Balbirnie

Balbirnie MAI S NO290024 2

Balebrenin 1165 x 1171 RRS ii no. 14 [o.c.; quitclaim by Duncan earl of Fife of Glenduckie FLK and Balmeadie DBG to Orm son of Hugh, in exchange for Balbirnie]
(half of) Balebranin 1204 x 1228 Campbell 1911, 222 [o.c.; Earl Malcolm of Fife infefts Richard of Linton in Malcolm’s three Tarvits, Findas CER, TVX and half of Balbirnie; see *Inglistarvit CER, TVX for more details]
(John of) Balbrenin c.1230 Dunf. Reg. no. 199
(John of) Balbrennin c.1230 Dunf. Reg. no. 202
Macduffus de Balbirn(e)y 1234 NLS Adv MS 34.6.24, pp. 22, 37 [‘of that ilk’ (de eodem)][210]
(land of) Balbrenny 1293 Stevenson, Documents i, 408
(half of) Balbirny 1488 RMS ii no. 1715 [for details see *Inglistarvit CER, TVX, above]
(half of) Bawbirne 1541 RMS iii no. 2273 [in barony of Tarvit (Tarvait) CUP]
Balbirny 1548 Retours (Fife) no. 18 [in barony of Tarvit (Tarvett) CUP]
the south side of Balbirny c.1560 s Purves 155 [?2]
Ballbirny 1587 Assumption 15
Balbirny 1654 Blaeu (Gordon) Fife
Babirnie wake mill 1662 Lamont’s Diary 157 [a young woman lost at Balbirnie waulk mill when the mill was going]
Balbirnie Bridg 1684 Adair/East Fife [crossing the Leven south of Balbirnie]
Balbirney 1753 Roy sheet 18, 1
Mains of Balberney 1753 Roy sheet 18, 1 [sic; now Balbirnie Mains]
Balbirnie 1775 Ainslie/Fife [‘John Balfour Esquire’]
Balbirnie Mills 1775 Ainslie/Fife
Balberny 1779 RHP24335 [‘Plan for the Improvement of Balberny’]
Balbirnie 1790s OSA, 623 [location of a bridge over the River Leven]
Balburnie 1802 Sasines no. 7756 [Walter Fergus, manufacturer in Kirkcaldy]
Balbirnie House 1856 OS 6 inch 1st edn [also Balbirnie Mills at NO287013]

G baile + G braon + - in

‘Farm of (the) damp place’. The same development of braon (Old Irish broen) can be seen in Birnie MOR (earlier Brennach) and Culburnie, early Kilbirny, Kiltarlity and Convinth INV (see Watson 1926, 189). Birnam by Dunkeld PER also contains braon.

    OS Pathf. shows Balbirnie House, Balbirnie Park and Balbirnie Mains (NO285025), which appears simply as Mains on SGF (1828) and OS (1856).

    There is also a Balbirnie Wood by Springfield near Cupar, which may get its name from the early tenurial connection between Balbirnie MAI and Tarvet CUP, TVX. The name also occurs in Balbirnie, Ruthven ANG (Balbirnie 1611 RMS vii no. 543).

    The NGR given above is for Balbirnie House.

    /bəlˈbɪrnɪ/

This place-name appeared in printed volume 2