# 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

Balfour Paul was born in Edinburgh, the second son of the Reverend John Paul of St Cuthbert's Church, Edinburgh and Margaret Balfour (granddaughter of James Balfour of Pilrig), at their home, 13 George Square, Edinburgh.| His great-grandfather was Sir William Moncreiff, 7th Baronet. He 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.
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 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.
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.
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, became an architect and partner of Robert Rowand Anderson.
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 4 March 2025 – via Google Books (Oxford). OCLC 8039728, 931821817.
       → See Royal Company of Archers
* As editor: Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum (Latin) translation → [The Register of the Great Seal of Scotland]. 1882–1883. OCLC 38665920 (all editions).
* 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.]
* Memoir and Remains of John M. Gray in 2 vols. (1895)
* 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).
* As editor: Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland (11 Vols. → Paul edited Vols. 2–11). 1900–1916.
* "Ancient Artillery, With Some Notes on Mons Meg". The Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. 50: 191–201. 30 November 1916. Retrieved 4 March 2025. ISSN 0081-1564 (journal); doi:10.9750/PSAS.050.191.201 (article); OCLC 9783847762 (article).
       → See Mons Meg.
* As editor: Diary of George Ridpath Minister of Stitchei, 1755-1761. Edinburgh: Scottish History Society. 1922. OCLC 898923826.
       → See George Ridpath.

## Coat of arms

Coat of arms of James Balfour Paul Blazon :
* CrestNot shown → A lion sejant guardant gules, his dexter paw resting upon an escutcheon as in the arms; and in an escroll over the same this
* EscutcheonParted per pale, on the dexter side: argent, a lion sejan full-faced gules, holding in the dexter paw a thistle slipped vert, and in the sinister a shield of the second, on a chief azure, a Saint Andrew's Cross of the field (official coat of Lord Lyon King of Arms) on the sinister, or, a chevron indented sable between two lions rampant in chief, and an escutcheon in base gules (Balfour Paul)
* MottoNot shown → Pro rege et republica ("For King and Commonwealth")
* Other elementsNot shown → Behind the shield are placed in saltire two batons representing that belonging to his office and round the shield is placed a gold collar of SS, and a triple chain also of gold, and depending from it the proper badge of Lyon King of Arms
Heraldic tinctures and hatching for the coat-of-arms of James Balfour Paul :
| Class: | Metals | Metals | Colors | Colors | Colors | Colors | Colors |
| Tincture: | Argent | Or | Gules | Purpure | Sable | Azure | Vert |
| Hatching: | | | | | | | |
| Non-heraldic equivalent: | Silver/ White | Gold/ Yellow | Red | Purple | Black | Blue | Green |
Heraldic offices :
| Preceded byGeorge Burnett | Lord Lyon King of Arms 1890–1927 | Succeeded byGeorge Sitwell Campbell Swinton |