John Leslie-Melville, 12th Earl of Leven

John David Leslie-Melville, 12th Earl of Leven (5 April 1886 – 11 June 1913) (known as Lord Balgonie from 1889 to 1906) was a Scottish soldier and banker who served as a Representative peer.

Lieutenant The Right Honourable
The Earl of Leven
Representative Peer for Scotland
In office
15 December 1910 – 11 June 1913
Personal details
Born
John David Leslie-Melville

(1886-04-05)5 April 1886
Died11 June 1913(1913-06-11) (aged 27)
London, England
RelationsArchibald Leslie-Melville, 13th Earl of Leven (brother)
Henry Portman, 2nd Viscount Portman (grandfather)
Parent(s)Ronald Leslie-Melville, 11th Earl of Leven
Hon. Emma Selina Portman
Alma materBalliol College, Oxford
Military service
Branch/serviceLovat Scouts
RankLieutenant

Early life

Leslie-Melville was born on 5 April 1886. He was the eldest son of Ronald Leslie-Melville, 11th Earl of Leven and the former Emma Selina Portman (1863–1941).[1] His siblings were Hon. Archibald Alexander Leslie-Melville, Capt. Hon. David William Leslie-Melville, Lt.-Col. Hon. Ian Leslie-Melville, and Lady Constance Betty Leslie-Melville.[2] His father was a very wealthy landowner and resided at Holyrood Palace when he was Lord High Commissioner of Scotland.[3]

His paternal grandparents were John Thornton Leslie-Melville, 9th Earl of Leven and the former Sophia Thornton (a daughter of abolitionist Henry Thornton MP). His maternal grandfather was Henry Portman, 2nd Viscount Portman.[2]

He was educated at Balliol College, Oxford, where he used to hunt with the Bicester Hounds.[4]

Career

Lord Leven was a Lieutenant in the Lovat Scouts Yeomanry in the British Army. He served as a Representative Peer for Scotland from 1910 until his death in June 1913.[2] He was also a member of the London banking firm of Frederick Huth & Co.[5]

Upon his father's death on 21 August 1906,[6] he succeeded as the Viscount of Kirkaldie, the Lord Raith, Monymaill and Balwearie, the Earl of Melville, the Earl of Leven, the Lord Melville of Monymaill, the Lord Balgonie.[2] Lord Leven was required to pay death duties of $1,250,000 on the estate, which exceeded $6,500,000. Reportedly, the "depletion of the estate so impressed the successor to it that he insured his life for the benefit of the estate."[7]

Personal life

Lord Leven died, unmarried, on 11 June 1913, "caused by injuries sustained in the hunting field",[5] which was later determined to be "an accidental death".[8] His funeral was held in Scotland,[9] and his titles passed to his younger brother, Archibald.[2] The death duties of over $600,000 were met by the insurance taken out upon his succession to the title.[7] A year later, his brother, a Lieutenant in the Second Dragoons, Royal Scots Greys, was wounded during the "cavalry fight in Waterloo".[10] Lord Leven was left behind when his regiment retreated and later escaped from a German prison disguised as a refugee.[11]

References
  1. Wireless to THE NEW YORK TIMES (4 March 1941). "Dowager Countess of Leven Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  2. Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 2, page 2314.
  3. TIMES, Special Cable to THE NEW YORK (8 September 1907). "WANT HOLYROOD CHAPEL RESTORED; Prominent Scotsmen May Bring a Lawsuit to Effect This Object. A SCHEME OF LORD LEVEN He Left Money for the Purpose, but His Trustees Have Not Undertaken to Carry It Out". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  4. "TWO PEERS DEAD THE EARL OF LEVEN AND MELVILLE AND LORD STAFFORD". Evening Standard. 12 June 1913. p. 3. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  5. "New Earl of Melville". The Washington Post. 21 June 1913. p. 6. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  6. "Earl of Leven and Melville". The New York Times. 23 August 1906. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  7. "INHERITANCE TAX HARDSHIPS". The New York Times. 23 July 1913. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  8. "THE LATE EARL OF LEVEN. CURIOUS MEDICAL EVIDENCE AT INQUEST". The Observer. 15 June 1913. p. 6. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  9. "LATE EARL OF LEVEL AND MELVILLE". Evening Standard. 16 June 1913. p. 2. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  10. "THE EARL OF LEVEN WOUNDED IN CHARGE; Is a Lieutenant in the Scots Greys ;- Captain and Sergeant Complete First Casualty List". The New York Times. 25 August 1914. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  11. "LORD LEVEN ESCAPES FROM GERMAN PRISON; Wounded, He Crosses Belgium Disguised as a Refugee, Returning Home via Holland". The New York Times. 17 December 1914. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
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