Balleine
Origin of Surname
Balleine, the French word for whale, may have been an insulting nickname, reported Jersey historian the Rev George Balleine (see below) in his booklet on the origin of Jersey surnames.
This family, whose name has been spelt at various times Bolen, Baleyne, Balene, Ballaine, and Balleine, settled in Jersey at a very early period, probably from France.
As recorded in the Extente of 1331, Philip Balein was a member of the jury empanelled to ascertain the King's dues in the parish of St John.
John de la Balleine, possibly born in Jersey in 1310, was a crossbowman at Mont Orgueil Castle in 1337. Some researchers claim that he was the founder of the family in Jersey, but, if so, he cannot have been born there, and he would not have been French. The truth is that there is no documentary evidence surrounding the arrival of the Balleines in Jersey, and although John de la Balleine is shown at the head of the group of trees below, with a birth date of c1425, it is doubtful that he was the father of Thomyn at Generation 2 in the main tree.
Arms : Argent, a lion rampant sable, armed and langued gules.
Variants
- Bolen
- Baleyne
- Balene
- Ballaine
- Balleine
Family records
Balleine lineages in Jersey
The set of trees below starts with a common source in the first tree, and links from one tree to another are included.
There is some overlap with the two trees above, which are from a separate source
- Descendants of John de la Balleine
- Descendants of Michel Balleine
- Descendants of Pierre Balleine
- Descendants of Jean Balleine (1608)
- Descendants of Jean Balleine (1703)
- Descendants of Elie Balleine
- Descendants of Josue Balleine
- Descendants of Thomas Balleine NEW
The following two trees follow essentially the same lineage. The second tree starts a generation earlier and includes more branches
Balleine family histories
- The Balleine family of St Peter, a family history by Roland de Caen
Notable islanders
Among the more distinguished members of this family was George Orange Balleine, of Pembroke College, Oxford. He was inducted in 1812 to the living of St Ouen, which he exchanged in 1815, with the Rev Francis Ricard, of St Peter, where he remained until 1829, when he transferred to St Martin. He died in 1856. His sons were the Rev John James Balleine, MA, of Pembroke College, Cambridge, Chaplain and Naval Instructor of HMS Tribune, and the Rev Le Couteur Balleine, MA of Trinity College, Cambridge, Rector of Saint Mary, Jersey.
Further Reading
Links
Ancestry family tree which contains over 600 Balleines, the great majority born in Jersey
