Sir James Balfour, 1st Baronet of Denmilne and Kinnaid ( – 1657), of
Perth and Kinross
Perth and Kinross (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. It is bordered by Highland (council area), Highland and Aberdeenshire to the north, Angus, Scotland, Angus, Dundee, and F ...
,
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, was a Scottish
annal
Annals (, from , "year") are a concise historical record in which events are arranged chronologically, year by year, although the term is also used loosely for any historical record.
Scope
The nature of the distinction between annals and histo ...
ist and
antiquary
An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic sit ...
.
Biography
James Balfour was a son of Sir Michael Balfour of
Denmilne, Fife, and Joanna Durham.
Balfour was well acquainted with Sir
William Segar
Sir William Segar (c. 1554–1633) was a portrait painter and officer of arms to the court of Elizabeth I of England; he became Garter King of Arms under James I.
Like other artists of the Tudor court, Segar was active in more than one medium, ...
and with
William Dugdale
Sir William Dugdale (12 September 1605 – 10 February 1686) was an English antiquary and herald. As a scholar he was influential in the development of medieval history as an academic subject.
Life
Dugdale was born at Shustoke, near Colesh ...
, to whose ''Monasticon'' he contributed. He was knighted by
King Charles I in 1630, was made
Lord Lyon King of Arms
The Right Honourable the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officer of State, Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scotland, Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry i ...
in the same year, and in 1633
baronet of Kinnaird. He was arbitrarily removed from his office of Lord Lyon by
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...
and died in 1657.
Some of his numerous works are preserved in the
Advocates' Library
The Advocates Library, founded in 1682, is the law library of the Faculty of Advocates, in Edinburgh. It served as the national deposit library of Scotland until 1925, at which time through an act of Parliament, the National Library of Scotland ...
at
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, together with his correspondence, from which rich collection James Haig published Balfour's ''Annales of Scotland'' in four volumes (1824–1825).
James Maidment
James Maidment (1793 in London – 1879 in Edinburgh) was a Kingdom of Great Britain, British antiquary and collecting, collector. He passed through Edinburgh University to the Scottish bar, and was chief authority on genealogical cases.
Mai ...
also extracted papers from the collection in order to publish them.
His arms were ''Or, on a chevron sable between three cinquefoils vert an otter's head erased of the field'' but also given as ''three trefoils slipped vert''.
Arms
Library
Balfour was an avid manuscript collector. Many of his manuscripts was purchased by the
Faculty of Advocates
The Faculty of Advocates () is an independent body of lawyers who have been admitted to practise as advocates before the courts of Scotland, especially the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary. The Faculty of Advocates is a const ...
in 1698 and are now in the
National Library of Scotland
The National Library of Scotland (NLS; ; ) is one of Scotland's National Collections. It is one of the largest libraries in the United Kingdom. As well as a public programme of exhibitions, events, workshops, and tours, the National Library of ...
.
References
Attribution:
* which in turn cites:
**
Sibbald, Robert (1699) ''Memoria Balfouriana; sive, Historia rerum, pro literis promovendis, gestarum a ... fratribus Balfouriis ... Jacobo ... et ... Andrea. Authore R.S.''. Edinburgi: Typis Hæredum Andreæ Anderson
Further reading
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Balfour, James
1600s births
1657 deaths
101
101 may refer to:
*101 (number), the number
* AD 101, a year in the 2nd century AD
* 101 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC
It may also refer to:
Entertainment
* ''101'' (album), a live album and documentary by Depeche Mode
* "101" (song), a 19 ...
Nobility from Perth and Kinross
Scottish antiquarians
17th-century Scottish historians
17th-century Scottish male writers
Lord Lyon Kings of Arms
James, Denmilne