Grave of Sir James Balfour Paul, Dean Cemetery

Sir James Balfour Paul (16 November 1846 – 15 September 1931) was the

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 Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grants ...

, the officer responsible for

heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known bran ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, from 1890 until the end of 1926.

Life

Paul was born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, the second son of the Rev John Paul of St Cuthbert's Church, Edinburgh and Margaret Balfour (granddadughter of James Balfour of Pilrig), at their home, 13

George Square, Edinburgh George Square ( gd, Ceàrnag Sheòrais) is a city square in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is in the south of the city centre, adjacent to the Meadows. It was laid out in 1766 outside the overcrowded Old Town, and was a popular residential area for E ...

. His great-grandfather was Sir William Moncreiff, 7th Baronet. He was educated at Royal High School and

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1 ...

. He was admitted an advocate in 1870. Thereafter, he was Registrar of Friendly Societies (1879–1890), Treasurer of the Faculty of Advocates (1883–1902), and appointed Lord Lyon King of Arms in 1890. He was created a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are ...

in the 1900 New Year Honours list, and received the knighthood on 9 February 1900. Among his works was '' The Scots Peerage'', a nine-volume series published from 1904 to 1914. He tried two interesting heraldic cases in Court of the Lord Lyon, the first being in 1909, when Sir Colin Macrae claimed the right to use the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

as Chief of the Name of Clan Macrae, which was opposed by Colonel John MacRae-Gilstrap. The second was action brought against Mrs. Fraser Mackenzie by Colonel James Stewart-Mackenzie, 1st Baron Seaforth, in connection with the bearing of arms in right of her father. In the second case, the Lyon's ruling was upheld on appeal by the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...

. Shortly before his retirement in 1926, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...

(KCVO) in the 1926 New Year Honours list. He was also admitted an Esquire and then a Commander of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, and was a member of the Royal Societies and University (Edinburgh) Clubs. He was also Secretary of the

Order of the Thistle The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an order of chivalry associated with Scotland. The current version of the Order was founded in 1687 by King James VII of Scotland, who asserted that he was reviving an earlier Order. The O ...

. He gave the Rhind Lectures in 1898, on heraldry. He resided at 30 Heriot Row, Edinburgh. Sir James married, in 1872, Helen Margaret (d. 20 December 1929), daughter of John Nairne Forman of Staffa ( WS). They had four children: three sons and a daughter. One son, John William, also became a heraldic officer, while another,

Arthur Forman Arthur Francis Emilius Forman (26 July 1850 – 13 February 1905) was an English schoolmaster and cricketer who played for Derbyshire between 1877 and 1882. Forman was the son of Richard Forman of Gibraltar and his wife Mary Heath, daughter o ...

, became an architect and partner of Robert Rowand Anderson. Sir James is buried with other family in

Dean Cemetery The Dean Cemetery is a historically important Victorian cemetery north of the Dean Village, west of Edinburgh city centre, in Scotland. It lies between Queensferry Road and the Water of Leith, bounded on its east side by Dean Path and o ...

in Edinburgh, in the north section immediately east of the opening in the wall between the original cemetery and the north extension.

Published works

* ''History of the Royal Company of Archer'' (1875) * (ed.) Record Series of ''Registrum Magni Sigilli,'' (1882-3) * ''Handbook to the Parliament House'' (1884) * ''Heraldry in relation to Scottish History and Art'' (1890). * ''An Ordinary of Arms Contained in the

Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland The Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland, established in 1672, is an official register of Scottish coats of arms maintained by the Lyon Clerk and Keeper of the Records. As a public register, it can be seen by anyone on application, ...

'' (1893) 1st ed., (1903) 2nd ed. * ''Memoir and Remains of John M. Gray'' in 2 vols. (1895) * (ed.) '' The Scots Peerage'' Vol. I (1904), with successive volumes up to Vol. IX (1914) * (ed.) ''Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland'' Vols. II-XI, 1900–1916 ** Vol. 2: AD 1500–1504. 1900
Vol. 3: AD 1506–1507. 1901Vol. 4: AD 1507–1513. 1902
Vol. 5: AD 1515–1531. 1903; Vol. 6: AD 1531–1538. 1905;Vol. 7: AD 1538–1541. 1907
Vol. 8: AD 1541–1546. 1908
Vol. 9: AD 1546–1551. 1911; Vol. 10: AD 1551–1559. 1913; Vol. 11: AD 1559–1566. 1916. * "Ancient Artillery, with some notes on Mons Meg" in ''The Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland'', volume 50, 1915–1916, pps: 191–201. * (ed.)

Scottish History Society The Scottish History Society is a historical and text publication society, which promotes the study of and research in the history of Scotland. It was founded in 1886, as part of the late 19th-century revival in interest in Scottish national id ...

, ''Diary of the Rev. George Ridpath, Minister of Stichill''

Coat of arms

References

Citations

Sources

* * ''Kelly's Handbook to the Titled, Landed, and Official Classes, 1903'', London, p. 1156.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Balfour Paul, James 1846 births 1931 deaths Scottish knights Knights Bachelor Lord Lyon Kings of Arms Scottish genealogists Commanders of the Order of St John Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Members of the Faculty of Advocates People educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Lawyers from Edinburgh