Balf History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The Balf family name was first used by descendants of the Pictish people of ancient Scotland. It is a name for someone who lived in the barony of Balfour, in the parish of Markinch in Fife. The name is a topographic or local surname, which was given to a family who held a barony or lands, had houses, manors or estates in the area. The name may also be derived from the Gaelic word baile which means a place and the Pictish word pawr which means pasture. 1 2

Early Origins of the Balf family

The surname Balf was first found in Fife, from the lands or barony named Balfour, near the junction of the rivers Ore and Leven in the parish of Markinch. The first record of the family was John de Balfure, who appears on an Assize Roll in 1304. William de Balfure witnessed a charter by Duncan, Earl of Fife between 1331 and 1335 and Michael de Balfoure who witnessed a confirmation charter by David II to Ysabella de Fyf in 1365. He may be the Michael de Balfwre who was present at the perambulation of the bounds of Kyrknes and Louchor in 1395. "Over twenty branches of the family of Balfour possessed at one time or another landed property in Fife. The name was originally pronounced with the accent on the last syllable, but Anglified usage has shifted the stress forward to the first. " 3

Another noted source mentions the name is from "a castle and fief in Fifeshire of which county the chiefs were hereditary sheriffs. The family sprang from Siward, a Northumbrian, who settled in Scotland temp. Duncan I." 4

And another source claims the family "are descended from Sir Michael de Balfour, temp. William the Lion." 5 William the Lion, sometimes styled William I and also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough" (c. 1142-1214) was King of the Scots from 1165 to 1214.

Early History of the Balf family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Balf research. Another 150 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1280, 1350, 1482, 1510, 1513, 1517, 1521, 1524, 1525, 1527, 1530, 1545, 1547, 1581, 1583, 1591, 1594, 1600, 1619, 1630, 1639, 1650, 1658, 1660, 1688, 1694, 1698, 1699, 1713, 1715, 1767, 1808, 1816, 1817, 1890 and 1907 are included under the topic Early Balf History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Balf Spelling Variations

Scribes in the Middle Ages did not have access to a set of spelling rules. They spelled according to sound, the result was a great number of spelling variations. In various documents, Balf has been spelled Balfour, Balfoure, Balfower, Balfowir, Balford, Balforde and many more.

Early Notables of the Balf family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was

Sir William Balfour (died 1660), from Pitcullo, Fifeshire, Scotland, General of the parliamentary forces during the English Civil War
Robert Balfour, 4th of Balbirnie (1698-1767)
Sir Michael Balfour of Burleigh
Sir James Balfour, 1st Baronet (1600-1658), Scottish annalist and antiquary, Lord Lyon King of Arms from 1650-1658
Sir James Balfour (1525-1583) Lord Pittendreich, Scottish judge and politician, who was captured (1547) at St. Andrews after the murder of Cardinal Beaton
Sir Andrew Balfour (1630-1694), a Scottish doctor, botanist, antiquary and book collector
Michael Balfour, 1st Lord Balfour of Burleigh PC (died 1619), a Scottish peer
Margaret Balfour, 2nd Lady Balfour of Burleigh (d. 1639)
John Balfour (died 1688), 3rd Lord Balfour of Burleigh

Migration of the Balf family to Ireland

Some of the Balf family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 68 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Balf migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Balf Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mrs. Jane Balf, (Grace, Welch, Sarah, Pennington), (b. 1825), aged 21, English labourer who was convicted in Rotherham, Yorkshire, England for 10 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Elizabeth and Henry" on 14th September 1846, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), she died in 1907 6
Anne Balf, aged 21, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Northern Light" 7

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. Print.
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth-and-henry
South Australian Register Monday 9th April 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Norther Light 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/northernlight1855.shtml