Robert Balfour, 2nd Lord Balfour of Burleigh (died 18 August 1663) was a Scottish

military commander The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

. Balfour was son of Sir Robert Arnot of Fernie, chamberlain of

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

. He married Margaret, daughter of Michael Balfour of Burleigh and Margaret, daughter of Lundie of Lundie, and his wife succeeded her father (who was created

Lord Balfour of Burleigh Lord Balfour of Burleigh, in the County of Kinross, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1607 for Sir Michael Balfour. He was succeeded by his daughter, Margaret, his only child. She married Robert Arnot, who assumed the su ...

on 7 August 1606) as Baroness Balfour of Burleigh. Thereupon, by a letter from King

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) *James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) *James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu *James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...

, Arnot became Lord Balfour of Burleigh, the second holder of the title. At the assembly of the

Scottish parliament The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyro ...

in 1640 (11 June) the 'estates' appointed him their president. He was continued in the office in 1641, and was one of the commissioners for a treaty of peace with

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in 1640–1. He was also constituted of the

privy council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

''ad vitam aut culpam'' by the parliament of Scotland 11 November 1641. During the wars of Montrose he was energetic on the side of the government. He assumed military command, but was not successful. Montrose defeated him 12 September 1644 near

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

, and again (with General Baillie) at

Kilsyth Kilsyth (; Scottish Gaelic ''Cill Saidhe'') is a town and civil parish in North Lanarkshire, roughly halfway between Glasgow and Stirling in Scotland. The estimated population is 9,860. The town is famous for the Battle of Kilsyth and the relig ...

, 15 August 1645. He was opposed to the celebrated and unfortunate 'engagement' to march into England for the rescue of the king. He had weight enough to dissuade Cromwell then from the invasion of Scotland. In 1649, under the act for putting 'the kingdom in a posture of defence,' he was one of the colonels for Fife. He was further nominated in the same year one of the commissioners of the treasury and exchequer. He died at Burleigh, near

Kinross Kinross (, gd, Ceann Rois) is a burgh in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, around south of Perth and around northwest of Edinburgh. It is the traditional county town of the historic county of Kinross-shire. History Kinross's origins are connect ...

, 10 or 18 August 1663. His wife died before him (in 1639). They had one son, John, 3rd Lord Balfour of Burleigh, and four daughters, including

Anna Balfour Anna Balfour (died 1649) was a Scottish aristocrat who compiled a recipe book and, with her daughters, a manuscript of lute songs. Family She was a daughter of Robert Balfour, 2nd Lord Balfour of Burleigh (born Robert Arnot), and his wife Margaret, ...

(died 1649), who married

David Wemyss, 2nd Earl of Wemyss David Wemyss, 2nd Earl of Wemyss (6 September 1610July 1679) was an army officer. He was the only son of John Wemyss, 1st Earl of Wemyss and Jean Gray (d. 1640), daughter of Lord Gray. As Lord Elcho, a title he held between 1633 and 1649, he com ...

in 1627.

William Fraser William Fraser may refer to: Military people *William W. Fraser (1844–1915), American Civil War soldier and Medal of Honor recipient *William Archibald Kenneth Fraser (1886–1969), British army officer *William Fraser (British Army officer) ( ...

''Memorials of the family of Wemyss of Wemyss'', vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1888), pp. 212, 239
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References

Year of birth missing 1663 deaths Scottish soldiers Members of the Privy Council of Scotland Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1621 Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1625 Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1630 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1639–1641 Robert, 2nd Lord Balfour {{UK-mil-bio-stub