Balbuthie
Balbuthie KCQ S NO502020 1 374 35m
(William of) Balbuchty 1413 St A. Lib. 18 [canon regular of St Andrews; see St A. Cop. 403]
(William of) Balbuthi 1431 NLS MS Adv. 15.1.18 no. 95 [o.c.; subprior, protesting on behalf of the canons of St Andrews]
(William of) Balbuthy 1436 St A. Cop. 136 [subprior of St Andrews]
(William of) Balbuthy 1438 St A. Lib. 429 [subprior of St Andrews]
Balbuthy 1452 x 1480 RMS ii no. 1444 [St Andrews Church land]
(lands of) Balbuthy 1473 RMS ii no. 1269 [in Scots; given to St Salvator’s College by Archibald of Dunbar of Little Spott (Litil Spot) ELO]
Balbwthe 1545 x 1555 N. Berwick Cart. p. xxiv
(prebend of St Salvator’s College called) Balbutheis 1554 RMS iv no. 1277
(lands of) Balbutheis Eister & Wester 1554 RMS iv no. 1277 [in parish of Kilconquhar; feued to George Balfour and Margaret Grundestoun]
(David Balfour of) Balbuthy 1569 x 1572 RMS iv no. 2102 [a long list of properties feued to him and Elizabeth Wemyss (Wemeis) by Balmerino Abbey]
Baalbathy 1642 Gordon MS Fife
Balbutthy 1654 Blaeu (Gordon) Fife
Balbuthie 1684 Adair/East Fife
Balbathy 1753 Roy sheet 18, 1
Balbathy 1775 Ainslie/Fife
Balbuthie 1828 SGF
G baile + pn Buathach
‘Buathach’s farm’; this G male personal name (OIr Buadach) is found elsewhere in east Fife, all with links to the household of the bishop of St Andrews. The earliest occurrence is c.1128, when Buathach (Budadh) is mentioned along with Sluagadach (for whom see Allan SSL, below) as one of the two leaders of the bishop of St Andrews’s army (St A. Lib. 117). Later in the century one Buathach (Buthou’) witnesses an original charter of 1189 × 1195 (Barrow 1974 no. 5), and is probably identical with Buathach of Inchmurdo SSL, an episcopal property, 1198 × 1199 (St A. Lib. 319); and with Buathach father of Baldwin ‘the Scot’ 1199 × 1209, who witnesses St A. Lib. 329. As Balbuthie is recorded as belonging to the church of St Andrews in the fifteenth century (RMS ii no. 1444), and as there is no record of it being given to that church, it was most probably a division of the bishop’s lands of Kilconquhar mentioned in the early thirteenth century (see KCQ Introduction). It is therefore likely that the eponymous Buathach of Balbuthie was either Buathach, one of the leaders of the bishop’s army c.1128, or Buathach of Inchmurdo SSL, also a member of the bishop’s household, and plausibly a close relative (son or grandson?) of the army-leader.
The name also occurs nearby as Buthach of Balmakin CBE, who appears in 1266 in Laing Chrs. no. 8.[161] Balmakin lies c.3 km north-west of Balbuthie. The mid-thirteenth century is probably too late for the formation of a baile-name in this part of Scotland. However, given the relative rarity of the name, Buathach of Balmakin may well have a family connection with the eponymous Buathach of Balbuthie. As can be seen from *Balmartin SSL, baile-names could be formed in Fife as late as the late twelfth century; and in the case of nearby Balcormo CBE, possibly as late as the early thirteenth century.
Note that the grange of Balbothin... with the cane of Balbothin in RMS ii no. 1039 col. 3 (1471) is probably for Ballothin i.e. Balone SSL.
OS Pathf. shows Balbuthie Cottages to the south of Balbuthie.
/bəlˈbuθɪ/[162] or /balˈbuθɪ/.
This place-name appeared in printed volume 3