical buildings in Fife including Dunfermline Abbey (the last resting place of Scottish royalty), the palace in Culross, Ravenscraig Castle in Kirkcaldy, Dysart Harbour area, Balgonie Castle near Coaltown of Balgonie, Falkland Palace (hunting palace of the Scottish Kings), Kellie Castle near Pittenweem, Hill of Tarvit (a historical house), St. Andrews Castle, St Andrews Cathedral and St. Rules Tower.
Information from Wikipedia.