Balmore (from the

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well a ...

"Baile Mòr" meaning a large settlement) is a small village formerly in the county of

Stirlingshire Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling, gd, Siorrachd Sruighlea) is a historic county and registration countyRegisters of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties. of Scotland. Its county town is Stirling. It borders Perth ...

, but now lies in

East Dunbartonshire East Dunbartonshire ( sco, Aest Dunbartanshire; gd, Siorrachd Dhùn Bhreatainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the north of Glasgow and contains many of the affluent areas to the north of the city, including Bear ...

, Scotland, located 1 km west of Torrance and 5 km east of

Milngavie Milngavie ( ; gd, Muileann-Ghaidh) is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland and a suburb of Glasgow. It is on the Allander Water, at the northwestern edge of Greater Glasgow, and about from Glasgow city centre. It neighbours Bearsden. Milnga ...

. To the south of Balmore lies The Balmore Haughs and the

River Kelvin The River Kelvin (Scottish Gaelic: ''Abhainn Cheilbhinn'') is a tributary of the River Clyde in northern and northeastern Glasgow, Scotland. It rises on the moor south east of the village of Banton, east of Kilsyth. At almost long, it init ...

, which flows east–west before turning south and joining the

River Clyde The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...

. To the south of the

and north of the

Forth & Clyde Canal The Forth and Clyde Canal is a canal opened in 1790, crossing central Scotland; it provided a route for the seagoing vessels of the day between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde at the narrowest part of the Scottish Lowlands. This allowe ...

lie several Imperial Roman archaeological sites. The remains of part of the

Antonine Wall The Antonine Wall, known to the Romans as ''Vallum Antonini'', was a turf fortification on stone foundations, built by the Romans across what is now the Central Belt of Scotland, between the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth. Built some ...

run east–west, and along it two Roman forts, one Roman fortlet and a Roman camp can all be found within 2 km of Balmore. Balmore appears on The Coal Authority's gazetteer of places where a Coal Mining Search is required in regard to property transactions. Balmore was part of the vast earldom of the Barony of Mugdock. Was appointed barony in 27th December 1253 by

Alexander III of Scotland Alexander III (Medieval ; Modern Gaelic: ; 4 September 1241 – 19 March 1286) was King of Scots from 1249 until his death. He concluded the Treaty of Perth, by which Scotland acquired sovereignty over the Western Isles and the Isle of Man. Hi ...

the first Baron was Patrick of Graham. In 1478 the title passed to William Graham , member of a noble family coming from Verre,France. The title was owned by the family of de Verre until 1823 when James de Graham twelfth Baron of Mugdock, ceded the title to John MacAdam. The ancestors of Mr. MacAdam is Hamilton; the property remained at the Hamilton family until 2015, when August MacAdam of Hamilton fifteenth Baron of Mugdock ceded the title to an Italian family Silighini. The village and area was served by the

North British Railway The North British Railway was a British railway company, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1844, with the intention of linking with English railways at Berwick. The line opened in 1846, and from the outset the company followe ...

with Balmore railway station located on the

Kelvin Valley Railway The Kelvin Valley Railway was an independent railway designed to connect Kilsyth, an important mining town in central Scotland, with the railway network. It connected Kilsyth to Kirkintilloch and thence over other railways to the ironworks of Co ...

from 1879 to 1951, complete closure taking place under British Railways in 1961 with the closure of the Balmore Colliery.

Notable people

Notable people connected with Balmore include

Magnus Magnusson Magnus Magnusson, (born Magnús Sigursteinsson; 12 October 1929 – 7 January 2007) was an Icelandic-born British-based journalist, translator, writer and television presenter. Born in Reykjavík, he lived in Scotland for almost all his life, a ...

, the journalist and television presenter who lived nearby until his death, and his daughter

Sally Sally may refer to: People *Sally (name), a list of notable people with the name Military * Sally (military), an attack by the defenders of a town or fortress under siege against a besieging force; see sally port *Sally, the Allied reporting na ...

References

Populated places in East Dunbartonshire Villages in East Dunbartonshire {{EastDunbartonshire-geo-stub