Balmerino

Balmerino is a small village and former monastic centre in Fife, Scotland. It is the home of Balmerino Abbey and the former abbots of Balmerino who were great regional landlords. It became a secular lordship (see Lord Balmerino) at the beginning of the 17th century and fell into ruin. The Abbey ruins and grounds are managed by the National Trust for Scotland and are famed for the ancient sweet chestnut tree and the display of aconites which flower in February. The village is now an official Conservation Area.

For the racehorse, see Balmerino (horse).

Balmerino
Balmerino
Location within Fife
OS grid referenceNO3624
Council area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townNEWPORT-ON-TAY
Postcode districtDD6
Dialling code01382
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
Looking north across the Tay from above Balmerino
The 450-year-old Spanish Chestnut tree at Balmerino in Fife

The name Balmerino derives from Scottish Gaelic. The first element, bal-, is from baile, meaning a farmstead, or in modern Gaelic, a town. The second element is more obscure. It may refer to Saint Merinach[1] or it may derive from muranach meaning 'of sea-grass', yielding: "[the] farm where sea-bent or sea-grass grows."[2]

Balmerino is also "celebrated" by a poem by William McGonagall – widely recognised to be the English language's worst poet: "Beautiful Balmerino".

See also

References
  1. Taylor, Iain (2011). Place-names of Scotland (PDF). Birlinn.
  2. "Balmerino". Fife Place-name Data.


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