John Ballingall (1824-1912): Fife’s Oldest Agriculturalist By His Distant First Cousin, Michael T. Tracy The day after the death of John Ballingall the Dundee Courier Newspaper wrote: “Dunbog is mourning today the loss of its grand old man – honest John – who had gone out and in amongst its people for 80 years, and whose warm heart and kindly disposition was only known to those with whom he came most closely in contact. Mr. Ballingall was born a farmer, having inherited the farming instinct from a worthy sire, and having devoted all his life to the art of making two blades of grass grow where only one grew before. For many years his acreage on the farms of Dunbog, Higham, and Rumeldry exceeded 1,500, and at the same period he managed the adjoining farms of Glenduckie, Aytoun, and Balmeadie, another 1,000 acres, for Mr. Carnegie, and the work seemed to lie lightly on his shoulders. It might be truly said of him that he never touched any land without adorning it so far as high cultivation and fertility were concerned. He was an outstanding example of one who knew how to bring crop and stock to perfection. His worth and experience were recognized by his holding the position of director of the H. [Highland] and A. [Agricultural] Society for many years. For several generations he was the life and soul of his district, and one of the kindest and best friends and neighbours that one could conceive. Possessed of a ready wit and repartee he made himself agreeable, and even fascinating to young and old, and evinced great interest in the welfare and happiness of others. In public affairs he was enthused with devotion to the public interest, both local and for the county, and was seldom absent from their meetings, at which he took a very active part. While Mr. Ballingall was a very successful breeder of cross cattle and sheep, he never essayed into pedigreed stock of any kind and though a highly scientific agriculturalist, making himself conversant with all the freshest ideas of cultivation, fertilization, and feeding, he was more of a practical than a theoretical farmer, and those who had the benefit of his tuition and guidance were show the advantage of care, attention, and experience rather than the modern school of book farming and experiment. A devoted and generous member of the U. [United] F. [Free] Church, he was most regular in attendance, and in his younger days generally preferred to walk four miles (to Newburgh) rather than take the use of one of his horses. He was present at church as usual last Sunday. Fig.1. Formerly the United Free Church presently the Newburgh Parish Church at Newburgh, Fife, Scotland, Photograph Courtesy of Michael T. Tracy © 2010 Michael T. Tracy Originally a strong Liberal in politics, he became Unionist over Home Rule, and has for many years been President of the Unionist Association for East Fife. While admiring the Prime Minister, he was not afraid to enter into a heckling encounter with him when occasion offered. In sport he was a keen curler, and for over thirty years the senior skip and oldest member of Abdie Club. He died in harness, having just made his usual morning round of the steading, where one of his men found him sitting, and advised him to go home to breakfast. He did so, and died in his chair.”1 John Ballingall was descended from a long line of farmers dating back to his great grandfather, Thomas Ballingall (1693-1752) of Kettle Parish. By the time the young agriculturalist was 19 years of age his father, David Ballingall (1775-1859) gave him the farm of Higham in Dunbog from the Marquess of Zetland in 1844. In 1858 John Ballingall took another Zetland farm, that of Dunbog. After his father died in 1859 John succeeded to a lease of Rameldry in Kettle parish, the ancestral farm of the family. Ballingall was also a member of the Fife County Council and was a Justice of the Peace for Fifeshire. Ballingall was a Trustee for the estates of his two cousins: Henry and his brother, James Buist. He was Chairman of the Local Authority of Fife; first President of the Fife Farmers’s Club; President of the Cupar and North of Fife Agricultural Society and a Director of the Highland Agricultural Society for many years. John Ballingall was involved in the legal case of the Dunbog Letters in which his life was threatened after he supported the appointment of the Reverend James Edgar as the minister of Dunbog which roused some local popular feeling and opposition. Fife’s oldest agriculturalist was a keen curler for the Abdie Curling Club since 1850; elected to the School Board of Dunbog and elected Chairman of the Abdie Free Church Temperance Society. This then is the narrative of the life and times of Fife’s Oldest Agriculturalist, John Ballingall. Early years John Ballingall was born on Monday, 27 December 1824 at Little Feddinch, Cameron Parish, Fife, Scotland.2 He was the fifth and last child of David Ballingall, a tenant farmer, and Sophia Hedderwick. He was baptized on Friday, 14 January 1825 at Cameron Parish Church.3 Fig.2. Baptismal Record of John Ballingall, 14 January 1825, Cameron Parish Records, Crown Copyright 1 Dundee Courier Newspaper, 26 September 1912, p. 3 2 Baptismal Record of John Ballingall, 14 January 1825, Cameron Parish Old Parish Records 412/0020 0017, National Records of Scotland 3 Baptismal Record of John Ballingall, 14 January 1825, Cameron Parish Old Parish Records 412/0020 0017, National Records of Scotland Fig.3. Cameron Parish Church, Photograph Courtesy of Michael T. Tracy © 2010 Michael T. Tracy According to the 1841 Scotland Census for Cameron Parish, Fife John was listed as being 15 years of age.4 Fig.4. 1841 Scotland Census for Cameron Parish, Fife, Scotland listing John Ballingall 4 1841 Scotland Census for Cameron Parish, Fife, Scotland; Enumeration District 1, Page 4 John learned about farming through his father David Ballingall (1775-1859) and by 1844 when his youngest son was 19, he gave him the tenant lease to the farm of Higham located in Dunbog Parish, Fife from the Marquess of Zetland. Higham Farm, Dunbog Parish According to the 1845 Statistical Account of Scotland: “The parish of Dunbog is of irregular figure and diminutive extent. It ranges from southeast to northwest, its greatest length not exceeding 4 miles; its extreme breadth being about 1 ½, and its least not more, perhaps, than half a mile. On the north it is bounded by the parish of Flisk; on the east by a section of Abdie; on the south by Monimail; and on the west by Abdie… From the farm house of Higham, which is perched on the summit, it descends precipitously to the level carse land that borders the Tay from Newburgh to Birkhill, and which is generally known by the name of the Barony.”5 In 1844 when Ballingall received the lease to the farm of Higham from his father when the young agriculturalist was only 19 years old, he already gleaned a vast amount of knowledge from his father. According to the 1853-55 Ordinance Survey Higham is described as “a large farm house two stories high with extensive offices and thrashing machine; all in good repair. There is a garden and a large [unreadable] farm attached. Tenanted by David Ballingall. The property of Lord Zetland.”6 Fig.5. 1853-55 Ordinance Survey Name Book for Higham, Dunbog Parish, Fife (OS1/13/41/16 5 The Statistical Account of Scotland. Volume 9. Parish of Dunbog. Rev. Adam Cairns. Edinburgh: W. Creach, 1845, p.p. 205-06 6 Ordinance Survey Name Book, Fife OS Name Books 1853-1855, Volume 41, OS1/13/41/16 Fig.6. Higham Farm Steading, Dunbog Parish, Fife, Photograph Courtesy of Michael T. Tracy © 2010 Michael T. Tracy Higham consisted of 431 acres of farmland when John Ballingall occupied the property. According to the 1851 Scotland Census for Dunbog Parish John Ballingall is listed as being 24 [sic] years of age and working as a farmer at Higham.7 His father, David Ballingall is shown as residing with him; age 75 and also working as a farmer, employing 16 servants.8 Fig.7. 1851 Scotland Census for Dunbog Parish, Fife, Scotland listing John Ballingall (Line 2) The Valuation Rolls of Higham Valuation Rolls are records of property ownership compiled for collecting local taxation. The Lands Valuation (Scotland) Act was established in 1854. This law established a uniform valuation of landed property throughout Scotland and included the yearly rent or rateable value of each property; the name of the proprietor, tenant and occupier of the premises. Beginning in 1855 the farm of Higham was listed with the exceptions of 1865-75 showing firstly David Ballingall as the tenant and occupier with the yearly 9 rent or value of the property being 582 pounds. 7 1851 Scotland Census for Dunbog Parish, Fife, Scotland; Enumeration District 1, Page 1, Line 2 8 1851 Scotland Census for Dunbog Parish, Fife, Scotland; Enumeration District 1, Page 1, Line 1 9 1855 Scotland Valuation Roll for Dunbog Parish, Fife, Scotland (VR101/11/68) National Records of Scotland Fig.8. 1855 Valuation Roll for Higham, Dunbog Parish, Fife, Scotland listing David Ballingall According to the 1885 Valuation Roll for Higham John Ballingall is the tenant and occupier as well as nearby Countryhills farm and the yearly rent or value of the property being 601 pounds, 11 shillings and 9 pence.10 Countryhills is a farm which is located on the west side of Glenduckie and is described as “being a small house two stories high with offices all in good repair and there are gardens attached.