Year: 1974
Type: article
Abstract: Balbithan House 1 lies two miles NE of Kintore, on the N side of the Don (fig 1).There is a tradition 2 that the original site of the house was nearer to Kintore.Originally Balbithan formed, together with Heatherwick, part of the estates of the Abbey of Lindores; the Abbey retained the superiority but appeared from an early date to have feued the estate, which by 1490 had come into the possession of a branch of the Chalmers family.The family, which was respectable rather than distinguished, held a number of estates on Deeside and Donside, and was of considerable influence in the Burgh of Aberdeen, providing a provost in the person of William Chalmers, who held that oiSce for seven years from 1392.The branch of the family that held Balbithan was originally of Kintore, and later of Balnacraig.John Chalmers of Balbithan married Christian Leslie about 1490, and in 1529 either this John, or his son of the same name, had bought half the lands of Little Fola and Blackwater from Robert Blackhall.3In 1565 David Chalmers of Balbithan was in dispute with William Wood of the Mill of Fintry anent the claim of Knaveship of Heatherwick and Balbithan.4 Fifteen years later David was dead.His will, apparently not proved until 6th March 1587, recorded his death in September 1580.5 He was survived by his five sons, John, William, James, Charles and Henry.John, the eldest son, who succeeded, gained a measure of fame in 1584 by the murder of Alexander Keith of Auquhorsk.His successor George Chalmers is named in a remission of James VI to the Marquis of Huntly for the part he took at Auldquhynachan.In 1667 William Chalmers, laird of Balbithan and minister of Skene was granted sasine of the New Place of Balbithan.By 1674 William was dead, as sasine was granted to his sons, Patrick, James and John.In 1679 either James or John erected a sundial bearing the initials 1C and the date 1679, which is still to be seen on the house.After this the Chalmers' connection with Balbithan came to an end.In 1696 it is recorded as belonging to James Balfour, merchant of Edinburgh, who had married Brigid Chalmers, possibly the sister of James Chalmers.Balbithan did not remain in Balfour's hands for long, as by 1699 William Hay of Balbithan paid cess.His widow, Barbara Menzies
Author: H Gordon Slade
Language: English
Subfield: Archeology
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W3015719972