AN INTRODUCTION
The Scottish Barony of Balmachreuchie
(Woodhill)
A 14th Century Scottish non-peerage personal dignity registered with the Scottish Barony Register.
What Are Scottish Baronies?
WHAT THEY ARE
Scottish baronies are uniquely Scottish titles that survived recent feudal abolition. Specifically, a Scottish Prescriptive Barony, by tenure from 1660 to 2004, was the official feudal term for a unique title of nobility in the Kingdom of Scotland. They were created long ago and are governed under the Abolition of Feudal Tenure Act, Scotland, 2000 which legally protects the survival of the dignity of these titles. Unlike peerages, which can only be passed down through inheritance, barony titles could change hands through sale, gift, or inheritance.
They have legal status, unlike some continental barony titles.
Thus, the term 'feudal barony' encompassed both the noble rank and the associated lands. Through the Abolition Act of 2004, as feudalism in Scotland was abolished, the dignity (title) was separated from the lands and maintained as a non-tangible, non-feudal floating heritable title. This split what was once a single entity into two separate parts.
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These feudal baronies were created in the middle ages and were administrative units established by Crown Charters by the King of Scots, where the barons ruled on behalf of the King of Scots through a baron court.
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Now, technically, these titles are no longer Scottish feudal baronies, but are now simply known as Scottish baronies.
HOLDER OF THE DIGNITY
The Scottish Barony of Balmachreuchie
The present holder of the dignity, Timothy S. Spaulding, MD, from Kentucky, is distantly related to the Spalding family that owned it over 250 years ago.
​This is based on genetic proof of descent from the Angusshire Airlie Spaldings of Scotland. This line is well-documented back to c. 1430. A Spalding ancestor’s progeny, some of who received leases in Strathardle and Glenshee in Perthshire from the Abbey of Coupar Angus, were the progenitors of the many Ashintully branches; while other siblings remained in the Grange of Airlie locale, some of whom were the progenitors of the German and Swedish lines of Spaldings in the 17th C. Due to a very limited geographic area and a common, consistent family tradition, it is likely that all the Angusshire branches, including Spaldings in Dundee, carry the last name of Spalding as a result of Peter Spalding of Berwick Castle receiving lands in that part of Angus c. 1318 from Robert the Bruce. Due to the proximity, leases to Angus Spaldings from Coupar Angus, and documented interactions of the Strathardle (Ashintully) family with Spaldings in Angus geographically around Airlie, there is good evidence of a familial relationship, not to mention the common family traditions that the Dundee and Strathardle Spaldings were both descended from this Peter Spalding.
Heraldry is based on the Spaldings of Ashintully & Balmachreuchie
Most Scottish coats of arms are based on those of someone else. According to a basic principle of Scottish Heraldry, individuals sharing the same surname are considered related, regardless of whether this connection is proven. Alterations to these arms are subject to strict regulations overseen by the Lord Lyon King of Arms.
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Compare the Arms of the current Baron of Balmachreuchie, Timothy S. Spaulding, with those of the late Nicholas James Spaulding, former Younger of Balmachreuchie.
Geography
Strathardle lies in a region where the Gaelic language was predominant until the mid-eighteenth century. It takes its name from the prefix ‘Strath,’ which signifies a broad valley, referring to the wide valley flanking the River Ardle. Strathardle, formerly Srath Ardail, links Glenshee with Atholl. The Spalding Clan Chiefs once held both the barony of Balmachreuchie and the adjacent barony of Ashintully.
