Balniel
Balniel KCQ S NO474055 1 374 130m SWF
de villa de Balnel 1294 Stevenson, Documents i, 417 [‘in the shire of Rires’, paying annually to the earl of Fife 66 s. 8 d.]
Balner’ c.1300 Dunf. Reg. no. 325 [in the shire of Rires, where Gilbert Cropermel’ lived, a man of Dunfermline Abbey; see PNF 5, App. 1]
(lands of) Ballinell 1315 x 1315 x 1353 Laing Chrs. no. 37 [Duncan earl of Fife to Laurence of Ramsay (Ramysay); Laing Chrs. dates this 1331 x 1335]
Bawneyll 1521 Fife Ct. Bk. 208
Banneil 1545 x 1555 N. Ber. Chrs. p. xxiii [Scots; the teind sheaves of Bruntshiels (Browncheillis) KCQ and Balniel (Banneil) set to Alexander Hume of the Heugh (Alexander Hoym of the Hewch) by North Berwick nunnery]
Banniell c.1560 s Purves 154 [£1]
(lands of) Balneill 1592 RMS v no. 2100 [with coals, in parish of Kilconquhar (Kilconcher), along with lands in CBE, all incorporated into the barony of Balniel in favour of John Lindsay rector of Menmuir ANG and Margaret Guthrie his spouse]
(barony of) Balneill 1592 RMS v no. 2100 [see preceding entry]
Balneill 1601 Retours (Fife) no. 94
Balneill 1643 Retours (Fife) no. 664 [Alexander Lord of Balcarres (Balcarras), in the lands of Balniel, with the common pasture within the bounds of the muir of *Firth Muir (Firthmure) KCQ]
? Bane 1654 Blaeu (Pont) East Fife
Lands of Balneel 1849 RHP5352
Balniel Den 1855 OS 6 inch 1st edn
Balniel Mill 1855 OS 6 inch 1st edn [NO474053]
G baile + pn Niall
Niall (gen. Nèill) (OG Níall, gen. Néill) is often Latinised as ‘Nigellus’ (see for example RRS ii no. 590). In the early thirteenth century Nigellus (the cook) is the name of the father of Ivo, the royal tenant of nearby Balcaskie CBE (q.v.; see also Ovenstone CBE). It is therefore just possible that this Nigellus is the eponym of Balniel. By the time Balniel appears in the record, however, it is not on royal land but formed part of the earl of Fife’s shire of Rires KCQ (1294 Stevenson, Documents i, 417; see also PNF 5, Appendix 2).
OS Pathf. shows Balniel Acres to south-east of Balniel, and, to the south-east of the former, Menmuir Acres. This name must have been transferred from the parish of Menmuir ANG, since John Lindsay, rector of Menmuir (Melmure) was granted the lands of Balniel with their coals in 1592 (RMS v no. 2100). OS 6 inch (1855) also shows a settlement called Balniel Den at what is OS Pathf. Balcarres Mains on the lands of Balcarres. As mentioned under Balcarres, above, this must be an error. Balniel Den occurs again on OS 6 inch 1st edn applied to the deep den of the Den Burn north-west of Balniel. Furthermore this same map marks substantial buildings at the site of OS Pathf. Balniel but does not give them a name. However, it does name Balniel Mill on the burn a short distance south of OS Pathf. Balniel.
/bəlˈnil/ etc.
This place-name appeared in printed volume 3