James Balfour, Lord Pittendreich (c. 1525–1583) was a Scottish
legal writer, judge and politician.
Life
The son of Andrew Balfour of
Montquhanny, he was educated for the legal branch of the
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland.
The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...
.
Balfour was involved in the murder of
Cardinal Beaton and the
Siege of St Andrews Castle
The siege of St Andrews Castle (1546–1547) followed the killing of Cardinal David Beaton by a group of Protestants at St Andrews Castle. They remained in the castle and were besieged by the Governor of Scotland, Regent Arran. However, ove ...
. In June 1547, following the capture of the castle by French forces he was condemned to be a galley-slave rowing galleys together with
John Knox
John Knox ( gd, Iain Cnocc) (born – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland.
Born in Giffordgat ...
and others captured at
St Andrews
St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fourt ...
, Fife. He was released in 1549, denounced Protestantism, entered the service of
Mary of Guise
Mary of Guise (french: Marie de Guise; 22 November 1515 – 11 June 1560), also called Mary of Lorraine, was a French noblewoman of the House of Guise, a cadet branch of the House of Lorraine and one of the most powerful families in France. Sh ...
, and was rewarded with important legal appointments.
He subsequently joined the
Lords of the Congregation
The Lords of the Congregation (), originally styling themselves "the Faithful", were a group of Protestant Scottish nobles who in the mid-16th century favoured a reformation of the Catholic church according to Protestant principles and a Scot ...
, a group of
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
nobles who opposed the marriage of the young
Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567.
The only surviving legitimate child of James V of S ...
, to the
Dauphin of France
Dauphin of France (, also ; french: Dauphin de France ), originally Dauphin of Viennois (''Dauphin de Viennois''), was the title given to the heir apparent to the throne of France from 1350 to 1791, and from 1824 to 1830. The word ''dauphin' ...
(later to become
Francois II of France), but betrayed their plans.
After Mary's arrival in Scotland he became one of her secretaries, in 1565 being reported as her greatest favourite after
David Rizzio. He obtained the parsonage of
Flisk
Flisk ( gd, Fleasg meaning "Stalk" or "Rod") was a parish in Fife, Scotland.
According to the 1853 Gazetteer, in part: "Flisk parish is bounded on the north by the Tay, on the south by Creich and Abdie, on the east by Balmerino and on the west ...
in Fife in 1561, was nominated an
Extraordinary Lord of Session
Extraordinary Lords of Session were lay members of the Court of Session in Scotland from 1532 to 1762, and were part of the historical judiciary of Scotland.
When the Court of Session was founded in 1532, it consisted of the Lord President, 14 ...
, and in 1563 one of the commissaries of the court which now took the place of the former