Bannafield
Bannafield DNO SSL S NO526113 1 363 90m NEF
can<um> de Bannachfelde 1471 RMS ii no. 1039 [the cain of Bannafield belonging to Church of St Andrews; see Pitmilly KBS for more details]
kane of Banofeild 1587 Assumption, 11 [one of the cains (of 6 s. 8 d.) paid to St Andrews Priory]
the kane of Bannafeild 1587 Assumption, 19 [one of the cains (of 6 s. 8 d.) pertaining to the abbey (sic) of St Andrews, by John Methven]
vill<a> et terr<e> de Bannefeild 1593 RMS v no. 2273 col. 5 [to Duke of Lennox, one of lands of St Andrews Priory, grouped together as follows: the toun and lands of Pitmillie KBS, Kinninmonth CER, Bannafield DNO, Ballinbreich FLK (villam et terras de Petmyllie, Kynnynmonth, Bannefeild, Ballinbreich)]
? Bennofeild 1611 RMS vii no. 464 col. 2 [to Duke of Lennox, lands etc. of St Andrews Priory: ... Bannatfeild, Priourwall, Drem, Pitmillie, Bennofeild... all ‘with teinds’ (cum decimis); see discussion, below]
? Bannatfeild 1611 RMS vii no. 464 col. 2 [see preceding]
? Bannafeild 1625 Retours (Fife) no. 364 [... Bannafeild, Pryorwall, Drem, Pitmillie, Bennefeild ...]
? Bennefeild 1625 Retours (Fife) no. 364 [see preceding]
? Bonofeild 1635 RMS ix no. 307 col. 2 [... Benneisfeild, Pryorwall, Drem, Pitmillie, Bonofeild ...]
? Benneisfeild 1635 RMS ix no. 307 col. 2 [see preceding]
Bennefeild 1641 RMS ix no. 1005 col. 2 [... Bennefeild, Pryorwell, Drem, Pittmillie, Bennefeild ...]
Bannafeild 1642 RMS ix no. 1266 [the lands of Stravithie Wester alias Bannafield (Stravithie-Wester alias Bannafeild), contiguous with ‘the Priormuir’ (moram lie Pryourmure)]
Bannofield 1745 Dunino Kirk Session Records fo 401r
Wester Stravithie or Bonnafield 1784 Sasines no. 881
Banniefield 1790 Sasines no. 2479 [and elsewhere in Sasines]
Bonnafield 1775 Ainslie/Fife [at or near NO531111 (see following)]
Bannafield 1855 OS 6 inch 1st edn [at NO531111, east of Pittendriech DNO and near to OS Pathf. Stravithie House]
? en *Bannach + Sc field
The first element may well be a much older name derived from G beannachd ‘a blessing’, or beannaichte ‘blessed’, often referring to land belonging to a church (Watson 1926, 263–4).
In the entries for 1611, 1625, 1635 and 1641, the name appears in a list along with the name of another place which is remarkably similar (see early forms, above). In each of these instances it is impossible to say with any certainty which of the two names applies to Bannafield DNO. It is possible that both do, and that the repetition of the name reflects some kind of division of the lands of Bannafield DNO not entirely understood by those copying or compiling the charters. Alternatively, one or other of these names may refer to a quite different place nowhere near Bannafield DNO, since there is no geographical cohesion in these lists: Priourwall etc. represents Priorwell BMO (q.v. PNF 4); Drem is Drem ELO; and Pitmillie is probably Pitmilly KBS or possibly Pitmullen # SSL, both of which were held by the Priory.
In 1855 the OS 6 inch map shows Bannafield not at the NGR given above, but at NO531111, on the road near Stravithie House. The building at this site is now called Buckwarroon Cottage, and new buildings on the other side of the road from the cottage are called Bannafield East Cottage and Bannafield West Cottage. The buildings called Bannafield on OS Pathf. are not shown at all on the 1855 map, but they do appear on the OS 6 inch 1st revision (1888-1914), on which map they are called Bannafield. On this map, however, the earlier site of Bannafield is still shown as Bannafield, too. On the 1st Imperial edition of OS 6 inch map (1948–1977) the site of the earlier Bannafield is still named as such, but there is no longer a building shown there.
This place-name appeared in printed volume 3