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A considerable variety of
opinions have been put forward regarding the origin of the name of LEASK.
One old Family Tree traces it down from the Norse God THOR through the
Norse Sagas. In Norse it means 'a stirring fellow'. Other
authorities believe that it comes from the Gaelic, LASGAIR, meaning
'active' or 'brave'. Professor Keith Leask of Aberdeen University
noted the similarity to the name LISCUS, a Gallic Chief, mentioned by
Julius Caesar, who opposed the Roman advance in Gaul. and later rose to a
high rank in the Roman army. In France the Counts of Boulogne were the de
LESQUES and owned the Castle of Boulogne which was one of the greatest
castles in France. The famous LASKI family in Poland are also thought to
be connected. In early times families were known by the name of the place
they came from, hence the belief that the Leask name may have originated
from their Aberdeenshire lands of Leask (Leskgoroune).
The earliest references, traced so far, to
Leasks, appears in a document recording the name of William de Laskereske
in 1296, which confirmed his recognition of Edward I, (on pain of
forfiture of his lands). In ancient documents the name is variously
spelled LESK, LASK, LAYSK, LEISK, as well as LEASK, for in these days
spelling often depended on how a name was pronounced. At this time
few people could read or write, and books were copied by hand, by Monks;
it took a whole day to copy one page - for this was long before the time
of Caxton and his Printing Press which saw for the first time, the
mechanical printing of books both quickly and in large numbers.
In 1341-46 a Charter of Confirmation of the
Leask Lands of Leskgoroune was granted by David II, son of Robert the
Bruce, to William Lesk, the first Chief of the Leasks in Aberdeenshire, to
replace the earlier, lost, Charters.
The Chapel of Leask dates back to the
earliest of times. It is thought that a Columban Oratory stood on this
land about the end of the sixth century. The ruins of the present
building, constructed about the thirteenth century, stand on the site of
the ancient chapel.
Despite having their own Chapel, it is
recorded in the parish records of the Church at nearby Ellon, that the
Leask Chief, his family, and retainers, were regular attenders at St
Mary's Church. Thus in 1380 the parish records reveal that William de
Laysk, the Elder, Lord of that Ilk, bequeathed "one stone of wax from
the lands of Logy, together with twelve pence of silver in order that
candles might be burned for ever, for himself and his wives, Alice de Rath
and Mariota de Saint Michael, and for the salvation of his sons and
daughters, brothers and sisters, on the Sabbath and other feast days, on
their tomb".
Over the years the Lands of Leask steadily
expanded beyond the boundaries of Slains Parish, partly by inheritance,
partly by exchange of lands, and by purchase. The estate included the Home
Farm, Mains of Leask, Moss Leask, Byreleask. Knapsleask, Nether Leask,
Milton of Leask, and Mill of Leask.
The first Leasks in
Orkney and Shetland
The ORKNEY Leasks are descended from Jamis
of Lask, younger son of Thomas de Lask of that Ilk, the Second Chief of
the Leasks, who is Recorded at various times during 1388-1400 in the
Scottish Public Records. Jamis of Lask emigrated to Orkney in 1446, and
his Grandson Richard Lask was the progenitor of the Leasks in SHETLAND.
His other Grandson, Boniface Lesk's descendants have been traced to
Isabella Logie Leask of Orkney who married James Leask, b. 1802, of
Westbank, KirkwalI,Orkney, and was the Gt.Grandfather of the present
J.W.G.Leask of that Ilk.
In 1286 the Fair Maid of Norway died in
Orkney while on her way to take up her Inheritance as Heir to the Scottish
Throne, and in consequence it was not until c. 1450 that the Orkney and
Shetland Isles became part of Scotland when they were brought as her Dowry
by Margaret of Denmark when she came to marry King James III of Scotland.
Leask History from the
15th Centuary to the present day
In 1513 the Line of Leask Chiefs suffered a
double disaster when both William Lask of that Ilk, 5th Chief, and his
son, Alexander Lask of that Ilk, Younger, dsp, were both killed at the
Battle of Flodden; the latter's younger brother, William Lask, Burgess of
Aberdeen, then became the 6th Leask Chief.
In 1596 Walter Leisk of that Ilk, 8th
Chief, was studying Theology at Marschall College, Aberdeen, as did his
son William Leisk of that Ilk, 9th Chief. And in c.1660 the Rev Alexander
Leisk of that Ilk was Minister at Turiff. He re-Recorded the Leask Arms in
1672, and was the 13th and last Leask Chief in Aberdeenshire, dying in
1730; his son, Gilbert Leask of that Ilk, Younger, having pre-deceased him
in 1729. Alexander appears in the Poll Tax Returns for the Parish of
Slains for 1696, but unhappily soon afterwards, in 1698, Alexander and his
son Gilbert, granted a Bond over the Leask Estates to Robert Cumming, a
cousin by marriage, in Security for a loan of 20,000 Merks for the second
stage of the ill-fated Darien Scheme (which was later to become the route
of the Panama Canal). It is interesting to note that the Darien Scheme's
large black leather "war" chest is still on display in the
Director's area of the Bank of Scotland (established 1695),The Mound,
Edinburgh. When it became apparent that the Loan could not be repaid
Robert Cumming took over, and moved into the Leask Mansion House c.1720.
Alexander's younger son, William (brother
of Gilbert) now moved to Orkney where he had three sons - William Leask of
Bigswall, b.cl715, from whom James W.G. Leask of that Ilk is descended,
together with descendants in Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand and
elsewhere. The second son was John Leask of Aglath, b.c 1720, whose many descendants
are in Australia, New Zealand and around the World. The third son was
Willimn Leask of Papa Westray, whose well known Orkney descendants include
Henry Leask, JP, of Swartland and Boardhouse, b.1809, who was a very
extensive Family History Researcher; his son Dr John Leask, JP,b.1856, was
for many years Director of Singapore General Hospital, and was also an
enthusiastic producer of Family Trees, one of which measures some 4ft by
3ft,"Scripsit 1914-1942", and includes both the Leasks descent
from the Aberdeenshire Leasks of that Ilk, and their direct descent from
King Robert the Bruce, through his daughter, Marjorie Bruce. Dr John's son
Kenneth Leask, was in 1915 an Army Lieutenant in Palestine, and the next
day was in the newly formed A.F.C (Army Flying Corps) which at the end of
that war became the RAF, in which he became an Air Vice Marshall.
All these Orkney Leask descendants are
related to James W.G.Leask of that Ilk, being at most 5th Generation
Cousins, but many are much more closely related due to a habit, over the
Generations, of Leasks marrying 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Cousins. In 1948
Alexander Graham Leask Recorded his Personal Arms in the Lord Lyon's
"Register of All Arms", and in 1968 he was recognised and
Confirmed as the 21st Chief of the Leasks, 'to heal the break' in the
Leask Chiefship, which had lain unclaimed and unused since the death of
Alexander Leask of that Ilk, 13th and last Chief in Aberdeenshire, who
died in 1730; his eldest son, Gilbert Leask, Younger of that Ilk, had
predeceased him in 1729. The Lord Lyon in his Grant of Chiefship also recognised
Alexander Graham Leask's son and heir, James W.G.Leask of that Ilk,
Younger, and his heirs and descendants, as the Hereditary Line of Leask
Chiefs. Mrs Anne Helgesen had meantime purchased the old ruins of the
Leask Manor House which had been burned down in 1927: the Leask Estate had
been broken up and sold to the various tenant farmers in 1921. Mrs
Helgesen now became known as Mrs Anne Leask of Leask, and Alexander Graham
Leask of that Ilk, 21st Chief, was persuaded for "certain good and
onerous reasons" to make over the Liferent ONLY of the Chiefship to
her. The Lord Lyon, with some considerable reluctance, agreed to the
Liferent, and he recognised her as Madam Anne Leask of Leask, but at no
time as "of that Ilk". She had undertaken to rebuild Leask
House, at a 1968 cost of some £350.000, and leave it to J.W.G. Leask of
that Ilk, Younger, for the benefit of his heirs and descendants, being the
Hereditary Line of Leask Chiefs; and as the "hearth" of all
those of the name of Leask; this was incorporated in the Grant of Liferent;
unhappily this did not materialise, and she sold the property apart from
the ancient Dovecot, or Doo-cot.
On Madam Anne's death her Liferent of the
Chiefship will cease ( as is the case with all Liferents), and the late
Alexander Graham Leask of that Ilk, 21st Chief's heir will automatically
become the next Hereditary Chief. This is currently his son, James W.G.
Leask of that Ilk, whose son is Dr Jonathan G.Leask Younger of that Ilk,
and his son is Oliver Graham Leask. Accordingly this provides continuity
of the Hereditary Leask Chiefship for the next three generations.
Our thanks to James
Leask for providing us with this information |
