Halbeath
Halbeath DFL S NT125884 1 394 95m
Hall of Bead 1753 Roy sheet 17, 5
Hallbeath 1775 Ainslie/Fife
Halbeath 1783 Sasines no. 521 [Stewartsbeath or Halbeath or Wester Beath (in parish of Dunfermline)]
Hallbeath 1786 Sasines no. 1394 [Stewartsbeath called Hallbeath or Wester Beath comprising the Mains of Stewartsbeath, Waterhead & Buckieburn]
Halbeath 1790s OSA 314 [colliery of Halbeath]
Hall beath 1828 SGF
Sc hall + en Beath
The name must have come from the fact that there was a large house or hall on the lands. Although apparently an alternative name for Wester Beath, it referred in fact to only a part of those lands, the part also known as Stewartsbeath, since the other part was known as Keirsbeath (DFL q.v.). The Stewarts or Stuarts held it in the early seventeenth century. The vills and lands of Westerbaith called Stewartsbaith belonged to Patrick Stewart of Baith in 1650 (Retours (Fife) no. 794). The lands of Stuartsbaith and Kairsbaith with manor-places, mills etc. formerly belonged to Henry Stuart of Baith, and were then granted to Mr Patrick Smith 1658 RMS xi no. 643. The 3 Baiths on Blaeu (Pont) West Fife were probably Stewart-, Swynton- and Bonallybeath. Stuarts beth appears on Blaeu (Gordon) Fife in 1654.
The present-day name Halbeath refers to a suburb of Dunfermline. The eponymous hall will have been on the site of OS Pathf. Halbeath Farm, which lies to the north of Halbeath.
/hɔl biθ/, locally /hɔ: biθ/
This place-name appeared in printed volume 1