The family traces its ancestry back to Guy de Baliol who came over from Normandy with William the Conqueror in 1066. His great grandson Hugh de Baliol was given a barony in Essex by Henry II and then lands in Yorkshire by King John. He sired two sons, John and Alexander de Baliol.

John de Baliol, became Sheriff of Cumberland and founded Baliol College Oxford, chiefly for the education of Scottish students. He married the eldest niece of the King of Scotland and as a result, his grandson another John de Baliol became King of Scotland in 1292.

Sir Alexander de Baliol, became high chamberlain of Scotland in 1292 during the reign of his great nephew. His son William de Baliol took possession (among others) of the lands of Lamington and married the daughter of Sir William Wallace his companion in arms.

Their son Sir William Baillie of Lamington (due to the unpopularity of the original name after the ascent of Robert the Bruce to the throne the de Baliols changed their name to Baillie), was succeeded by his grandson another Sir William Baillie. He in turn had four sons but the eldest three “ in consequence of a serious offence committed in their family” castrated their tutor, a clergyman, and had to flee in order to escape the wrath of the Church.

The youngest continued at Lamington and his family remained there until the 19th century. The third youngest, John Baillie, settled in the Isle of Anglesey and David Baillie fled to Ireland where he founded his own dynasty. The eldest, Alexander Baillie, fled to Inverness.

Serving under his cousin the Earl of Huntly, Alexander Baillie so distinguished himself at the Battle of Brechin in 1442 that he was awarded the baronies of Dunain, Dochfour, Leys and Torbreck and was also appointed Constable of the Castle of Inverness.

In 1667 David Baillie, second son of the 7th Laird of Dunain married Margaret, daughter of Hugh, 8th Lord Lovat and inherited the lands of Dochfour from his father (Dunain and Dochfour are next to each other). For two hundred years the two branches of the Baillie family at Dochfour and Dunain lived as neighbours. When the last Baillie of Dunain died in 1869 all the lands came under Dochfour where they have remained to this day.

The Baillies, are of course, only one side of the present family. The present Alexander Baillie’s grandmother was a Cavendish, daughter of a Duke of Devonshire and his great grandmother, The Baroness Burton being titled in her own right, married a Baillie of Dochfour, thus bringing the title into the family.