David Ballingall was the factor on the Blair Drummond and Ardoch estates. Born in Fife, he was descended from a long line of tenant farmers, his second great grandfather, George Ballingall (1714 - 1793) was a tenant farmer of Rameldry in Kettle Parish, Fife for over fifty years. Ballingall grew up in Rameldry in Kettle Parish and received his education at Madras college and the St. Andrews university and the university of Edinburgh. He spent some time farming his own land before attending the university of Edinburgh for a year and later becoming a factor on the Castle Semple estate in Renfrewshire during the 1840's.
In 1852, he decided to relocate to Kincardine Parish in Perthshire where he was appointed as factor at the Blair Drummond estate by Henry Home Drummond (1783 - 1867). Ballingall held this position for over fifty years and was so well regarded that, on the occasion of his jubilee as factor, he was presented with a portrait of himself, which was also published in the Stirling journal on 23 January 1903. Ballingall remained as factor of the estate until his death in 1904 at age 83.
During his life, Ballingall married Isabella Cunningham Gulland, the two had a family of eight children, seven of whom were all born in the factor's house on the estate of Blair Drummond. He was also a member of several parochial boards, school boards, county and parish councils.
In 2017, a book on the life of David Ballingall written by Michael T Tracy was published.