Balnaves History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland

The ancient Pictish-Scottish family that first used the name Balnaves lived in the lands of Balneaves in the parish of Kinkell in Angus. 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. Even today, there is a small farm in the area called Balneaves.

Early Origins of the Balnaves family

The surname Balnaves was first found in Angus (Gaelic: Aonghas), part of the Tayside region of northeastern Scotland, and present day Council Area of Angus, formerly known as Forfar or Forfarshire, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say before the eleventh century.

They held a family seat on the lands of Balneaves in the parish of Kinkell, the site is still marked by three aged trees, which are bounded by Kyrkness and Louchor. Laurence Balnaves attended the beating of the boundaries of his territories in 1395.

Early History of the Balnaves family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Balnaves research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1513, 1538, 1539, 1542, 1579, 1587 and 1597 are included under the topic Early Balnaves History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Balnaves Spelling Variations

The arts of spelling and translation were yet in their infancies when surnames began, so there are an enormous number of spelling variations of the names in early Scottish records. This is a particular problem with Scottish names because of the numerous times a name might have been loosely translated to English from Gaelic and back. Balnaves has been spelled Balneaves, Balnaves, Balnavis, Banese, Bannese, Bennase, Bennese, Benes and many more.

Early Notables of the Balnaves family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was

Henry Balnaves (d. 1579), Scottish reformer, usually described as of 'Halhill' after a small estate belonging to him in Fifeshire. "He was born in Kirkcaldy during the reign of James V of Scotland (15...

Balnaves migration to Australia +

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

Balnaves Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Robert Balnaves, aged 39, a weaver, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Bucephalus"
Allison Balnaves, aged 15, a weaver, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Bucephalus"
Ann Balnaves, aged 17, a weaver, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Bucephalus"

Contemporary Notables of the name Balnaves (post 1700) +

Henry Balnaves (1512-1579), Scottish reformer
Neil Balnaves (1945-2022), Australian television and film producer, philanthropist, and arts patron, founder of Endemol Australia

The Balnaves Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Hinc origo
Motto Translation: Hence our origin.