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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Banffshire => Topic started by: lola0908 on Tuesday 20 October 09 23:16 BST (UK)
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Hi
My family (Lorimer family) owned a farm called Balnamoon in Grange, Banff up until just before 1900s. I just wondered if anyone knew whether it was still there?
Thanks for your help :)
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You mean this one?
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1186307
If so, I'd say yes, it still exists. :)
Nell
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Hi Nell
Thank you very much :D , i had tried googling it before but couldn't find it :-\
Thanks again a really appreciate it!
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Balnamoon is actually an area with quite a few farms and crofts , rather than just one farm. As well as the farm in the photograph above, Mains of Balnamoon, Balnamoonhill and West Balnamoon are all named on the modern 1:25,000 map.
Geograph has five more images of Balnamoon:
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/238432
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1186293
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/238468
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1186277
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/315521
The 1881 census lists 27 households at Balnamoon/(Hill). There is one Lorimer family, described as crofters of 20 acres, at Balnamoon (Hill), and at plain Balnamoon two farmers, one of 40 and the other of 60 acres, and another farmer of 200 acres. I reckon the one with the 200 acres, William Mitchell, would have been the one in the house in http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1186307
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Hi
Thank you for the message and the links, i didn't realise Balnamoon was an area :). My grans family stayed there for years before moving down to central scotland.
I will need to pop up there one day for a wee nosey :)
Thanks again :D
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Yes Balnamoon is still there , i lived in Deskford from the thirties to the fifties and the farmer then was a Mr Jack , it may be joined up with other farms , but the steading is still there .
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Thank you Tom i appreciate that :). I will really need to try and visit Banff at some point :)
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I will really need to try and visit Banff at some point :)
When you do, I recommend a look at the Valuation Rolls for the county of Banff. These list all the addresses in the county by parish, with the names of the proprietor, tenant and occupier. This could be useful for finding out where exactly your Lorimers lived at Balnamoon. There are copies of the VRs in the Local Heritage Centre in Elgin, and probably also in the library in the burgh of Banff. Also in Aberdeen and in the National Library and National Archives in Edinburgh.
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Thanks for the tips Forfarian. I will try that :D
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I happened to be in Elgin the other day and I had a look to see what Valuation Rolls they have. In fact the only relevant one there is the 1877-1878 one. There are VRs for 1906-1907 and some later years. There should be a full set in Edinburgh and possibly in Aberdeen and/or Banff.
All the properties at Balnamoon and Balnamoon Hill were part of the estate of Braco, and the proprietor of them all was the Right Honourable Viscount Macduff. This was the then title of Alexander William George Duff, later the first Duke of Fife.
There were three farms, and William Mitchell was tenant of the largest farm, which had an annual value of £100/-/-. John Raffan was tenant of another, annual value £32/-/- and Ann Taylor of a third, annual value £7/10/-.
There were several crofts at Balnamoon, with annual values ranging from £11/19/- to £32/-/-. John Lorimer was tenant (not owner) of a croft with annual value £14/-/-. On Balnamoon Hill there were more crofts, with annual values between £1/1/- and £4/10/-, and there were 25 further tenants with annual values of less than £1/-/-, though these could have been anywhere on the Braco estate, not necessarily on Balnamoon.
Comparing the names of the tenants in 1877-1878 with the householders in the census in 1881, all those who had 19-year leases in 1877-1878 were still there in 1881 except John Lorimer, who died in 1877 and had presumably been succeeded by his son William.
The sizes of the farms and crofts ranged from the 100-acre farm tenanted by William Mitchell, 66-acre farm tenanted by John Raffan and 60-acre croft tenanted by John Reid down to just 4 acres tenanted by James Shand, and presumably even smaller properties not listed individually in the valuation roll. William Lorimer's 20 acres was a sizeable croft, but small for a farm.
(Digression. John Raffan's 66 acres of which 42 were arable was listed in the VR as a farm, and John Reid's 60 acres of which 45 were arable was listed as a croft, both with the same annual value of £32/-/-; and there were several crofts with acreages and annual values greater than Ann Taylor's 17-acre farm. This makes me wonder anew just what the distinction between a farm and a croft was.)
The two larger farms and the crofts at Balnamoon were on 19-year leases, while Ann Taylor's farm and the crofts on Balnamoon Hill were on annual leases.
Hope this helps.
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Thank you very much for checking that out for me Forfarian.
That was really good of you, it is really interesting. I also have Raffan's in my tree from Banff (my great great great Grandmothers family) which is interesting.
Thanks again :D
Laura
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I helped move my uncle & his family into Balnamoon in early1972, when they bought over the farm. I also lifted many loads of stones to improve the fields and was also around to help with their first harvest. The largest farm was known as Balnamoon, some other nearby crofts had references to Balnamoon in their names, but I forget these now.
Cannot remember the acreage, 100+ , but it was a mix of arable and some rough hill grazing. The house struck me as being "quite" substantial, so not from a time of subsistence crofting.
If it is the main farm that interests you, I will speak to family and refresh my memories when I go up to Keith in a few weeks.
ken.
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Hello
I take it you're aware of the following will available for download from www.scotlandspeole.gov.uk (cost £5.00)
LORIMER JOHN 26/02/1879 CROFTER, BALNAMOON, PARISH OF GRANGE, COUNTY OF BANFF, D. 05/11/1877 AT BALNAMOON, INTESTATE BANFF SHERIFF COURT SC2/40/30 VIEW (£5.00)
(2 pages
There are a variety of Raffan and Lorimer wills from Banff.
Regards, Steve .
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Hi Kensmith54
Thank you for your reply :). Any info would be appreciated :-)
Thanks
Laura
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Hi Piglet01
I have had a wee look at the wills thanks for letting me know :-)
Laura
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If you belong to the Lorimers who farmed at Balnamoon - then so do I............. I would have to look up my pages and pages of information but we seem to be related. I live in Aberdeen. My Grandmother's Grandmother was a Lorimer and they all came from Banffshire.
Ell1s
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P.S. The Raffans and the Taylors were all old interlinked families with the Lorimers - as were the Shands and the Redheads. Just thought you would like to know........
Ell1s
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Hi my Grandfather also owned a farm at Balnamoon Grange His name was William Kelly and his wife was Annie Mary .They had 2 daughters Annie Mary ( Kay ) and Helen Kelly. He sold the farm and moved to New Elgin . My mum is 86 now so it was a good while ago .
My Aunt said they had upstairs in their farm house which was unusual in those times .
It is a area Balnamoon i must go back ive not been there for a few years .
Sheila
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My family were crofting here too-George McKimmie although it was his wife working the land whilst he worked elsewhere.When she was widowed she reverted back to her maiden name Isabella(Belle) Moir.
There are death certificates giving this address up until the early 1900's.
Belle's death certificate gives her cause of death as"worn out by life & old age"
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Hi, just looked this up on a whim but my mum lived on this farm until she was 17 when her father Mr John Jack died. It was lovely to see that someone knew their nam Tom. I've been past the farm as a little girl many times but have never had the chance to look round properly. It's definitely something I must do. Xx