James Balfour Paul
Lord Lyon King of Arms (1846–1931)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sir James Balfour Paul (16 November 1846 – 15 September 1931) was the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the officer responsible for heraldry in Scotland, from 1890 until the end of 1926.[1]
James Balfour Paul | |
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Portrait of Sir James Balfour Paul painted in 1901 by Sir James Guthrie (1859–1930), housed in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. Sir James is depicted in the rich ceremonial attire of the Lord Lyon King of Arms.
Ceremonial dress
Description
| |
| Lord Lyon King of Arms | |
| In office 1890–1927 | |
| Preceded by | George Burnett |
| Succeeded by | George Swinton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 November 1846 |
| Died | 15 September 1931 (aged 84) Edinburgh |
| Resting place | Dean Cemetery |
Life
James Balfour Paul was educated at Royal High School and University of Edinburgh.
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 in the 1900 New Year Honours list,[2] and received the knighthood on 9 February 1900.[3] Among his works was The Scots Peerage, a nine-volume series published from 1904 to 1914.[4]
Heraldic cases
As Lord Lyon, Sir James presided over two particularly notable heraldic cases in Court of the Lord Lyon.
In the first case, Petition MacRae, 22 April 1909, Sir Colin MacRae of Inverinate petitioned the Court of the Lord Lyon, seeking recognition of his right to bear the historic coat of arms as Chief of the Name of Clan MacRae. This claim was contested by Colonel John MacRae-Gilstrap, a senior member of the MacRae family of Conchra, who had previously placed a caveat with the court to be notified of any such applications. Colonel MacRae-Gilstrap argued that all MacRae families were on an equal footing and that the clan traditionally had no chief other than the Earl of Seaforth. In his ruling, Lord Lyon Balfour Paul confined his decision to heraldic matters, determining that Sir Colin had not sufficiently proven his right to the chiefly arms. Consequently, the question of the clan's chiefship remained unresolved, with debates continuing thereafter.[5]
The second case, Stewart-Mackenzie v. Fraser-Mackenzie, initiated in 1917, concerned Mrs. Beatrice Anna Fraser-Mackenzie of Allangrange, who had received a grant of arms following her inheritance of the Allangrange estate. The arms included quarterings of Fraser and Falconer with the undifferenced arms of Mackenzie, along with supporters traditionally associated with the chiefship of Clan Mackenzie.
Colonel James Stewart-Mackenzie (1847–1923), later Baron Seaforth, contested the grant, claiming that only the clan chief had the right to bear those arms and supporters. Balfour Paul ruled in 1918 that the use of quartered arms sufficiently differentiated Mrs. Fraser-Mackenzie's bearings and that there was no exclusive right to the supporters. The decision was upheld by the Court of Session and ultimately by the House of Lords in 1921, establishing an important precedent in Scottish heraldic law regarding the differentiation of arms and the non-exclusive use of supporters.[4]
Honours
Shortly before his retirement in 1926, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) in the 1926 New Year Honours list.[6] 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.[4] He gave the Rhind Lectures in 1898, on heraldry.[7]
Birth, marriage, direct family, and relatives
James Balfour Paul was born in Edinburgh, the second son of the Reverend John Paul of St Cuthbert's Church, Edinburgh, and Margaret Balfour (1807–1860) (granddaughter of James Balfour; 1705–1795; of Pilrig), at their home, 13 George Square, Edinburgh.[8]
James Balfour Paul resided at 30 Heriot Row, Edinburgh. He married, in 1872, Helen Margaret Forman (1851–1929), daughter of John Nairne Forman (1806–1884) of Staffa (WS) and Jane Mitchell (maiden; 1810–1882). They had four children:
- Their oldest, Lieutenant Colonel John William Balfour Paul DSO (1873–1957) was a Scottish soldier and officer of arms in the Court of the Lord Lyon.
- Glencairn Balfour Paul (1917–2008), Sir James's grandson, was a British Arabist and diplomat.
- Their second oldest, Arthur Forman Balfour Paul (1875–1938), became an architect and partner of Robert Rowand Anderson.
- Their third oldest, Cuthbert Balfour Paul (1876–1926), became a surgeon.
- Their youngest, Millicent Jane Balfour Paul (1880–1972), married Alfred Stevenson Balfour, who became a Captain in Royal Indian Marines, and served as aide-de-camp to Governor of Madras. See 1919 New Year Honours (OBE) § Civil Division.
- James Balfour Paul was a nephew of Robert Paul (1788–1866), a church elder, banker, and director of the Commercial Bank of Scotland.
- Rev. William Paul (1754–1802) was his paternal grandfather. Sir William Moncreiff (1706–1767), 7th Baronet, was his great-grandfather.[4]
- He was a second cousin of Sir Frederick Spencer Arnold-Baker (1885–1963), a British lawyer – they had the same great-grandfather, Rev. James Nairne (1750–1819).
- He was a first cousin once removed of Lieutenant-General Sir Charles Edward Nairne kcb (1836–1899) of the British military who served in British India. Paul's great-Grandfather, Rev. James Nairne, was a grandfather of Nairne.
Sir James is buried with other family in Dean Cemetery in Edinburgh, in the north section immediately east of the opening in the wall between the original cemetery and the north extension.
Published works
- The History of the Royal Company of Archers, the Queen's Body-Guard for Scotland. 1875. Retrieved March 4, 2025. OCLC 8039728, 931821817.
- → See Royal Company of Archers
- Via Internet Archive (Oxford). W. Blackwood. 1882.

- Via Google Books (Oxford). 1882.

- As editor: Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum (Latin) translation → [The Register of the Great Seal of Scotland]. 1882–1883. OCLC 38665920 (all editions).
- "ᴀ.ᴅ. 1424–1513". 1882 – via Internet Archive (UCLA).

- "ᴀ.ᴅ. 1513–1546". 1883 – via Internet Archive (UCLA).

- Handbook to the Parliament House. Edinburgh: William Green, publisher. 1884. OCLC 315621609, 1079302250.
- Heraldry in Relation to Scottish History and Art, Being the Rhind Lectures on Archaeology for 1898. Edinburgh: David Douglas, publisher. 1890. Retrieved 4 March 2025 – via HathiTrust.
LCCN 01-25112; OCLC 5455166 (all editions). - Ordinary of Arms Contained in the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland (1st ed.). Edinburgh: William Green & Sons. 1893 [1903; 2nd ed.]
- Via Internet Archive (UC Libraries) (1st ed.). W. Green & sons. 1893.

- Via Internet Archive (Duke University). 1903.
- Memoir and Remains of John M. Gray in 2 vols. (1895)
- "The Matrimonial Adventures of James V". Transactions of the Glasgow Archaeological Society (Read at a meeting of the Society November 16, 1905). New Series. 5 (2). Glasgow: Published for the Society by James MacLehose & Sons, St. Vincent Street, Publishers to the University. Printed at the University Press by Robert Maclehose and Co. Ltd.: 90–104 1906. Retrieved April 8, 2025. ISSN 2398-5755; OCLC 9973508470.
- Via Internet Archive (Michigan). 1906.

- James Balfour Paul (1906). "The Matrimonial Adventures of James V.". Transactions of the Glasgow Archaeological Society. New. 5 (2). Edinburgh University Press: 90–104. JSTOR 24681410
- As editor: The Scots Peerage Founded on Wood's Edition of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland Containing an Historical and Genealogical Account of the Nobility of That Kingdom. With Armorial Illustrations. Edinburgh: David Douglas, publisher. 1904–1914 – via HathiTrust.
LCCN 05-33339; OCLC 1430137 (all editions).
- → See John Philip Wood
- Vol. 1. 1904 – via Google Books (Stanford).

- Vol. 1. 1904 – via Internet Archive (Robarts).

- Vol. 1. 1904 – via Internet Archive (Allen County Public Library).

- Vol. 2. 1905 – via Google Books (Michigan).

- Vol. 3. 1906 – via Internet Archive (Allen County Public Library).

- Vol. 4. 1907 – via Internet Archive (Allen County Public Library).

- Vol. 5. 1908 – via Google Books (Michigan).

- Vol. 6. 1909 – via Internet Archive (Allen County Public Library).

- Vol. 7. 1910 – via Internet Archive (Allen County Public Library).

- Vol. 8. 1911 – via Internet Archive (Allen County Public Library).

- Vol. 9. 1914 – via Google Books (Michigan).

- As editor: Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland (11 Vols. → Paul edited Vols. 2–11). 1900–1916.
- Vol. 1: AD 1473–1498. 1877 – via Google Books (Cal Berkeley).
James Balfour Paul, editor, henceforth. - Vol. 2: AD 1500–1504. 1900 – via Google Books (Cal Berkeley).

- Vol. 3: AD 1506–1507. 1901 – via Google Books (Oxford).

- Vol. 3: AD 1506–1507. 1901 – via Google Books (Stanford).

- Vol. 4: AD 1507–1513. 1902 – via Google Books (Oxford).[9][10]
- Vol. 5: AD 1515–1531. 1903 – via Google Books (Harvard).

- Vol. 6: AD 1531–1538. 1905 – via Google Books (Minnesota).

- Vol. 7: AD 1538–1541. 1907 – via Google Books (Stanford).

- Vol. 8: AD 1541–1546. 1908 – via Google Books (Harvard).

- Vol. 9: AD 1546–1551. 1911 – via Google Books (Michigan).

- Vol. 10: AD 1551–1559. 1913 – via Google Books (Michigan).

- Vol. 11: AD 1559–1566. 1916 – via Google Books (Princeton).
- Paul, James (30 November 1916). "Ancient Artillery: With Some Notes on Mons Meg". Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. 50: 191–201. doi:10.9750/PSAS.050.191.201. OCLC 9783847762. Retrieved 4 March 2025.
- → See Mons Meg.
- As editor: Diary of George Ridpath Minister of Stitchei, 1755–1761. Edinburgh: Scottish History Society. 1922. OCLC 898923826.
- → See George Ridpath.
Armorial stratigraphy of James Balfour Paul and his achievements
| Heraldic Armory and Elements |
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| ① Personal Heraldry | |
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James Balfour Paul Coat of Arms |
| ② Governance Heraldry: Escutcheon of Lord Lyon King of Arms | |
Arms of Lord Lyon King of Arms
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| ③ Governance Heraldry: Escutcheon and Achievements of the Lord Lyon King of Arms | |
| Achievement of Arms for the Lord Lyon King of Arms (simplified) See Heraldic authority § United Kingdom
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Achievement Arms of the Lord Lyon King of Arms
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| ④ Heraldic Symbols and Insignia of Office | |
| Scottish Guardian Thistle | |
Crown of a British King of Arms New (as of 2003) Crown of Lord Lyon King of Arms |
Crown of Lord Lyon King of Arms
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| Insignia of Knights and Ladies of The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle
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Star of the Order of the Thistle
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Alternate version adopted by Canada.
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| ⑤ Personal Arms (dexter) Impaled with Office Arms (sinister) | |
Achievement (escutcheon only) of James Balfour Paul as Lord Lyon King of Arms
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| ⑥ Personal Arms Impaled with Office in Full Achievement | |
Achievement of Arms of Sir James Balfour Paul, Lord Lyon King of Arms (hatched, with full external office and personal elements)
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Collars of Esses (1882)
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Achievement of Arms of Sir James Balfour Paul, Lord Lyon King of Arms (in color, with full external office and personal elements)
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Thistle, Rose, and Shamrock Badge (Collar of SS; 1882)
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Tinctures and hatchings
Tenure and succession
Gallery
- 30 Heriot Row, Edinburgh, residence of Sir James Balfour Paul.
- The grave of Sir James Balfour Paul, Dean Cemetery, Edinburgh.
In memory of Helen Margaret – For fifty-seven years the beloved wife of Sir James Balfour Paul KCVO LL.D. – And last survivor of the family of John Nairne Forman W.S. died 20th Dec 1929 – And also of Sir James Balfour Paul KCVO LL.D. Lord Lyon King of Arms 1890–1926 born Nov. 16 1846 died Sept. 15 1931.