Ballo
Ballo FAL S NO215057 1 275m
terris de Bellachis 1306 x 1329 RMS i app.ii no. 632
terram de Belauch 1365 RRS vi no. 345
terram de la Belauch 1365 RRS vi no. 345 [land of the Ballo]
terram de lie Belauch 1365 RRS vi no. 345 [land of the Ballo]
(lands of) Bellow 1459 RMS ii no. 701
Bawla 1490 RMS ii no. 1960 [to Michael Balfour of Burleigh (Burly) KNR various lands including the lands of Balgarvie (Balgervy) MML and Ballo]
the Ballo 1517 Fife Ct. Bk., 399 [17th c. copy]
(lands of) Bellow 1531 RMS iii no. 1062
(Balfour of) Ballow 1550 RMS iv no. 493
(lands of) Ballow 1550 RMS iv no. 493 [confirms grant by John Balfour of Ballo (Ballow) to his son and heir David Balfour, except for ‘the eastern seat belonging to the said lands’ (sede orientali ad dictas terras spectan.), which are reserved to John and, after his death, to his wife Elizabeth]
Ballo 1587 Assumption 15 [rental of teind sheaves of St Andrews Priory, kirk of Kilgour]
(Balfour of) Ballo 1598 RMS vi no. 955
(Balfour of) Belloche 1614 RMS vii no. 990 [see next entry]
(lands of) Belloche 1614 RMS vii no. 990 [to Isobel Boig spouse of David Balfour of Ballo in life rent the shady half of the lands of Ballo in the parish of Falkland and to the said David Balfour and Isobel Boig both the shadey and sunny halves, which David Balfour senior and his spouse Mary Douglas resign]
Balo 1654 Blaeu (Gordon) Fife
the laird of Ballo 1668 Lamont’s Diary 204
in villa et terris de Ballo 1678 Retours (Fife) no. 1168 [Robert Balfour, ‘in the toun and lands of Ballo’]
Balaw 1775 Ainslie/Fife
Ballo 1815 RHP489 [this and following mark southern boundary of ‘the Commonty of the Lomonds of Falkland’]
East Ballo 1815 RHP489
East Ballo 1818 RHP12830/2
West Ballo 1818 RHP12830/2 [= Ballo of RHP489]
W<es>t Ballo 1828 SGF
E<as>t Ballo 1828 SGF
Easter Ballo 1856 OS 6 inch 1st edn [at NO216057, site of the original Ballo; also shows Ballo Craigs and Ballo Moss]
Little Ballo 1856 OS 6 inch 1st edn [at NO222055]
Wester Ballo 1856 OS 6 inch 1st edn [at NO214058]
G bealach
‘Pass, way through hills’. It lies in the pass through the Lomonds, between, on the north side, the West and East Lomond, and on the south side, the Bishop Hill, running from Glen Vale in the north-west (NO187057), on the present FIF-KNR border, to around Coul MAI in the south-east (NO275034). Glen Vale (Glenveale 1642 Gordon MS Fife; Glen-vealle 1654 Bleau (Gordon) Fife) probably also contains bealach (gleann (a’) bhealaich, ‘glen of the pass’ or ‘glen of Ballo’).
When first mentioned in the reign of Robert I, these lands are being granted to John of Strathenrie (LSL) after they had been forfeited by John Comyn earl of Buchan (RMS i app.ii no. 632). From 1365 they are held by the Balfours (RRS vi no. 345).
The still impressive ruins of Ballo, which may have contained a tower house, stand immediately south of the old road running through the Lomonds. This supplies the above NGR. On OS 6 inch 1st edn this is called Easter Ballo, while Wester Ballo lies a short distance to the north-west, at NO214058. The remains of Wester Ballo are still visible as embankments and low foundations on the west side of the Ballo Burn. The name survives on the OS Pathf. map in Little Ballo NO221055, Ballo Burn, Ballo Craigs and Ballo Reservoir (a low-lying area shown as Moss on Ainslie/Fife, 1775).
It is not clear what if any connection there is between Ballo FAL and Ballomill CLS (PNF 4), which first appears as Bello mylne in 1519 (Fife Ct. Bk. 137).
/ˈbalo/
This place-name appeared in printed volume 2