James Balfour Paul

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.

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, and received the knighthood on 9 February 1900. Among his works was The Scots Peerage, a nine-volume series published from 1904 to 1914.

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.

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.

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. 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. He gave the Rhind Lectures in 1898, on heraldry.

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.

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 (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 . 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. 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 (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

Retrieved March 4, 2025. . → See Royal Company of Archers

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Memoir and Remains of John M. Gray in 2 vols. (1895) Retrieved April 8, 2025..

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→ See Mons Meg. As editor: . → See George Ridpath.

Armorial stratigraphy of James Balfour Paul and his achievements HeraldicArmoryand Elements ①

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(the crown, here, is – as of 2003 – different; see note, below)

Note: In this artistic representation of the Achievement of Arms for the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the inscription Miserere mei Deus is absent from the circlet of the crown. In 2003, a new crown, designed by Nicola Williams, was created for the Lord Lyon King of Arms. It is based on the historic Crown of Scotland, last seen in the 17th century. The crown features removable arches—similar to those on one of the late Queen Mother's crowns—which are taken off during coronations to avoid any perceived hint of lèse-majesté.

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100 px Scottish Guardian Thistle

Finial: At the very top of the Crown of the King of Arms sits a golden thistle finial. Since the Union of the Crowns in 1603, when James VI of Scotland became James I of England, the thistle has been recognized as an important British (not just Scottish) symbol. This finial consists of a stylized thistle head with radiating leaves, resembling a traditional heraldic thistle. It is mounted on a rounded gold orb, which serves as the transition point between the crown's cap and its highest ornament.

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Note: This depiction follows the heraldic hatching system introduced by Silvester Petra Sancta (1590–1647). 200 px 200 px

Note: This full-color version (see Fox-Davies, Art of Heraldry, 1904) shows gold, red, black, blue, and silver tinctures in detail.

Tinctures and hatchings

Heraldic tinctures and hatchings for the achievement of arms of James Balfour Paul Class: Metals Colors Tincture: Argent Or Gules Purpure Sable Azure Vert Hatching: Non-heraldicequivalent: Silver/White Gold/YellowRedPurpleBlackBlueGreen

Tenure and succession

Gallery