Tour Scotland 4K early Autumn travel video of a road trip drive, with Scottish bagpipes music, on ancestry, genealogy, family history visit and trip to the enttrance to the driveway to Balthayock Castle in Carse and Gowrie, Perthshire, Britain, United Kingdom. Balthayock castle is said to have been owned bythe family of Blair since the time of King William I, born 1165, died 1214. The Perthshire Blairs have a rich and ancient history. The progenitor of the Balthayock Blair family was Stephen de Blair who in the 12th century held lands in the parish of Blair in Gowrie, now called Blairgowrie. Stephen was the son of Vallenus who had no surname. An early mention of the surname Blair was an entry in the Registrorum Abbacie de Aberbrothoc," which recorded Stephen de Blare as a witness to a charter on the lands of Balgillo, near Kettins in Angus, by Dovenald, Abbot of Brechin to the monastery of Arbroath, between 1204 and 1211. Stephen de Blair, born 1150, died 1210, is first discovered in the records of the Cistercian Abbey of Coupar Angus. This Stephen, son of Vallenus, granted to the monks of Coupar a charter of the lands of Lethcassy, now Carsie, in the parish of Blairgowrie, Perthshire. Stephen was a major proprietor of lands in Blair in Gowrie and it was from these lands that he took the surname. Stephen de Blare was witness to a charter on the lands of Balgillo in the early 13th century. The two major cadets of the Blairs of Balthayock family were Blair of Ardblair and Blair of Balgillo. Ardblair is in the parish of Blairgowrie and borders the lands which Stephen granted to Coupar Angus Abbey. Balgillo lies close to Coupar Angus. It was from the neighbouring lands of Ardler and Baldowrie at Kettins that, later, a Blair of Balthayock gained his title of Baron of Ardler. That barony included lands in Angus, Perthshire and Fife. However, there was no such title as Baron of Balthayock. Another ancestor of the Blairs of Balthayock was believed to be Alexander de Blair, probably a son of Stephen de Blair, who witnessed a charter about 1214. It was from his marriage to Ela, daughter to Hugh de Nyden, that he gained lands in Fife. The Balthayock lairds held the lands of Cults in Fife for many generations. Alexander de Blair's son and heir,William de Blair, was knighted by King Alexander II of Scots, and became Steward or Governor of Fife in 1235. The seat of the Balthayock Blairs was Balthayock Castle, located 4 miles east of Perth on a hill overlooking the north side of the Tay River. The castle was built on lands held of the Knights Templar whereas the barony lands were held of the king. Here, for about 500 years, the titular head of the Balthayock Blairs lived while the family settled in the counties of Perth, Fife, and Angus. The original line of inheritance at Balthayock Castle and the title that went with it ended in the mid 1700's when John Blair of Balthayock died, leaving only a daughter, Margaret, as sole heir to the estate. Margaret married David Drummond in 1728, who assumed the name and Arms of Blairs of Balthayock. His descendant, Jemima Johnston Blair, married Adam Fergusson, and had seven sons and a daughter. The eldest son, Neil Fergusson Blair, adopted the name Blair in order to inherit the estate. His Arms displayed the Blairs of Balthayock quartered with the Fergusson Arms. He died in 1862 and the second son, Adam Johnston Fergusson Blair, who had immigrated to Canada, sold the estate and divided the proceeds with the six remaining brothers. The two families, Blairs of Blair, and Blairs of Balthayock, long competed to be Clan Chieftain of the Blair Family, until King James VI put an end to their disputes by declaring in 1658 that " The eldest male of either of the two Families would have precedency over the younger to the Chieftainship. The Blair surname is of great antiquity, first appearing in Scotland in the 12th and early 13th centuries. The word Blair is strongly believed to be territorial in origin, being derived from the Gaelic Blar which signifies a field clear of woods or a battlefield. From this, the name Blair takes on its territorial connotation. Blair was originally spelled Blare and there was a gradual transition to Blair, completed around 1400. Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day. Find things to see and do in Scotland where you are always welcome. When driving on Scottish roads in Scotland slow down and enjoy the trip. According to the meteorological calendar, the first day of Autumn or Fall always falls on September 1. If you follow the astrological calendar, however, Autumn or Fall begins on Saturday, September 23.
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