Lieutenant-General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Robert Balfour of Balbirnie (3 May 1772 – 31 October 1837) was a son of John Balfour of Balbirnie and Mary Gordon, daughter of James Gordon of Ellon. He was an officer in the 2nd Dragoons and the Fife Light Horse. His younger brother

James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

(died 1845) was an MP and grandfather of Arthur Balfour, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1903 to 1905.

Military career

*Captain on 9 July 1793 in the 2nd Dragoons *Major in the Army on 1 January 1798 and Major in the 2nd Dragoons, 3 April 1801 *Lieutenant-Colonel in the Army on 25 September 1803; Lieutenant-Colonel in the 2nd Dragoons on 22 August 1805 *Colonel in the Army on 1 January 1812 *Major-General on 4 June 1814 *Honorary Colonel of the Fife Light Horse in 1831 until his death in 1837 While Lieutenant-Colonel of the 2nd Dragoons, he was, for the misconstruction of a regulation, subjected to a

court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

, and sentenced to be

cashiered Cashiering (or degradation ceremony), generally within military forces, is a ritual dismissal of an individual from some position of responsibility for a breach of discipline. Etymology From the Flemish (to dismiss from service; to discard ro ...

; the Prince Regent confirmed the sentence, but immediately after restored him to the functions of his commission, neither dishonorable or unworthy motives appearing in the charges preferred and established against him.

Balbirnie House and estate

When not living at his London residence of 14 Carlton House Terrace, General Balfour spent much of his time in Fife, Scotland. He inherited Balbirnie House in Glenrothes from his father John Balfour and it had been in the family since the 1640s. General Balfour was heavily involved in the adaptation of Balbirnie House into a grand country mansion and expansion of its lands, including the acquisition of the Forthar estate from Dr David Pitcairn in 1830. The present mansion is largely unchanged from General Balfour's works in 1815 which incorporated much of the earlier house at its north end. The architect was

Richard Crichton Richard Crichton (died 1817) was a Scottish architect operating in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was described as "competent and versatile". Life He was born around 1771, the son of James Crichton (d.1797) an Edinburgh mason. ...

who added the new apartments to the south of the old house and designed the two new grand neo-classical facades. General Balfour extend the landscaped garden and moved the roads on the estate. These improvements were funded partly by increased estate rentals and income from coal mining but also from the General's share of a large inheritance from his aunt which is reputed also to have funded his two brothers' new houses and landscaping at Whittingehame and

Newton Don Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Newton'' (film), a 2017 Indian film * Newton ( ...

. General Balfour was succeeded by his son John in 1837 who continued to enlarge the estate.

Family

He married, on 8 August 1808, Eglantyne Katherine Fordyce (d 9 Jan 1851), who was the daughter of John Fordyce of Ayton. General Balfour had four sons and three daughters: * Colonel John Balfour, 7th of Balbirnie (1811–1895)Dates from http://www.william1.co.uk/w178.htm * Katherine Jane Balfour (1812–1864), diarist and artist, married the Scottish politician

Edward Ellice Edward Ellice may refer to: * Edward Ellice (merchant) (1783–1863), merchant and politician, and a prime mover behind the Reform Bill of 1832 ** Edward Ellice (1813 ship), launched in New Brunswick *Edward Ellice (MP for St Andrews) (1810–80), s ...

K. D. Reynolds, 'Ellice , Katherine Jane anie(1813–1864)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 19 June 2017
/ref> *

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Charles James Balfour (1814 – 3 February 1878) *

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Robert William Balfour (1817–1854) * Eglantine Charlotte Louisa Balfour (1819 – 18 April 1907), married in March 1853 to Robert Ellice, son of

Eliza Courtney Elizabeth Courtney (20 February 1792 – 2 May 1859) was the illegitimate daughter of the Whig politician and future Prime Minister Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, and socialite Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, while Georgiana was married t ...

* Elizabeth Anne Balfour (1820 – 10 August 1889), married on 1 November 1842 to the Rt. Hon. Edward Pleydell-Bouverie, second son of William Pleydell-Bouverie, 3rd Earl of Radnor * George Gordon Balfour (1821–1901)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balfour, Robert (General) 1772 births 1837 deaths British Army lieutenant generals Fife and Forfar Yeomanry officers 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) officers Robert