Balnaves Surname, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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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.

Balnaves Early Origins

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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.

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.

Balnaves Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Balnaves research. Another 191 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1539, 1597 and 1587 are included under the topic Early Balnaves History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Balnaves Early Notables (pre 1700)

More information is included under the topic Early Balnaves Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

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

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.

Balnaves Family Crest Products

Citations

Other References

Robb H. Amanda and Andrew Chesler. Encyclopedia of American Family Names. New York: Haper Collins, 1995. Print. (ISBN 0-06-270075-8).
Paul, Sir James Balfour. An Ordinary of Arms Contained in the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland Second Edition. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1903. Print.
Prebble, John. The Highland Clearances. London: Secker & Warburg, 1963. Print.
Dorward, David. Scottish Surnames. Glasgow: Harper Collins, 1995. Print.
Browning, Charles H. Americans of Royal Descent. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing. Print.
Warner, Philip Warner. Famous Scottish Battles. New York: Barnes and Noble, 1996. Print. (ISBN 0-76070-004-4).
Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Galveston Texas 1896-1951. National Archives Washington DC. Print.
Bolton, Charles Knowles. Bolton's American Armory. Baltimore: Heraldic Book Company, 1964. Print.
Barrow, G.W.S Ed. The Charters of David I The Written Acts of David I King of Scots, 1124-53 and of His Son Henry, Earl of Northumerland, 1139-52. Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 1999. Print.
Best, Hugh. Debrett's Texas Peerage. New York: Coward-McCann, 1983. Print. (ISBN 069811244X).
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The Balnaves Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Balnaves Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.

This page was last modified on 3 December 2014 at 15:51.