John Balfour, 3rd Lord Balfour of Burleigh
Encyclopedia
John Balfour was the third Lord Balfour of Burleigh
. He succeeded his father Robert, the second Lord Balfour of Burleigh, in 1663.
In his youth he went to France
for his education. He was wounded there in an 'affair of honour'. He returned home through London
early in 1649 and married Isabel, daughter of another scion of his house — Sir William Balfour
of Pitcullo, Fife
, lieutenant of the Tower
. The young married pair set off for Scotland
in March. They found the father strongly displeased. The displeasure took the preposterous shape of asking the general assembly of the kirk of Scotland
to annul the marriage. The petition was quietly shelved. The plea for the dissolution of the tie was 'the open wound' he still bore, and which paternal wrath deemed a disqualification for marriage.
He died in 1688, leaving besides Robert, his heir and successor, two sons and six daughters. This Lord Balfour of Burleigh has been traditionally styled 'Covenanter,' which he assuredly never was. On Sir Walter Scott
must be laid the blame — if blame it be — by having appropriated the name and designation in his 'John Balfour of Burley' in Old Mortality
.
John Balfour, the 'Covenanter,' was historically 'of Kinloch,' not of Burleigh, and the principal actor in the assassination of Archbishop Sharp in 1679. For this crime his estate was forfeited and a large reward offered for his capture. He fought at Drumclog
and at Bothwell Bridge, and is said to have escaped to Holland, and to have there tendered his services to the Prince of Orange
.
It is generally supposed that John Balfour of Burley died at sea on a return voyage to Scotland. But in the 'New Statistical Account of Scotland,' under 'Roseneath,' strong presumptions are stated for believing that he never left Scotland, but found an asylum in the parish of Roseneath, Dumbartonshire, under the wing of the Argyll family. According to this account, having assumed the name of Salter, his descendants continued there for many generations, the last of the race dying in 1815. Scott noted in his Old Mortality that in 1808 a Lieutenant-Colonel Balfour de Burleigh was commandant of the troops of the King of Holland in the West Indies.
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, the second holder of the title. She married Robert Arnot, who assumed the surname of Balfour in lieu of Arnot, and...
. He succeeded his father Robert, the second Lord Balfour of Burleigh, in 1663.
In his youth he went to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
for his education. He was wounded there in an 'affair of honour'. He returned home through London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
early in 1649 and married Isabel, daughter of another scion of his house — Sir William Balfour
William Balfour (general)
Sir William Balfour , of the family of Balfour of Pitcullo, Fifeshire, Scotland, was a general of the parliamentary forces during the English Civil War....
of Pitcullo, Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, lieutenant of the Tower
Constable of the Tower
The Constable of the Tower is the most senior appointment at the Tower of London. In the middle ages a constable was the person in charge of a castle when the owner - the king or a nobleman - was not in residence...
. The young married pair set off for Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in March. They found the father strongly displeased. The displeasure took the preposterous shape of asking the general assembly of the kirk of Scotland
General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the sovereign and highest court of the Church of Scotland, and is thus the Church's governing body[1] An Introduction to Practice and Procedure in the Church of Scotland, A Gordon McGillivray, 2nd Edition .-Church courts:As a Presbyterian church,...
to annul the marriage. The petition was quietly shelved. The plea for the dissolution of the tie was 'the open wound' he still bore, and which paternal wrath deemed a disqualification for marriage.
He died in 1688, leaving besides Robert, his heir and successor, two sons and six daughters. This Lord Balfour of Burleigh has been traditionally styled 'Covenanter,' which he assuredly never was. On Sir Walter Scott
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
must be laid the blame — if blame it be — by having appropriated the name and designation in his 'John Balfour of Burley' in Old Mortality
Old Mortality
Old Mortality is a novel by Sir Walter Scott set in the period 1679–89 in south west Scotland. It forms, along with The Black Dwarf, the 1st series of Scott's Tales of My Landlord. The two novels were published together in 1816...
.
John Balfour, the 'Covenanter,' was historically 'of Kinloch,' not of Burleigh, and the principal actor in the assassination of Archbishop Sharp in 1679. For this crime his estate was forfeited and a large reward offered for his capture. He fought at Drumclog
Battle of Drumclog
The Battle of Drumclog was fought on 1 June 1679, between a group of Covenanters and the forces of John Graham of Claverhouse, at High Drumclog, in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.- The battle :...
and at Bothwell Bridge, and is said to have escaped to Holland, and to have there tendered his services to the Prince of Orange
Prince of Orange
Prince of Orange is a title of nobility, originally associated with the Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France. In French it is la Principauté d'Orange....
.
It is generally supposed that John Balfour of Burley died at sea on a return voyage to Scotland. But in the 'New Statistical Account of Scotland,' under 'Roseneath,' strong presumptions are stated for believing that he never left Scotland, but found an asylum in the parish of Roseneath, Dumbartonshire, under the wing of the Argyll family. According to this account, having assumed the name of Salter, his descendants continued there for many generations, the last of the race dying in 1815. Scott noted in his Old Mortality that in 1808 a Lieutenant-Colonel Balfour de Burleigh was commandant of the troops of the King of Holland in the West Indies.
Further reading
- Scott's Old Mortality, note 2, 3
- Anderson's Scottish Nation