BALFOUR, SIR JAMES (of Pittendreich) (d. 1583 or 1584), Scottish judge and politician, son of Sir Michael Balfour of Montquhanny, was educated for the legal branch of the Church of Scotland. In June 1547 he was imprisoned, with John Knox and others, but was released in 1549. He then abjured the reformers, and entered the service of Mary of Guise. Later he went over to the lords of the congregation, only to betray their plans. On the arrival of Mary, queen of Scots, he became one of her secretaries, and stood high in her favour. The queen con ferred on him a succession of appointments, and in 1566 he be came lord-clerk-register. He was deeply implicated in the mur der of Darnley, which took place at Kirk o' Field, his brother's house, and he is reputed to have drafted the marriage contract of Mary and Bothwell. On the fall of Bothwell he changed sides once more, surrendered Edinburgh castle to Murray, and was appointed president of the court of session. He continued his career of treachery until in 1573 he had exhausted the credulity of all parties and fled to France, where he remained until 1580. At the end of that year he returned to Scotland and helped to procure the downfall and execution of the earl of Morton by giving evidence of the latter's complicity in the murder of Darn ley. Balfour himself was reinstated in 1583, but died before Jan. 24, 1534. In spite of his black record of political treachery he must be remembered as the greatest Scots lawyer of his day, and as part-author of the earliest text-book of Scots law, Bal four's Practicks, which was, however, not printed until BIBLIOGRAPHY. See article in the Dict. of Nat. Biog. and authorities Bibliography. See article in the Dict. of Nat. Biog. and authorities there quoted; Sir J. Melville, Memoirs (Bannatyne Club, 1827) ; A. Lang, Hist. of Scotland, vol. ii. and authorities (1902) ; Cal. of State Papers—Register of Privy Council of Scotland, i.—iii.; Scottish Series (Thorpe) , i. and ii. (Bain) , ii.—iv. ; The Border Papers, i. ; Hamilton Papers, ii. (Foreign) .