Balmerino is a parish in Fife, locally called Bamirnie. It is bounded on the north by the Firth of Tay, on the east by the parish of Forgan, on the south by Kilmany, and on the west by Creich and Flisk. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Balmerino, Bottomcraig, Galdry or Gauldry, Kirkton, Newport
PRE-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
POST-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
The church of Balmerino was dedicated to St Marnoch. It belonged to the Abbey of Balmerino. The Cistercian Abbey of St Edward the Confessor at Balmerino was founded in 1227 by Queen Ermengarda, widow of William the Lion. The monastery was burned by the English in 1547, and its ruins are now scanty. There was in this parish a chapel of St Ayle. There were also Wells of Our Lady, St John, St Bride, and St Aidan. (1928: Fasti Ecclesiæ Scoticanæ, by Hew Scott, D. D.)
Includes ministers, licentiates, assistants, readers, and clerks.
(1928: Fasti Ecclesiæ Scoticanæ, by Hew Scott, D. D.)
Parish registers turned over to the Registrar-General, as a result of the Registration of Births, Deaths, and Marriages (Scotland) Act of 1854. The letters B. D. and M. indicate Births (or Baptisms), Deaths (or Burials), and Marriages (or Proclamations of Banns) respectively. Numbers indicate separate volumes or books. Note: These records are by no means complete or without damage; consult the Detailed List of the Old Parochial Registers of Scotland (1872) to learn more about the condition of the records.
| OPR and RD Numbers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date Range | Name | Number | Type |
| 1632-1854 | Balmerino | 409 | OPR |
| 1855-1967 | Balmerino | 409 | RD |
| 2009 | Fife, Newport on Tay | 411 | RD |
| 2026 | Fife Council; Balmerino, Gauldry, Logie and Kilmany Community Council | ||
(2009: Parishes and Registration Districts of Scotland - Old and New, National Records of Scotland)
Local community councils (2026) are provided as a potential source of additional information for settlements within the original boundaries of the parish. (Source)
Statistics from informal and official censuses
Clark, Duncan, Farmer, Henderson, Johnston, Neill, Patrick, Scott, Smith, Taylor
Note: Names appearing in research materials, other than censuses. Simple names (First name, surname only) have been omitted unless they appear associated with large properties. All women's names, and men's names with occupations, military ranks, or peerage titles are included.
By the Reverend Mr Andrew Thomson.
"The number of souls, when taken last summer, was, males 334; females 369; in all 703. The parish contains 162 houses, 28 of which are occupied by widows and unmarried women. There are 50 weavers, 4 wrights, 2 blacksmiths, 2 masons, 7 tailors, 9 shoemakers, 1 miller, and 2 boatmen; about 20 Seceders; the remainder are farmers and labourers.
There are eight salmon-fishings in the parish, upon the banks of the Tay. The fishers, who are extremely industrious, likewise catch seals, in the summer months, for which, besides the value of the oil and skins, they draw a small premium from the salmon-dealers in Perth."
(This section contains excerpts, at times restructured or paraphrased, from an article appearing in Statistical Account of Scotland, Sir John Sinclair, 1791-1799)
Primary Sources:
Statistical Account of Scotland (1791-1799), Volume 9, p. 216
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 9, Section I, p. 577
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
