Name Spelling Variations

[Alf Beharie]

BTW, the house in question is at "Balhary", not "Balharry"...I've been there and part of it is now the local job centre.

Spelling isn't constant.

There are two houses named as Balharry with the double r in the parish of Alyth on Stobie's map dated 1783 - see https://maps.nls.uk/view/74400314 and zoom in to find Meigle and Alyth at lower right.

That may be the case, but if you actually go and visit the large red brick mansion house at the place in question you will find it is spelt Balhary.  Thanks for the link to the old map though.

[Forfarian]

if you actually go and visit the large red brick mansion house at the place in question you will find it is spelt Balhary. 

It's shown with one r on modern maps too.

The point I am trying to make is that spelling was a pretty random thing until about the 20th century. Names were spelled however the clerk writing them down decided to spell them on the day. Sometimes the same person's name is spelled in different ways by the same clerk in the same document.

So it's not a case of someone deliberately changing the spelling of his name or actively deciding that from now on there will be one r fewer in the name of a house or to drop a letter from the middle of a surname.

[Alf Beharie]

if you actually go and visit the large red brick mansion house at the place in question you will find it is spelt Balhary. 

It's shown with one r on modern maps too.

The point I am trying to make is that spelling was a pretty random thing until about the 20th century. Names were spelled however the clerk writing them down decided to spell them on the day. Sometimes the same person's name is spelled in different ways by the same clerk in the same document.

So it's not a case of someone deliberately changing the spelling of his name or actively deciding that from now on there will be one r fewer in the name of a house or to drop a letter from the middle of a surname.

Yes, I know, the variation of spellings is probably the most frustrating thing for family tree researchers like ourselves.  I'm so glad my surname isn't Smith or Jones, or I probably would have trouble finding anyone past my Grandparents. Thankfully, with such a rare surname I have been able to trace mine back to 1640 now.  Beyond that, I will have to wait to see if the Mormons can find more details.  The problem is, when Monck rampaged through Scotland, capturing Dundee on 1 Sept 1651, and his troops were subsequently allowed free reign to loot, burn and pillage, many old records from before that time were destroyed in the ensuing two days of total chaos...This is why it is so difficult to find records older than this from these parts of Scotland.