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Scottish businessman , landowner and Tory politician For other people named James Balfour , see James Balfour ( disambiguation ) . James Balfour Born c. 1775 Died 19 April 1845 ( 1845-04-19 ) ( aged 69-70 ) Spouse Eleanor Maitland Whittingehame House , Balfour 's mansion in East Lothian , Scotland James Balfour ( c. 1775 - 19 April 1845 ) was a Scottish nabob who became a landowner and politician . The son of a prosperous and influential Scottish gentry family , he became a trader in India . Having made a fortune supplying the Royal Navy , he returned to Scotland to buy several landed estates , including Whittingehame in East Lothian where he built a classical mansion . Balfour became a Tory Member of Parliament ( MP ) from 1826 to 1834 , but never achieved ministerial office . However , many of his descendants found fame and success , including his grandson Arthur Balfour , who served as prime minister from 1902 to 1905 . At his death , Balfour 's estates in Scotland alone were estimated to be worth over £1 million ( equivalent to £125 million in 2025 ) . Family and early life Balbirnie House in Fife , Balfour 's birthplace Balfour was born about 1775 . He was the second son of John Balfour ( 1739-1813 ) , an advocate who owned Balbirnie House , near the town of Glenrothes in Fife . His elder brother Robert Balfour , who inherited Balbirnie , became a Lieutenant-General in the British Army . His ancestor George Balfour had purchased Balbirnie in the late 16th or early 17th century , and by the late 18th century its land included profitable mines in the Fife Coalfield . Career India After studying book-keeping and accountancy in Edinburgh , Balfour went to Madras in March 1795 as a writer ( junior clerk ) for the British East India Company . He held several posts in the following years , before being sent back to Britain after a disciplinary issue . Balfour returned to India in 1802 , where he became a merchant in partnership with James Baker . His breakthrough came in 1806 , when the partners obtained the contract with the Victualling Commissioners of the Royal Navy to supply their needs throughout the East Indies . The contract had been held since 1796 by the Hon . Basil Cochrane , who had built his own flour mills and bakeries in Madras . Cochrane returned to England in 1806 due to ill-health , and had intended to appoint Balfour and Baker as his agents . However , before leaving , Cochrane was notified that the Navy was reviewing his accounts dating back to 1794 , and that the Navy had lost much of the paperwork . He then returned to England permanently to settle the accounts , which took until 1820 . Instead of engaging agents , Cochrane passed the contract to Balfour and Baker , who held it until at least 1815 . At some point the partnership was dissolved , and the contract held by Balfour alone . When he left India , he had accumulated a fortune of £300,000 ( equivalent to £34.4 million in 2025 ) . The Indian business did not end with Balfour 's return home . It was run on his behalf by agents , and within a few decades the family 's assets had grown ten-fold to £3 million ( equivalent to £344 million in 2025 ) . Scotland The east lodge of Balfour 's Whittingehame estate , possibly also designed by Robert Smirke On his return to Scotland in 1815 , Balfour married Lady Eleanor Maitland ( 1790-1869 ) , daughter of the Tory politician James Maitland , 8th Earl of Lauderdale . They had seven children , three of whom predeceased their parents . The eldest son was killed by a fire in 1822 . Within two years of their marriage , Balfour had bought two large county estates . The first was a sporting estate with shooting lodge in the Highlands , at Strathconan in Ross-shire . In 1817 , he purchased the 10,000-acre ( 4,000 ha ; 16 sq mi ) Whittingehame estate in Haddingtonshire from Colonel William Hay of Duns Castle , which provided a net rental income of £11,000 per year ( equivalent to £1,375,000 in 2025 ) . He also bought a town house in London , No . 3 Grosvenor Square . In the 1820s the Balfours employed the architect Robert Smirke , designer of the British Museum , to build a large classical mansion at Whittingehame , along with a stable block and gate lodges . They equipped their home with French furniture and Sèvres china . Built of pale cullalo stone , the house was expanded and altered in 1827 to the designs of William Burn , which were not entirely successful . Colin McWilliam and Christopher Wilson describe them as having changed " a dry composition into a boring one " . They then rebuilt the local church , and created a new model village to the north-west of the old one . Built in about 1840 of red sandstone , it consists of a row of cottages and a school . Established as a country gentleman , though known locally as " the nabob " , Balfour became a justice of the peace , and in 1822 was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant of Haddingtonshire . Strathconon ( or Strathconan ) House , Balfour 's hunting lodge in the Scottish Highlands In about 1823 or 1824 he paid £104,000 ( equivalent to £11.6 million in 2025 ) to buy from the 10th Earl of Leven a large estate in his native Fife , including Balgonie Castle . Adjacent to his native Balbirnie , the Balgonie estate included coal mines which worked seams described as " inexhaustible " and iron workings . Parliament In November 1820 , the death of Henry St Paul MP triggered a by-election for the borough of Berwick-upon-Tweed , where Balfour 's father-in-law Lord Lauderdale had great influence . Balfour was also supported by Admiral Sir David Milne , who had defeated St Paul at the general election in March 1820 but was unseated on petition in July . However , Lauderdale was disliked for his opposition to the popular Queen Caroline , which became a significant issue in the campaign . His agents claimed that Balfour would have opposed her trial for alleged adultery , but he was portrayed as too close to Liverpool 's Tory ministry to properly represent interests of the borough . After four days of polling , Balfour lost by 9 votes ( 374—363 ) to the Whig baronet Sir Francis Blake . Balgonie Castle in Glenrothes , Fife , in Balfour 's Fife estate A further vacancy occurred in Berwick in 1822 , but Balfour did not contest the seat . Instead , he turned his attentions to the Anstruther Burghs , a set of five burghs which were located only 15 miles from his newly purchased estate at Balgonie in Fife . At the 1826 general election he won the support of three burghs of Pittenweem , Anstruther Easter and Crail , whereas the sitting MP and Lord Advocate of Scotland Sir William Rae won only Anstruther Wester and Kilrenny . With three out of five votes Balfour was declared elected , and a petition lodged by Rae was rejected in March 1827 . In 1829 , several groups of his constituents submitted petitions against the Roman Catholic Relief Bill . Balfour presented all the petitions to Parliament , but in April he voted with the majority in favour of the Bill . Balfour was opposed at the 1830 general election by Robert Marsham , the Warden of Merton College , Oxford . However , he won the seat , taking three of the four boroughs remaining after Kilrenny 's disenfranchisement in 1829 . At the 1831 general election , Balfour was drafted to stand instead in the county seat of Haddingtonshire , the area which included Whittingehame . The sitting MP Lord John Hay had been an advocate of Parliamentary reform , a view which was supported by the county 's voteless tenant farmers but opposed by the existing voters . Lord John 's position looked untenable , so Balfour was drafted by Lord Lauderdale and Hay 's brother Lord Tweeddale . Describing himself as an opponent of the current reform proposals , but a supporter of a " wise and prudent amendment to the representative system " , he won the seat by a margin of 40 votes to the 11 of his opponent Sir David Baird , Bt . However , a crowd of non-voting residents of Haddington shouted down his attempts to make a speech of thanks . The new Parliament was dominated by the Reform Bills , and in the last Parliament of the Unreformed House of Commons Balfour voted against them at most opportunities . At the general election in December 1832 , with the franchise expanded under the Scottish Reform Act , Balfour was re-elected but with a much narrower majority of 271 votes to 232 . His health had been declining , and he cited that as his reason for retiring at the dissolution of Parliament in December 1834 . At the general election in January 1835 , the Haddingtonshire seat was won by the Whig Robert Ferguson . Death and legacy The Balfour Monument , near Whittingehame , erected in memory of Balfour 's son James Maitland Balfour Balfour died at Whittingehame in April 1845 , aged about 70 . He was survived by his wife , Lady Eleanor , two sons , and two daughters . Another two daughters and a son predeceased him . The surviving children were : * James Maitland Balfour ( 1820-1856 ) , MP for Haddington Burghs 1841-47 , father of five sons and three daughters * Charles Balfour ( 1823-1872 ) , who married Adelaide Barrington , daughter and 8th child of the 6th Viscount Barrington . * Mary Balfour ( 1817-1893 ) , a noted watercolour artist who married Henry Arthur Herbert , owner of the Muckross estate in County Kerry , and Chief Secretary for Ireland 1857-58 * Anna Balfour ( 1825-1857 ) , who married Lord Augustus Fitzroy , later 7th Duke of Grafton On his death , Balfour 's estate was valued at over £1 million . His widow Eleanor ( who survived him by 24 years ) was left a legacy of £31,000 and a life annuity of £3,760 . The rest was divided between his children . The estates at Whittingehame and Strathconan were left to his eldest son , along with a house in Grosvenor Square , London . His property in Fife , including Balgonie Castle , was left to his second son Charles , while his daughters Mary and Anna had each been given a dowry of £40,000 ( equivalent to £4.59 million in 2025 ) . Whittingehame Tower , which is still owned by descendants of James Balfour Until the Reform Act in 1832 , political power in Britain had been dominated for centuries by a land-owning oligarchy , and for another century they shared power with the rising bourgeoisie . The Balfour family straddled both groups . James Balfour 's new wealth brought new vigour to the ancient family , with many of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren achieving notability . They include : * James Maitland Balfour 's children : + Arthur Balfour , the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1905 + Eleanor Mildred Sidgwick ( 1845-1936 ) , Principal of Newnham College , Cambridge + Alice Blanche Balfour ( 1850-1936 ) , amateur entomologist + Francis Maitland Balfour ( 1851-1882 ) , one of the greatest biologists of his day + Gerald Balfour , 2nd Earl of Balfour ( 1853-1945 ) , a cabinet minister from 1895 to 1905 . His daughter Lady Eve Balfour ( 1899-1990 ) was an early advocate of organic farming , and co-founder of the Soil Association + Colonel Eustace James Anthony Balfour ( 1854-1911 ) , an architect who served as ADC to King Edward VII . * Charles Balfour 's son Charles Barrington Balfour became an army officer and an MP . One of his sons was knighted for his work as a diplomat * Mary 's son Henry Arthur Herbert , was MP for Kerry from 1866 to 1880 * Two of Anna 's sons became Dukes of Grafton As with many other estate houses in Scotland , Balfour family ownership of Whittingehame House ended in the 20th century . Arthur and Gerald lost a lot of money in a series of poor investments , particularly in their efforts to develop peat processing as a green alternative to coal-mining . In the 1930s , death duties forced the mothballing of the house and sale of its contents . The building was leased for various purposes before being sold in 1963 to become a residential school , and has since been converted into apartments . The older Whittingehame Tower has been restored and remains the residence of the Earls of Balfour , descendants of James Balfour . |
| scottish businessman [PERSON] , landowner [PERSON] and tory politician [PERSON] for other people [HUMAN GROUP] named james balfour [PERSON] , see james balfour [PERSON] ( disambiguation [ACT] ) . james balfour [PERSON] born [PERSON] c. 1775 died 19 april [PERIOD] 1845 ( 1845-04-19 ) ( aged 69-70 ) spouse eleanor [PERSON] maitland whittingehame house [PLACE] [PLACE] , balfour [PERSON] 's mansion [BUILDING] in east lothian [PERSON] , scotland james balfour [PERSON] [PERSON] ( c. 1775 - 19 april [PERIOD] 1845 ) was a scottish nabob [UNKNOWN] who became a landowner [PERSON] and politician [PERSON] . the son [PERSON] of a prosperous and influential scottish gentry family [HUMAN GROUP] , he became a trader [PERSON] in india [PLACE] . having made a fortune [PERSON] supplying the royal navy [PERSON] , he returned to scotland [PLACE] to buy several landed estates [PLACE] , including whittingehame [PLACE] in east lothian [PERSON] where he built [STRUCTURE] a classical mansion [BUILDING] . balfour [PERSON] became a tory member [PERSON] of parliament [HUMAN GROUP] ( mp ) from 1826 to 1834 , but never achieved ministerial office [PLACE] . however , many of his descendants [EVENT] found fame [REPUTATION] and success [STATE] , including his grandson arthur balfour [PERSON] [PERSON] , who served as prime minister [HUMAN ROLE] from 1902 to 1905 . at his death [EVENT] , balfour [PERSON] 's estates [PLACE] in scotland [PLACE] alone were estimated to be worth over £1 million ( equivalent [ABSTRACT ENTITY] to £125 million in 2025 ) . family [HUMAN GROUP] and early life balbirnie house [PLACE] in fife [PERSON] , balfour [PERSON] 's birthplace balfour [PERSON] was born about 1775 . he was the second son [PERSON] of john balfour [PERSON] ( 1739-1813 ) , an advocate [PERSON] who owned balbirnie house [PLACE] , near the town [PLACE] of glenrothes [UNKNOWN] in fife [PERSON] . his elder brother robert balfour [PERSON] , who inherited balbirnie [UNKNOWN] , became a lieutenant-general in the british army [HUMAN GROUP] . his ancestor george balfour [PERSON] had purchased balbirnie [UNKNOWN] in the late 16th or early 17th century [PERIOD] , and by the late 18th century [PERIOD] its land [LAND] included profitable mines [ACT] in the fife coalfield [PERSON] . career india [PLACE] after studying book-keeping and accountancy [GROUP] in edinburgh [PLACE] , balfour [PERSON] went to madras [PLACE] in march [PERIOD] 1795 as a writer [PERSON] ( junior clerk [PERSON] ) for the british east india [PLACE] company [INSTITUTION] . he held several posts [UNKNOWN] in the following years [PERIOD] , before being sent back to britain [PLACE] after a disciplinary issue [EVENT] . balfour [PERSON] returned to india [PLACE] in 1802 , where he became a merchant [PERSON] in partnership [PERIOD] with james baker [PERSON] . his breakthrough [GROUP] came in 1806 , when the partners [GROUP] obtained the contract [PERSON] with the victualling commissioners [PERSON] of the royal navy [PERSON] to supply their needs [UNKNOWN] throughout the east indies [PERSON] . the contract [PERSON] had been held since 1796 by the hon [PERSON] . basil cochrane [PERSON] , who had built [STRUCTURE] his own flour mills [PERSON] and bakeries [DOCUMENT PART] in madras [PLACE] . cochrane [PERSON] returned to england [PLACE] in 1806 due to ill-health , and had intended to appoint balfour [PERSON] and baker [PERSON] as his agents [SET] . however , before leaving , cochrane [PERSON] was notified that the navy [PERSON] was reviewing his accounts [COLLECTION] dating back to 1794 , and that the navy [PERSON] had lost much of the paperwork [PERSON] . he then returned to england [PLACE] permanently to settle the accounts [COLLECTION] , which took until 1820 . instead of engaging agents [SET] , cochrane [PERSON] passed the contract [PERSON] to balfour [PERSON] and baker [PERSON] , who held it until at least 1815 . at some point [PLACE] the partnership [PERIOD] was dissolved , and the contract [PERSON] held by balfour [PERSON] alone . when he left india [PLACE] , he had accumulated a fortune [PERSON] of £300,000 ( equivalent [ABSTRACT ENTITY] to £34.4 million in 2025 ) . the indian business [AMOUNT] did not end with balfour [PERSON] 's return home [PLACE] . it was run on his behalf [PERSON] by agents [SET] , and within a few decades [UNKNOWN] the family [HUMAN GROUP] 's assets [ASSET] had grown ten-fold to £3 million ( equivalent [ABSTRACT ENTITY] to £344 million in 2025 ) . scotland [PLACE] the east lodge [EVENT] of balfour [PERSON] 's whittingehame estate [ESTATE] , possibly also designed by robert smirke [PERSON] on his return [UNKNOWN] to scotland [PLACE] in 1815 , balfour [PERSON] married lady eleanor [PERSON] maitland [PERSON] ( 1790-1869 ) , daughter [PERSON] of the tory politician [PERSON] james maitland [PERSON] , 8th earl [PERSON] of lauderdale [PERSON] . they had seven children [PERSON] , three of whom predeceased their parents [PERSON] . the eldest son [PERSON] was killed by a fire [FIRE] in 1822 . within two years [PERIOD] of their marriage [EVENT] , balfour [PERSON] had bought two large county estates [PLACE] . the first was a sporting estate [ESTATE] with shooting lodge [EVENT] in the highlands [PLACE] , at strathconan [UNKNOWN] in ross-shire . in 1817 , he purchased the 10,000-acre ( 4,000 ha ; 16 sq mi [UNKNOWN] ) whittingehame estate [ESTATE] in haddingtonshire [PLACE] from colonel william hay [PERSON] of duns castle [PERSON] , which provided a net rental income [MONEY] of £11,000 per year [PERIOD] ( equivalent [ABSTRACT ENTITY] to £1,375,000 in 2025 ) . he also bought a town house [PLACE] in london [PLACE] , no . 3 grosvenor square [PLACE] . in the 1820s the balfours [UNKNOWN] employed the architect [TERM] robert smirke [PERSON] , designer [PERSON] of the british museum [PLACE] , to build a large classical mansion [BUILDING] at whittingehame [PLACE] , along with a stable block [PERSON] and gate lodges [PERSON] . they equipped their home [PLACE] with french furniture [FURNITURE] and sèvres china [PLACE] . built [STRUCTURE] of pale [CONDITION] cullalo stone [PERSON] , the house [PLACE] was expanded and altered in 1827 to the designs [PROPERTY] of william burn [PERSON] , which were not entirely successful . colin mcwilliam [PERSON] and christopher wilson [PERSON] describe them as having changed " a dry composition [INSTANCE] into a boring one " . they then rebuilt the local church [PERSON] , and created a new model village [PLACE] to the north-west of the old one . built [STRUCTURE] in about 1840 of red sandstone [HILL] , it consists [SET] of a row [PERSON] of cottages [BUILDING] and a school [INSTITUTION] . established as a country gentleman [PLACE] , though known locally as " the nabob [UNKNOWN] " , balfour [PERSON] became a justice [PROPERTY] of the peace [STATE] , and in 1822 was appointed as a deputy [PERSON] lieutenant of haddingtonshire [PLACE] . strathconon [UNKNOWN] ( or strathconan [UNKNOWN] ) house [PLACE] , balfour [PERSON] 's hunting lodge [EVENT] in the scottish highlands [PLACE] in about 1823 or 1824 he paid £104,000 ( equivalent [ABSTRACT ENTITY] to £11.6 million in 2025 ) to buy from the 10th earl [PERSON] of leven [PERSON] a large estate [ESTATE] in his native fife [PERSON] , including balgonie castle [PERSON] . adjacent to his native balbirnie [UNKNOWN] , the balgonie estate [ESTATE] included coal mines [ACT] which worked seams [CONCEPT] described as " inexhaustible " and iron workings [PERSON] . parliament [HUMAN GROUP] in november [PERIOD] 1820 , the death [EVENT] of henry st paul [PLACE] mp [PERSON] triggered a by-election for the borough [ESTATE] of berwick-upon-tweed , where balfour [PERSON] 's father-in-law lord lauderdale [PERSON] had great influence [POWER] . balfour [PERSON] was also supported by admiral sir david milne [PERSON] , who had defeated st paul [PLACE] at the general election [POWER] in march [PERIOD] 1820 but was unseated on petition [ACT] in july [PERIOD] . however , lauderdale [PERSON] was disliked for his opposition [EVENT] to the popular queen caroline [PERSON] , which became a significant issue [EVENT] in the campaign [PERSON] . his agents [SET] claimed that balfour [PERSON] would have opposed her trial [EVENT] for alleged adultery [PERSON] , but he was portrayed as too close to liverpool [PLACE] 's tory ministry [INSTITUTION] to properly represent interests [UNKNOWN] of the borough [ESTATE] . after four days [PERIOD] of polling [PROCESS] , balfour [PERSON] lost by 9 votes [ACT] ( 374—363 ) to the whig baronet sir francis blake [PERSON] . balgonie [PERSON] castle in glenrothes [UNKNOWN] , fife [PERSON] , in balfour [PERSON] 's fife estate [ESTATE] a further vacancy [POSITION] occurred in berwick [PERSON] in 1822 , but balfour [PERSON] did not contest the seat [PLACE] . instead , he turned his attentions [STATE] to the anstruther burghs [UNKNOWN] , a set [SET] of five burghs [UNKNOWN] which were located only 15 miles [GROUP] from his newly purchased estate [ESTATE] at balgonie [PERSON] in fife [PERSON] . at the 1826 general election [POWER] he won the support [SET] of three burghs [UNKNOWN] of pittenweem [UNKNOWN] , anstruther easter [PERSON] and crail [PERSON] , whereas the sitting mp [PERSON] and lord advocate [PERSON] of scotland sir william rae [PERSON] won only anstruther wester [WIND] and kilrenny [UNKNOWN] . with three out of five votes balfour [PERSON] was declared elected , and a petition [ACT] lodged by rae [PERSON] was rejected in march [PERIOD] 1827 . in 1829 , several groups [GROUP] of his constituents [PERSON] submitted petitions [ACT] against the roman catholic relief bill [PERSON] . balfour [PERSON] presented all the petitions [ACT] to parliament [HUMAN GROUP] , but in april [PERIOD] he voted with the majority [PERSON] in favour [PERSON] of the bill [PERSON] . balfour [PERSON] was opposed at the 1830 general election [POWER] by robert marsham [PERSON] , the warden [PERSON] of merton college [INSTITUTION] , oxford [PLACE] . however , he won the seat [PLACE] , taking three of the four boroughs [ESTATE] remaining after kilrenny [UNKNOWN] 's disenfranchisement [ACT] in 1829 . at the 1831 general election [POWER] , balfour [PERSON] was drafted to stand instead in the county seat [PLACE] of haddingtonshire [PLACE] , the area [AREA] which included whittingehame [PLACE] . the sitting mp lord john [PERSON] hay [PERSON] had been an advocate [PERSON] of parliamentary reform [AMOUNT] , a view [PERSON] which was supported by the county [PLACE] 's voteless tenant farmers [IMAGE] but opposed by the existing voters [PERSON] . lord john 's position [POSITION] looked untenable , so balfour [PERSON] was drafted by lord lauderdale [PERSON] and hay [PERSON] 's brother lord tweeddale [PERSON] . describing himself as an opponent [PERSON] of the current reform proposals [ABSTRACT ENTITY] , but a supporter [PERSON] of a " wise and prudent amendment [STATE] to the representative system [SYSTEM] " , he won the seat [PLACE] by a margin [GROUP] of 40 votes [ACT] to the 11 of his opponent sir david baird [PERSON] , bt . however , a crowd [GROUP] of non-voting residents [PERSON] of haddington [PLACE] shouted down his attempts [ACTION] to make a speech [SPEECH] of thanks [EVENT] . the new parliament [HUMAN GROUP] was dominated by the reform bills [PERSON] , and in the last parliament [HUMAN GROUP] of the unreformed house [PLACE] of commons balfour [PERSON] voted against them at most opportunities [OPPORTUNITY] . at the general election [POWER] in december [PERIOD] 1832 , with the franchise [ACT] expanded under the scottish reform act [ACT] , balfour [PERSON] was re-elected but with a much narrower majority [PERSON] of 271 votes [ACT] to 232 . his health [PROPERTY] had been declining , and he cited that as his reason [ABSTRACT ENTITY] for retiring at the dissolution [PROCESS] of parliament [HUMAN GROUP] in december [PERIOD] 1834 . at the general election [POWER] in january [PERIOD] 1835 , the haddingtonshire seat [PLACE] was won by the whig robert ferguson [PERSON] . death [EVENT] and legacy [PERSON] the balfour monument [PERSON] , near whittingehame [PLACE] , erected in memory [EVENT] of balfour [PERSON] 's son james maitland balfour [PERSON] balfour [PERSON] died at whittingehame [PLACE] in april [PERIOD] 1845 , aged about 70 . he was survived by his wife [PERSON] , lady eleanor [PERSON] , two sons [PERSON] , and two daughters [PERSON] . another two daughters [PERSON] and a son [PERSON] predeceased him . the surviving children [PERSON] were : * james maitland balfour [PERSON] ( 1820-1856 ) , mp for haddington burghs [UNKNOWN] 1841-47 , father [PERSON] of five sons [PERSON] and three daughters [PERSON] * charles balfour [PERSON] ( 1823-1872 ) , who married adelaide barrington [PERSON] , daughter [PERSON] and 8th child [PERSON] of the 6th viscount barrington [PERSON] . * mary balfour [PERSON] ( 1817-1893 ) , a noted watercolour artist [PERSON] who married henry arthur [PERSON] herbert [PERSON] , owner [VEHICLE] of the muckross estate [ESTATE] in county kerry [PLACE] , and chief secretary [PERSON] for ireland [PLACE] 1857-58 * anna balfour [PERSON] ( 1825-1857 ) , who married lord augustus [PERSON] fitzroy , later 7th duke [PERSON] of grafton [PERSON] on his death [EVENT] , balfour [PERSON] 's estate [ESTATE] was valued at over £1 million . his widow eleanor [PERSON] ( who survived him by 24 years [PERIOD] ) was left a legacy [PERSON] of £31,000 and a life annuity [PROPERTY] of £3,760 . the rest [POSITION] was divided between his children [PERSON] . the estates [PLACE] at whittingehame [PLACE] and strathconan [UNKNOWN] were left to his eldest son [PERSON] , along with a house [PLACE] in grosvenor square [PLACE] , london [PLACE] . his property [PROPERTY] in fife [PERSON] , including balgonie castle [PERSON] , was left to his second son charles [PERSON] , while his daughters mary [PERSON] and anna [PERSON] had each been given a dowry [INSTANCE] of £40,000 ( equivalent [ABSTRACT ENTITY] to £4.59 million in 2025 ) . whittingehame tower [BUILDING] , which is still owned by descendants [EVENT] of james balfour [PERSON] until the reform act [ACT] in 1832 , political power [POWER] in britain [PLACE] had been dominated for centuries [UNIT] by a land-owning oligarchy [GOVERNMENT] , and for another century [PERIOD] they shared power [POWER] with the rising bourgeoisie [SET] . the balfour family [HUMAN GROUP] straddled both groups [GROUP] . james balfour [PERSON] 's new wealth [COLLECTION] brought new vigour [PERSON] to the ancient family [HUMAN GROUP] , with many of his grandchildren [WORD] and great-grandchildren achieving notability [PROPERTY] . they include : * james maitland balfour [PERSON] 's children [PERSON] : + arthur balfour [PERSON] , the prime minister [HUMAN ROLE] of the united kingdom [PLACE] from 1902 to 1905 + eleanor [PERSON] mildred sidgwick [UNKNOWN] ( 1845-1936 ) , principal [PERSON] of newnham college [INSTITUTION] , cambridge [PLACE] + alice blanche balfour [PERSON] ( 1850-1936 ) , amateur entomologist [PERSON] + francis maitland balfour [PERSON] ( 1851-1882 ) , one of the greatest biologists [PERSON] of his day [PERIOD] + gerald balfour [PERSON] , 2nd earl [PERSON] of balfour [PERSON] ( 1853-1945 ) , a cabinet minister [HUMAN ROLE] from 1895 to 1905 . his daughter lady eve balfour [PERSON] ( 1899-1990 ) was an early advocate [PERSON] of organic farming , and co-founder of the soil association [INSTITUTION] + colonel eustace james anthony balfour [PERSON] ( 1854-1911 ) , an architect [TERM] who served as adc [UNKNOWN] to king edward vii [PERSON] . * charles balfour [PERSON] 's son charles barrington balfour [PERSON] became an army officer [PERSON] and an mp . one of his sons [PERSON] was knighted for his work [ACTIVITY] as a diplomat [PERSON] * mary [PERSON] 's son henry arthur [PERSON] herbert [PERSON] , was mp for kerry [PLACE] from 1866 to 1880 * two of anna [PERSON] 's sons [PERSON] became dukes [PERSON] of grafton [PERSON] as with many other estate houses [UNKNOWN] in scotland [PLACE] , balfour family [HUMAN GROUP] ownership [PERSON] of whittingehame house [PLACE] ended in the 20th century [PERIOD] . arthur [PERSON] and gerald [PERSON] lost a lot [PERSON] of money [MONEY] in a series [SERIES] of poor investments [ACT] , particularly in their efforts [ACTION] to develop peat [PERSON] processing as a green alternative [ABSTRACT ENTITY] to coal-mining . in the 1930s , death duties [ACT] forced the mothballing [ACTIVITY] of the house [PLACE] and sale [ACT] of its contents [PERSON] . the building [BUILDING] was leased for various purposes [PURPOSE] before being sold [MONEY] in 1963 to become a residential school [INSTITUTION] , and has since been converted into apartments [PLACE] . the older whittingehame tower [BUILDING] has been restored and remains the residence [PLACE] of the earls [PERSON] of balfour [PERSON] , descendants [EVENT] of james balfour [PERSON] . |
| Id | Form | Freq | Tag | Context | Error |
| 1 | balfour | 23 | PERSON | for other people named james balfour , see james balfour ( disambiguation ) . | |
| 2 | equivalent | 6 | ABSTRACT ENTITY | at his death , balfour 's estates in scotland alone were estimated to be worth over £1 million ( equivalent to £125 million in 2025 ) . | |
| 3 | election | 6 | POWER | in november 1820 , the death of henry st paul mp triggered a by election for the borough of berwick-upon-tweed , where balfour 's father-in-law lord lauderdale had great influence . | |
| 4 | parliament | 6 | HUMAN GROUP | balfour became a tory member of parliament ( mp ) from 1826 to 1834 , but never achieved ministerial office . | |
| 5 | whittingehame | 6 | PLACE | spouse eleanor maitland whittingehame house , balfour 's mansion in east lothian , scotland james balfour ( c. 1775 - 19 april 1845 ) was a scottish nabob who became a landowner and politician . | |
| 6 | james balfour | 5 | PERSON | for other people named james balfour , see james balfour ( disambiguation ) . | |
| 7 | fife | 5 | PERSON | balbirnie house in fife , balfour 's birthplace balfour was born about 1775 . | |
| 8 | estate | 5 | ESTATE | the east lodge of balfour 's whittingehame estate , possibly also designed by robert smirke | |
| 9 | son | 5 | PERSON | the son of a prosperous and influential scottish gentry family , he became a trader in india . | |
| 10 | house | 4 | PLACE | spouse eleanor maitland whittingehame house , balfour 's mansion in east lothian , scotland james balfour ( c. 1775 - 19 april 1845 ) was a scottish nabob who became a landowner and politician . | |
| 11 | century | 4 | PERIOD | his ancestor george balfour had purchased balbirnie in the late 16th or early 17th century , and by the late 18th century its land included profitable mines in the fife coalfield . | |
| 12 | scotland | 4 | PLACE | spouse eleanor maitland whittingehame house , balfour 's mansion in east lothian , scotland james balfour ( c. 1775 - 19 april 1845 ) was a scottish nabob who became a landowner and politician . | |
| 13 | sons | 4 | PERSON | he was survived by his wife , lady eleanor , two sons , and two daughters . | |
| 14 | death | 4 | EVENT | at his death , balfour 's estates in scotland alone were estimated to be worth over £1 million ( equivalent to £125 million in 2025 ) . | |
| 15 | agents | 4 | SET | cochrane returned to england in 1806 due to ill-health , and had intended to appoint balfour and baker as his agents . | |
| 16 | contract | 4 | PERSON | his breakthrough came in 1806 , when the partners obtained the contract with the victualling commissioners of the royal navy to supply their needs throughout the east indies . | |
| 17 | children | 4 | PERSON | they had seven children , three of whom predeceased their parents . | |
| 18 | april | 4 | PERIOD | april 1845 ( 1845-04-19 ) ( aged 69-70 ) | |
| 19 | haddingtonshire | 3 | PLACE | in 1817 , he purchased the 10,000-acre ( 4,000 ha ; 16 sq mi ) whittingehame estate in haddingtonshire from colonel william hay of duns castle , which provided a net rental income of £11,000 per year ( equivalent to £1,375,000 in 2025 ) . | |
| 20 | votes | 3 | ACT | after four days of polling , balfour lost by 9 votes ( 374—363 ) to the whig baronet sir francis blake . | |
| 21 | advocate | 3 | PERSON | he was the second son of john balfour ( 1739-1813 ) , an advocate who owned balbirnie house , near the town of glenrothes in fife . | |
| 22 | years | 3 | PERIOD | he held several posts in the following years , before being sent back to britain after a disciplinary issue . | |
| 23 | seat | 3 | PLACE | a further vacancy occurred in berwick in 1822 , but balfour did not contest the seat . | |
| 24 | strathconan | 3 | UNKNOWN | the first was a sporting estate with shooting lodge in the highlands , at strathconan in ross-shire . | |
| 25 | estates | 3 | PLACE | having made a fortune supplying the royal navy , he returned to scotland to buy several landed estates , including whittingehame in east lothian where he built a classical mansion . | |
| 26 | lodge | 3 | EVENT | the east lodge of balfour 's whittingehame estate , possibly also designed by robert smirke | |
| 27 | descendants | 3 | EVENT | however , many of his descendants found fame and success , including his grandson arthur balfour , who served as prime minister from 1902 to 1905 . | |
| 28 | daughters | 3 | PERSON | he was survived by his wife , lady eleanor , two sons , and two daughters . | |
| 29 | burghs | 3 | UNKNOWN | instead , he turned his attentions to the anstruther burghs , a set of five burghs which were located only 15 miles from his newly purchased estate at balgonie in fife . | |
| 30 | cochrane | 3 | PERSON | basil cochrane , who had built his own flour mills and bakeries in madras . | |
| 31 | india | 3 | PLACE | the son of a prosperous and influential scottish gentry family , he became a trader in india . | |
| 32 | march | 3 | PERIOD | after studying book-keeping and accountancy in edinburgh , balfour went to madras in march 1795 as a writer ( junior clerk ) for the british east india company . | |
| 33 | mansion | 3 | BUILDING | spouse eleanor maitland whittingehame house , balfour 's mansion in east lothian , scotland james balfour ( c. 1775 - 19 april 1845 ) was a scottish nabob who became a landowner and politician . | |
| 34 | earl | 3 | PERSON | on his return to scotland in 1815 , balfour married lady eleanor maitland ( 1790-1869 ) , daughter of the tory politician james maitland , 8th earl of lauderdale . | |
| 35 | petition | 2 | ACT | balfour was also supported by admiral sir david milne , who had defeated st paul at the general election in march 1820 but was unseated on petition in july . | |
| 36 | power | 2 | POWER | whittingehame tower , which is still owned by descendants of james balfour until the reform act in 1832 , political power in britain had been dominated for centuries by a land-owning oligarchy , and for another century they shared power with the rising bourgeoisie . | |
| 37 | fortune | 2 | PERSON | having made a fortune supplying the royal navy , he returned to scotland to buy several landed estates , including whittingehame in east lothian where he built a classical mansion . | |
| 38 | grafton | 2 | PERSON | fitzroy , later 7th duke of grafton on his death , balfour 's estate was valued at over £1 million . | |
| 39 | december | 2 | PERIOD | at the general election in december 1832 , with the franchise expanded under the scottish reform act , balfour was re-elected but with a much narrower majority of 271 votes to 232 . | |
| 40 | partnership | 2 | PERIOD | balfour returned to india in 1802 , where he became a merchant in partnership with james baker . | |
| 41 | groups | 2 | GROUP | in 1829 , several groups of his constituents submitted petitions against the roman catholic relief bill . | |
| 42 | issue | 2 | EVENT | he held several posts in the following years , before being sent back to britain after a disciplinary issue . | |
| 43 | lauderdale | 2 | PERSON | on his return to scotland in 1815 , balfour married lady eleanor maitland ( 1790-1869 ) , daughter of the tory politician james maitland , 8th earl of lauderdale . | |
| 44 | royal navy | 2 | PERSON | having made a fortune supplying the royal navy , he returned to scotland to buy several landed estates , including whittingehame in east lothian where he built a classical mansion . | |
| 45 | navy | 2 | PERSON | having made a fortune supplying the royal navy , he returned to scotland to buy several landed estates , including whittingehame in east lothian where he built a classical mansion . | |
| 46 | daughter | 2 | PERSON | on his return to scotland in 1815 , balfour married lady eleanor maitland ( 1790-1869 ) , daughter of the tory politician james maitland , 8th earl of lauderdale . | |
| 47 | family | 2 | HUMAN GROUP | the son of a prosperous and influential scottish gentry family , he became a trader in india . | |
| 48 | glenrothes | 2 | UNKNOWN | he was the second son of john balfour ( 1739-1813 ) , an advocate who owned balbirnie house , near the town of glenrothes in fife . | |
| 49 | nabob | 2 | UNKNOWN | spouse eleanor maitland whittingehame house , balfour 's mansion in east lothian , scotland james balfour ( c. 1775 - 19 april 1845 ) was a scottish nabob who became a landowner and politician . | |
| 50 | robert smirke | 2 | PERSON | the east lodge of balfour 's whittingehame estate , possibly also designed by robert smirke | |
| 51 | accounts | 2 | COLLECTION | however , before leaving , cochrane was notified that the navy was reviewing his accounts dating back to 1794 , and that the navy had lost much of the paperwork . | |
| 52 | britain | 2 | PLACE | he held several posts in the following years , before being sent back to britain after a disciplinary issue . | |
| 53 | legacy | 2 | PERSON | death and legacy the balfour monument , near whittingehame , erected in memory of balfour 's son james maitland balfour balfour died at whittingehame in april 1845 , aged about 70 . | |
| 54 | school | 2 | INSTITUTION | built in about 1840 of red sandstone , it consists of a row of cottages and a school . | |
| 55 | england | 2 | PLACE | cochrane returned to england in 1806 due to ill-health , and had intended to appoint balfour and baker as his agents . | |
| 56 | borough | 2 | ESTATE | in november 1820 , the death of henry st paul mp triggered a by-election for the borough of berwick-upon-tweed , where balfour 's father-in-law lord lauderdale had great influence . | |
| 57 | charles balfour | 2 | PERSON | charles balfour ( 1823-1872 ) , who married adelaide barrington , daughter and 8th child of the 6th viscount barrington . | |
| 58 | mines | 2 | ACT | his ancestor george balfour had purchased balbirnie in the late 16th or early 17th century , and by the late 18th century its land included profitable mines in the fife coalfield . | |
| 59 | grosvenor square | 2 | PLACE | 3 grosvenor square . | |
| 60 | james maitland balfour | 2 | PERSON | death and legacy the balfour monument , near whittingehame , erected in memory of balfour 's son james maitland balfour balfour died at whittingehame in april 1845 , aged about 70 . | |
| 61 | east lothian | 2 | PERSON | spouse eleanor maitland whittingehame house , balfour 's mansion in east lothian , scotland james balfour ( c. 1775 - 19 april 1845 ) was a scottish nabob who became a landowner and politician . | |
| 62 | london | 2 | PLACE | he also bought a town house in london , no . | |
| 63 | landowner | 2 | PERSON | scottish businessman , landowner and tory politician | |
| 64 | kilrenny | 2 | UNKNOWN | at the 1826 general election he won the support of three burghs of pittenweem , anstruther easter and crail , whereas the sitting mp and lord advocate of scotland sir william rae won only anstruther wester and kilrenny . | |
| 65 | anna | 2 | PERSON | * mary balfour ( 1817-1893 ) , a noted watercolour artist who married henry arthur herbert , owner of the muckross estate in county kerry , and chief secretary for ireland 1857-58 * anna balfour ( 1825-1857 ) , who married lord augustus | |
| 66 | balgonie castle | 2 | PERSON | ) to buy from the 10th earl of leven a large estate in his native fife , including balgonie castle . | |
| 67 | balbirnie | 2 | UNKNOWN | balbirnie house in fife , balfour 's birthplace balfour was born about 1775 . | |
| 68 | petitions | 2 | ACT | in 1829 , several groups of his constituents submitted petitions against the roman catholic relief bill . | |
| 69 | baker | 2 | PERSON | balfour returned to india in 1802 , where he became a merchant in partnership with james baker . | |
| 70 | madras | 2 | PLACE | after studying book-keeping and accountancy in edinburgh , balfour went to madras in march 1795 as a writer ( junior clerk ) for the british east india company . | |
| 71 | haddington burghs | 1 | UNKNOWN | the surviving children were : * james maitland balfour ( 1820-1856 ) , mp for haddington burghs 1841-47 , father of five sons and three daughters * | |
| 72 | easter | 1 | PERSON | at the 1826 general election he won the support of three burghs of pittenweem , anstruther easter and crail , whereas the sitting mp and lord advocate of scotland sir william rae won only anstruther wester and kilrenny . | |
| 73 | sandstone | 1 | HILL | built in about 1840 of red sandstone , it consists of a row of cottages and a school . | |
| 74 | deputy | 1 | PERSON | established as a country gentleman , though known locally as " the nabob " , balfour became a justice of the peace , and in 1822 was appointed as a deputy | |
| 75 | sold | 1 | MONEY | the building was leased for various purposes before being sold in 1963 to become a residential school , and has since been converted into apartments . | |
| 76 | county kerry | 1 | PERSON | * mary balfour ( 1817-1893 ) , a noted watercolour artist who married henry arthur herbert , owner of the muckross estate in county kerry , and chief secretary for ireland 1857-58 * anna balfour ( 1825-1857 ) , who married lord augustus | |
| 77 | tory politician | 1 | PERSON | scottish businessman , landowner and tory politician | |
| 78 | gentry family | 1 | HUMAN GROUP | the son of a prosperous and influential scottish gentry family , he became a trader in india . | |
| 79 | viscount barrington | 1 | PERSON | charles balfour ( 1823-1872 ) , who married adelaide barrington , daughter and 8th child of the 6th viscount barrington . | |
| 80 | strathconon | 1 | UNKNOWN | strathconon ( or strathconan ) | |
| 81 | death duties | 1 | ACT | in the 1930s , death duties forced the mothballing of the house and sale of its contents . | |
| 82 | robert marsham | 1 | PERSON | balfour was opposed at the 1830 general election by robert marsham , the warden of merton college , oxford . | |
| 83 | seams | 1 | CONCEPT | adjacent to his native balbirnie , the balgonie estate included coal mines which worked seams described as " inexhaustible " and iron workings . | |
| 84 | purposes | 1 | PURPOSE | the building was leased for various purposes before being sold in 1963 to become a residential school , and has since been converted into apartments . | |
| 85 | fife estate | 1 | ESTATE | castle in glenrothes , fife , in balfour 's fife estate | |
| 86 | hay | 1 | PERSON | in 1817 , he purchased the 10,000-acre ( 4,000 ha ; 16 sq mi ) whittingehame estate in haddingtonshire from colonel william hay of duns castle , which provided a net rental income of £11,000 per year ( equivalent to £1,375,000 in 2025 ) . | |
| 87 | lady eleanor | 1 | PERSON | on his return to scotland in 1815 , balfour married lady eleanor maitland ( 1790-1869 ) , daughter of the tory politician james maitland , 8th earl of lauderdale . | |
| 88 | businessman | 1 | PERSON | scottish businessman , landowner and tory politician | |
| 89 | st paul | 1 | PLACE | in november 1820 , the death of henry st paul mp triggered a by-election for the borough of berwick-upon-tweed , where balfour 's father-in-law lord lauderdale had great influence . | |
| 90 | east indies | 1 | PERSON | his breakthrough came in 1806 , when the partners obtained the contract with the victualling commissioners of the royal navy to supply their needs throughout the east indies . | |
| 91 | lord john | 1 | PERSON | the sitting mp lord john hay had been an advocate of parliamentary reform , a view which was supported by the county 's voteless tenant farmers but opposed by the existing voters . | |
| 92 | point | 1 | PLACE | at some point the partnership was dissolved , and the contract held by balfour alone . | |
| 93 | disenfranchisement | 1 | ACT | however , he won the seat , taking three of the four boroughs remaining after kilrenny 's disenfranchisement in 1829 . | |
| 94 | birthplace balfour | 1 | PERSON | balbirnie house in fife , balfour 's birthplace balfour was born about 1775 . | |
| 95 | balfour family | 1 | HUMAN GROUP | the balfour family straddled both groups . | |
| 96 | leven | 1 | PERSON | ) to buy from the 10th earl of leven a large estate in his native fife , including balgonie castle . | |
| 97 | james baker | 1 | PERSON | balfour returned to india in 1802 , where he became a merchant in partnership with james baker . | |
| 98 | grandson arthur balfour | 1 | PERSON | however , many of his descendants found fame and success , including his grandson arthur balfour , who served as prime minister from 1902 to 1905 . | |
| 99 | boroughs | 1 | ESTATE | however , he won the seat , taking three of the four boroughs remaining after kilrenny 's disenfranchisement in 1829 . | |
| 100 | sitting mp | 1 | PERSON | at the 1826 general election he won the support of three burghs of pittenweem , anstruther easter and crail , whereas the sitting mp and lord advocate of scotland sir william rae won only anstruther wester and kilrenny . | |
| 101 | influence | 1 | POWER | in november 1820 , the death of henry st paul mp triggered a by-election for the borough of berwick-upon-tweed , where balfour 's father-in-law lord lauderdale had great influence . | |
| 102 | opportunities | 1 | OPPORTUNITY | the new parliament was dominated by the reform bills , and in the last parliament of the unreformed house of commons balfour voted against them at most opportunities . | |
| 103 | health | 1 | PROPERTY | cochrane returned to england in 1806 due to ill health , and had intended to appoint balfour and baker as his agents . | |
| 104 | architect | 1 | TERM | in the 1820s the balfours employed the architect robert smirke , designer of the british museum , to build a large classical mansion at whittingehame , along with a stable block and gate lodges . | |
| 105 | scottish highlands | 1 | PLACE | house , balfour 's hunting lodge in the scottish highlands | |
| 106 | amendment | 1 | STATE | describing himself as an opponent of the current reform proposals , but a supporter of a " wise and prudent amendment to the representative system " , he won the seat by a margin of 40 votes to the 11 of his opponent sir david baird , bt . | |
| 107 | brother robert balfour | 1 | PERSON | his elder brother robert balfour , who inherited balbirnie , became a lieutenant-general in the british army . | |
| 108 | haddington | 1 | PLACE | however , a crowd of non-voting residents of haddington shouted down his attempts to make a speech of thanks . | |
| 109 | career india | 1 | PLACE | ||
| 110 | ten fold | 1 | ACT | ||
| 111 | haddingtonshire seat | 1 | PROPERTY | at the general election in january 1835 , the haddingtonshire seat was won by the whig robert ferguson . | |
| 112 | model village | 1 | PLACE | they then rebuilt the local church , and created a new model village to the north-west of the old one . | |
| 113 | polling | 1 | PROCESS | after four days of polling , balfour lost by 9 votes ( 374—363 ) to the whig baronet sir francis blake . | |
| 114 | mary | 1 | PERSON | * mary balfour ( 1817-1893 ) , a noted watercolour artist who married henry arthur herbert , owner of the muckross estate in county kerry , and chief secretary for ireland 1857-58 * anna balfour ( 1825-1857 ) , who married lord augustus | |
| 115 | cabinet minister | 1 | HUMAN ROLE | they include : * james maitland balfour 's children : + arthur balfour , the prime minister of the united kingdom from 1902 to 1905 + eleanor mildred sidgwick ( 1845-1936 ) , principal of newnham college , cambridge + alice blanche balfour ( 1850-1936 ) , amateur entomologist + francis maitland balfour ( 1851-1882 ) , one of the greatest biologists of his day + gerald balfour , 2nd earl of balfour ( 1853-1945 ) , a cabinet minister from 1895 to 1905 . | |
| 116 | decades | 1 | UNKNOWN | it was run on his behalf by agents , and within a few decades the family 's assets had grown ten-fold to £3 million ( equivalent to £344 million in 2025 ) . | |
| 117 | iron workings | 1 | PERSON | adjacent to his native balbirnie , the balgonie estate included coal mines which worked seams described as " inexhaustible " and iron workings . | |
| 118 | series | 1 | SERIES | arthur and gerald lost a lot of money in a series of poor investments , particularly in their efforts to develop peat processing as a green alternative to coal-mining . | |
| 119 | mothballing | 1 | ACTIVITY | in the 1930s , death duties forced the mothballing of the house and sale of its contents . | |
| 120 | campaign | 1 | PERSON | however , lauderdale was disliked for his opposition to the popular queen caroline , which became a significant issue in the campaign . | |
| 121 | bill | 1 | PERSON | in 1829 , several groups of his constituents submitted petitions against the roman catholic relief bill . | |
| 122 | colin mcwilliam | 1 | PERSON | colin mcwilliam and christopher wilson describe them as having changed " a dry composition into a boring one " . | |
| 123 | berwick | 1 | PERSON | in november 1820 , the death of henry st paul mp triggered a by-election for the borough of berwick upon-tweed , where balfour 's father-in-law lord lauderdale had great influence . | |
| 124 | trial | 1 | EVENT | his agents claimed that balfour would have opposed her trial for alleged adultery , but he was portrayed as too close to liverpool 's tory ministry to properly represent interests of the borough . | |
| 125 | junior clerk | 1 | PERSON | after studying book-keeping and accountancy in edinburgh , balfour went to madras in march 1795 as a writer ( junior clerk ) for the british east india company . | |
| 126 | fame | 1 | REPUTATION | however , many of his descendants found fame and success , including his grandson arthur balfour , who served as prime minister from 1902 to 1905 . | |
| 127 | whig robert ferguson | 1 | PERSON | at the general election in january 1835 , the haddingtonshire seat was won by the whig robert ferguson . | |
| 128 | balfour family ownership | 1 | PERSON | as with many other estate houses in scotland , balfour family ownership of whittingehame house ended in the 20th century . | |
| 129 | opponent | 1 | PERSON | describing himself as an opponent of the current reform proposals , but a supporter of a " wise and prudent amendment to the representative system " , he won the seat by a margin of 40 votes to the 11 of his opponent sir david baird , bt . | |
| 130 | adc | 1 | UNKNOWN | his daughter lady eve balfour ( 1899-1990 ) was an early advocate of organic farming , and co-founder of the soil association + colonel eustace james anthony balfour ( 1854-1911 ) , an architect who served as adc to king edward vii . | |
| 131 | reason | 1 | ABSTRACT ENTITY | his health had been declining , and he cited that as his reason for retiring at the dissolution of parliament in december 1834 . | |
| 132 | alternative | 1 | ABSTRACT ENTITY | arthur and gerald lost a lot of money in a series of poor investments , particularly in their efforts to develop peat processing as a green alternative to coal-mining . | |
| 133 | land | 1 | LAND | his ancestor george balfour had purchased balbirnie in the late 16th or early 17th century , and by the late 18th century its land included profitable mines in the fife coalfield . | |
| 134 | principal | 1 | PERSON | they include : * james maitland balfour 's children : + arthur balfour , the prime minister of the united kingdom from 1902 to 1905 + eleanor mildred sidgwick ( 1845-1936 ) , principal of newnham college , cambridge + alice blanche balfour ( 1850-1936 ) , amateur entomologist + francis maitland balfour ( 1851-1882 ) , one of the greatest biologists of his day + gerald balfour , 2nd earl of balfour ( 1853-1945 ) , a cabinet minister from 1895 to 1905 . | |
| 135 | narrower majority | 1 | PERSON | at the general election in december 1832 , with the franchise expanded under the scottish reform act , balfour was re-elected but with a much narrower majority of 271 votes to 232 . | |
| 136 | speech | 1 | SPEECH | however , a crowd of non-voting residents of haddington shouted down his attempts to make a speech of thanks . | |
| 137 | interests | 1 | UNKNOWN | his agents claimed that balfour would have opposed her trial for alleged adultery , but he was portrayed as too close to liverpool 's tory ministry to properly represent interests of the borough . | |
| 138 | justice | 1 | PROPERTY | established as a country gentleman , though known locally as " the nabob " , balfour became a justice of the peace , and in 1822 was appointed as a deputy | |
| 139 | gerald | 1 | PERSON | they include : * james maitland balfour 's children : + arthur balfour , the prime minister of the united kingdom from 1902 to 1905 + eleanor mildred sidgwick ( 1845-1936 ) , principal of newnham college , cambridge + alice blanche balfour ( 1850-1936 ) , amateur entomologist + francis maitland balfour ( 1851-1882 ) , one of the greatest biologists of his day + gerald balfour , 2nd earl of balfour ( 1853-1945 ) , a cabinet minister from 1895 to 1905 . | |
| 140 | composition | 1 | INSTANCE | colin mcwilliam and christopher wilson describe them as having changed " a dry composition into a boring one " . | |
| 141 | lady eleanor maitland | 1 | PERSON | on his return to scotland in 1815 , balfour married lady eleanor maitland ( 1790-1869 ) , daughter of the tory politician james maitland , 8th earl of lauderdale . | |
| 142 | partners | 1 | GROUP | his breakthrough came in 1806 , when the partners obtained the contract with the victualling commissioners of the royal navy to supply their needs throughout the east indies . | |
| 143 | highlands | 1 | PLACE | the first was a sporting estate with shooting lodge in the highlands , at strathconan in ross-shire . | |
| 144 | henry st paul mp | 1 | PERSON | in november 1820 , the death of henry st paul mp triggered a by-election for the borough of berwick-upon-tweed , where balfour 's father-in-law lord lauderdale had great influence . | |
| 145 | property | 1 | PROPERTY | his property in fife , including balgonie castle , was left to his second son charles , while his daughters mary and anna had each been given a dowry of £40,000 ( equivalent to £4.59 million in 2025 ) . | |
| 146 | town house | 1 | PLACE | he also bought a town house in london , no . | |
| 147 | eleanor | 1 | PERSON | spouse eleanor maitland whittingehame house , balfour 's mansion in east lothian , scotland james balfour ( c. 1775 - 19 april 1845 ) was a scottish nabob who became a landowner and politician . | |
| 148 | prime minister | 1 | HUMAN ROLE | however , many of his descendants found fame and success , including his grandson arthur balfour , who served as prime minister from 1902 to 1905 . | |
| 149 | balgonie | 1 | PERSON | ) to buy from the 10th earl of leven a large estate in his native fife , including balgonie castle . | |
| 150 | home | 1 | PLACE | the indian business did not end with balfour 's return home . | |
| 151 | area | 1 | AREA | at the 1831 general election , balfour was drafted to stand instead in the county seat of haddingtonshire , the area which included whittingehame . | |
| 152 | opponent sir david baird | 1 | PERSON | describing himself as an opponent of the current reform proposals , but a supporter of a " wise and prudent amendment to the representative system " , he won the seat by a margin of 40 votes to the 11 of his opponent sir david baird , bt . | |
| 153 | anna balfour | 1 | PERSON | * mary balfour ( 1817-1893 ) , a noted watercolour artist who married henry arthur herbert , owner of the muckross estate in county kerry , and chief secretary for ireland 1857-58 * anna balfour ( 1825-1857 ) , who married lord augustus | |
| 154 | sitting mp lord john hay | 1 | PERSON | the sitting mp lord john hay had been an advocate of parliamentary reform , a view which was supported by the county 's voteless tenant farmers but opposed by the existing voters . | |
| 155 | office | 1 | PLACE | balfour became a tory member of parliament ( mp ) from 1826 to 1834 , but never achieved ministerial office . | |
| 156 | cottages | 1 | BUILDING | built in about 1840 of red sandstone , it consists of a row of cottages and a school . | |
| 157 | trader | 1 | PERSON | the son of a prosperous and influential scottish gentry family , he became a trader in india . | |
| 158 | whittingehame tower | 1 | BUILDING | whittingehame tower , which is still owned by descendants of james balfour until the reform act in 1832 , political power in britain had been dominated for centuries by a land-owning oligarchy , and for another century they shared power with the rising bourgeoisie . | |
| 159 | james balfour born | 1 | PERSON | james balfour born c. 1775 | |
| 160 | disambiguation | 1 | ACT | for other people named james balfour , see james balfour ( disambiguation ) . | |
| 161 | colonel eustace james anthony balfour | 1 | PERSON | his daughter lady eve balfour ( 1899-1990 ) was an early advocate of organic farming , and co-founder of the soil association + colonel eustace james anthony balfour ( 1854-1911 ) , an architect who served as adc to king edward vii . | |
| 162 | merchant | 1 | PERSON | balfour returned to india in 1802 , where he became a merchant in partnership with james baker . | |
| 163 | by election | 1 | POWER | ||
| 164 | lord advocate | 1 | PERSON | at the 1826 general election he won the support of three burghs of pittenweem , anstruther easter and crail , whereas the sitting mp and lord advocate of scotland sir william rae won only anstruther wester and kilrenny . | |
| 165 | co founder | 1 | PERSON | ||
| 166 | voters | 1 | PERSON | the sitting mp lord john hay had been an advocate of parliamentary reform , a view which was supported by the county 's voteless tenant farmers but opposed by the existing voters . | |
| 167 | built | 1 | STRUCTURE | having made a fortune supplying the royal navy , he returned to scotland to buy several landed estates , including whittingehame in east lothian where he built a classical mansion . | |
| 168 | widow eleanor | 1 | PERSON | his widow eleanor ( who survived him by 24 years ) was left a legacy of £31,000 and a life annuity of £3,760 . | |
| 169 | catholic relief bill | 1 | PERSON | in 1829 , several groups of his constituents submitted petitions against the roman catholic relief bill . | |
| 170 | system | 1 | SYSTEM | describing himself as an opponent of the current reform proposals , but a supporter of a " wise and prudent amendment to the representative system " , he won the seat by a margin of 40 votes to the 11 of his opponent sir david baird , bt . | |
| 171 | book keeping | 1 | PERSON | ||
| 172 | native fife | 1 | PERSON | ) to buy from the 10th earl of leven a large estate in his native fife , including balgonie castle . | |
| 173 | peat | 1 | PERSON | arthur and gerald lost a lot of money in a series of poor investments , particularly in their efforts to develop peat processing as a green alternative to coal-mining . | |
| 174 | admiral sir david milne | 1 | PERSON | balfour was also supported by admiral sir david milne , who had defeated st paul at the general election in march 1820 but was unseated on petition in july . | |
| 175 | alice blanche balfour | 1 | PERSON | they include : * james maitland balfour 's children : + arthur balfour , the prime minister of the united kingdom from 1902 to 1905 + eleanor mildred sidgwick ( 1845-1936 ) , principal of newnham college , cambridge + alice blanche balfour ( 1850-1936 ) , amateur entomologist + francis maitland balfour ( 1851-1882 ) , one of the greatest biologists of his day + gerald balfour , 2nd earl of balfour ( 1853-1945 ) , a cabinet minister from 1895 to 1905 . | |
| 176 | minister | 1 | HUMAN ROLE | however , many of his descendants found fame and success , including his grandson arthur balfour , who served as prime minister from 1902 to 1905 . | |
| 177 | daughter lady eve balfour | 1 | PERSON | his daughter lady eve balfour ( 1899-1990 ) was an early advocate of organic farming , and co-founder of the soil association + colonel eustace james anthony balfour ( 1854-1911 ) , an architect who served as adc to king edward vii . | |
| 178 | year | 1 | PERIOD | in 1817 , he purchased the 10,000-acre ( 4,000 ha ; 16 sq mi ) whittingehame estate in haddingtonshire from colonel william hay of duns castle , which provided a net rental income of £11,000 per year ( equivalent to £1,375,000 in 2025 ) . | |
| 179 | son james maitland balfour balfour | 1 | PERSON | death and legacy the balfour monument , near whittingehame , erected in memory of balfour 's son james maitland balfour balfour died at whittingehame in april 1845 , aged about 70 . | |
| 180 | basil cochrane | 1 | PERSON | basil cochrane , who had built his own flour mills and bakeries in madras . | |
| 181 | kerry | 1 | PLACE | * mary balfour ( 1817-1893 ) , a noted watercolour artist who married henry arthur herbert , owner of the muckross estate in county kerry , and chief secretary for ireland 1857-58 * anna balfour ( 1825-1857 ) , who married lord augustus | |
| 182 | peace | 1 | STATE | established as a country gentleman , though known locally as " the nabob " , balfour became a justice of the peace , and in 1822 was appointed as a deputy | |
| 183 | spouse eleanor maitland whittingehame house | 1 | PLACE | spouse eleanor maitland whittingehame house , balfour 's mansion in east lothian , scotland james balfour ( c. 1775 - 19 april 1845 ) was a scottish nabob who became a landowner and politician . | |
| 184 | queen caroline | 1 | PERSON | however , lauderdale was disliked for his opposition to the popular queen caroline , which became a significant issue in the campaign . | |
| 185 | posts | 1 | UNKNOWN | he held several posts in the following years , before being sent back to britain after a disciplinary issue . | |
| 186 | wife | 1 | PERSON | he was survived by his wife , lady eleanor , two sons , and two daughters . | |
| 187 | gate lodges | 1 | PERSON | in the 1820s the balfours employed the architect robert smirke , designer of the british museum , to build a large classical mansion at whittingehame , along with a stable block and gate lodges . | |
| 188 | row | 1 | PERSON | built in about 1840 of red sandstone , it consists of a row of cottages and a school . | |
| 189 | reform | 1 | AMOUNT | the sitting mp lord john hay had been an advocate of parliamentary reform , a view which was supported by the county 's voteless tenant farmers but opposed by the existing voters . | |
| 190 | return home | 1 | PLACE | the indian business did not end with balfour 's return home . | |
| 191 | whittingehame estate | 1 | ESTATE | the east lodge of balfour 's whittingehame estate , possibly also designed by robert smirke | |
| 192 | return | 1 | UNKNOWN | the indian business did not end with balfour 's return home . | |
| 193 | sidgwick | 1 | UNKNOWN | they include : * james maitland balfour 's children : + arthur balfour , the prime minister of the united kingdom from 1902 to 1905 + eleanor mildred sidgwick ( 1845-1936 ) , principal of newnham college , cambridge + alice blanche balfour ( 1850-1936 ) , amateur entomologist + francis maitland balfour ( 1851-1882 ) , one of the greatest biologists of his day + gerald balfour , 2nd earl of balfour ( 1853-1945 ) , a cabinet minister from 1895 to 1905 . | |
| 194 | reform proposals | 1 | ABSTRACT ENTITY | describing himself as an opponent of the current reform proposals , but a supporter of a " wise and prudent amendment to the representative system " , he won the seat by a margin of 40 votes to the 11 of his opponent sir david baird , bt . | |
| 195 | balfours | 1 | UNKNOWN | in the 1820s the balfours employed the architect robert smirke , designer of the british museum , to build a large classical mansion at whittingehame , along with a stable block and gate lodges . | |
| 196 | county seat | 1 | PERSON | at the 1831 general election , balfour was drafted to stand instead in the county seat of haddingtonshire , the area which included whittingehame . | |
| 197 | residence | 1 | PLACE | the older whittingehame tower has been restored and remains the residence of the earls of balfour , descendants of james balfour . | |
| 198 | scotland james balfour | 1 | PERSON | spouse eleanor maitland whittingehame house , balfour 's mansion in east lothian , scotland james balfour ( c. 1775 - 19 april 1845 ) was a scottish nabob who became a landowner and politician . | |
| 199 | pittenweem | 1 | UNKNOWN | at the 1826 general election he won the support of three burghs of pittenweem , anstruther easter and crail , whereas the sitting mp and lord advocate of scotland sir william rae won only anstruther wester and kilrenny . | |
| 200 | watercolour artist | 1 | PERSON | * mary balfour ( 1817-1893 ) , a noted watercolour artist who married henry arthur herbert , owner of the muckross estate in county kerry , and chief secretary for ireland 1857-58 * anna balfour ( 1825-1857 ) , who married lord augustus | |
| 201 | reform act | 1 | ACT | at the general election in december 1832 , with the franchise expanded under the scottish reform act , balfour was re-elected but with a much narrower majority of 271 votes to 232 . | |
| 202 | brother lord tweeddale | 1 | PERSON | john 's position looked untenable , so balfour was drafted by lord lauderdale and hay 's brother lord tweeddale . | |
| 203 | crowd | 1 | GROUP | however , a crowd of non-voting residents of haddington shouted down his attempts to make a speech of thanks . | |
| 204 | liverpool | 1 | PLACE | his agents claimed that balfour would have opposed her trial for alleged adultery , but he was portrayed as too close to liverpool 's tory ministry to properly represent interests of the borough . | |
| 205 | attempts | 1 | ACTION | however , a crowd of non-voting residents of haddington shouted down his attempts to make a speech of thanks . | |
| 206 | child | 1 | PERSON | charles balfour ( 1823-1872 ) , who married adelaide barrington , daughter and 8th child of the 6th viscount barrington . | |
| 207 | margin | 1 | GROUP | describing himself as an opponent of the current reform proposals , but a supporter of a " wise and prudent amendment to the representative system " , he won the seat by a margin of 40 votes to the 11 of his opponent sir david baird , bt . | |
| 208 | grandchildren | 1 | WORD | james balfour 's new wealth brought new vigour to the ancient family , with many of his grandchildren and great grandchildren achieving notability . | |
| 209 | work | 1 | ACTIVITY | one of his sons was knighted for his work as a diplomat * | |
| 210 | behalf | 1 | PERSON | it was run on his behalf by agents , and within a few decades the family 's assets had grown ten-fold to £3 million ( equivalent to £344 million in 2025 ) . | |
| 211 | lot | 1 | PERSON | arthur and gerald lost a lot of money in a series of poor investments , particularly in their efforts to develop peat processing as a green alternative to coal-mining . | |
| 212 | opposition | 1 | EVENT | however , lauderdale was disliked for his opposition to the popular queen caroline , which became a significant issue in the campaign . | |
| 213 | days | 1 | PERIOD | after four days of polling , balfour lost by 9 votes ( 374—363 ) to the whig baronet sir francis blake . | |
| 214 | gerald balfour | 1 | PERSON | they include : * james maitland balfour 's children : + arthur balfour , the prime minister of the united kingdom from 1902 to 1905 + eleanor mildred sidgwick ( 1845-1936 ) , principal of newnham college , cambridge + alice blanche balfour ( 1850-1936 ) , amateur entomologist + francis maitland balfour ( 1851-1882 ) , one of the greatest biologists of his day + gerald balfour , 2nd earl of balfour ( 1853-1945 ) , a cabinet minister from 1895 to 1905 . | |
| 215 | wealth | 1 | COLLECTION | james balfour 's new wealth brought new vigour to the ancient family , with many of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren achieving notability . | |
| 216 | chief secretary | 1 | PERSON | * mary balfour ( 1817-1893 ) , a noted watercolour artist who married henry arthur herbert , owner of the muckross estate in county kerry , and chief secretary for ireland 1857-58 * anna balfour ( 1825-1857 ) , who married lord augustus | |
| 217 | great grandchildren | 1 | WORD | ||
| 218 | berwick upon tweed | 1 | PERSON | ||
| 219 | soil association | 1 | INSTITUTION | his daughter lady eve balfour ( 1899-1990 ) was an early advocate of organic farming , and co-founder of the soil association + colonel eustace james anthony balfour ( 1854-1911 ) , an architect who served as adc to king edward vii . | |
| 220 | bourgeoisie | 1 | SET | whittingehame tower , which is still owned by descendants of james balfour until the reform act in 1832 , political power in britain had been dominated for centuries by a land-owning oligarchy , and for another century they shared power with the rising bourgeoisie . | |
| 221 | reform bills | 1 | PERSON | the new parliament was dominated by the reform bills , and in the last parliament of the unreformed house of commons balfour voted against them at most opportunities . | |
| 222 | marriage | 1 | EVENT | within two years of their marriage , balfour had bought two large county estates . | |
| 223 | sq mi | 1 | UNKNOWN | in 1817 , he purchased the 10,000-acre ( 4,000 ha ; 16 sq mi ) whittingehame estate in haddingtonshire from colonel william hay of duns castle , which provided a net rental income of £11,000 per year ( equivalent to £1,375,000 in 2025 ) . | |
| 224 | colonel william hay | 1 | PERSON | in 1817 , he purchased the 10,000-acre ( 4,000 ha ; 16 sq mi ) whittingehame estate in haddingtonshire from colonel william hay of duns castle , which provided a net rental income of £11,000 per year ( equivalent to £1,375,000 in 2025 ) . | |
| 225 | people | 1 | HUMAN GROUP | for other people named james balfour , see james balfour ( disambiguation ) . | |
| 226 | income | 1 | MONEY | in 1817 , he purchased the 10,000-acre ( 4,000 ha ; 16 sq mi ) whittingehame estate in haddingtonshire from colonel william hay of duns castle , which provided a net rental income of £11,000 per year ( equivalent to £1,375,000 in 2025 ) . | |
| 227 | coal mining | 1 | ABSTRACT ENTITY | ||
| 228 | north west | 1 | PLACE | ||
| 229 | british east india company | 1 | INSTITUTION | after studying book-keeping and accountancy in edinburgh , balfour went to madras in march 1795 as a writer ( junior clerk ) for the british east india company . | |
| 230 | apartments | 1 | PLACE | the building was leased for various purposes before being sold in 1963 to become a residential school , and has since been converted into apartments . | |
| 231 | block | 1 | PERSON | in the 1820s the balfours employed the architect robert smirke , designer of the british museum , to build a large classical mansion at whittingehame , along with a stable block and gate lodges . | |
| 232 | muckross estate | 1 | ESTATE | * mary balfour ( 1817-1893 ) , a noted watercolour artist who married henry arthur herbert , owner of the muckross estate in county kerry , and chief secretary for ireland 1857-58 * anna balfour ( 1825-1857 ) , who married lord augustus | |
| 233 | fire | 1 | FIRE | the eldest son was killed by a fire in 1822 . | |
| 234 | bakeries | 1 | DOCUMENT PART | basil cochrane , who had built his own flour mills and bakeries in madras . | |
| 235 | arthur balfour | 1 | PERSON | however , many of his descendants found fame and success , including his grandson arthur balfour , who served as prime minister from 1902 to 1905 . | |
| 236 | success | 1 | STATE | however , many of his descendants found fame and success , including his grandson arthur balfour , who served as prime minister from 1902 to 1905 . | |
| 237 | rae | 1 | PERSON | at the 1826 general election he won the support of three burghs of pittenweem , anstruther easter and crail , whereas the sitting mp and lord advocate of scotland sir william rae won only anstruther wester and kilrenny . | |
| 238 | tory politician james maitland | 1 | PERSON | on his return to scotland in 1815 , balfour married lady eleanor maitland ( 1790-1869 ) , daughter of the tory politician james maitland , 8th earl of lauderdale . | |
| 239 | paperwork | 1 | PERSON | however , before leaving , cochrane was notified that the navy was reviewing his accounts dating back to 1794 , and that the navy had lost much of the paperwork . | |
| 240 | lord augustus | 1 | PERSON | * mary balfour ( 1817-1893 ) , a noted watercolour artist who married henry arthur herbert , owner of the muckross estate in county kerry , and chief secretary for ireland 1857-58 * anna balfour ( 1825-1857 ) , who married lord augustus | |
| 241 | accountancy | 1 | GROUP | after studying book-keeping and accountancy in edinburgh , balfour went to madras in march 1795 as a writer ( junior clerk ) for the british east india company . | |
| 242 | furniture | 1 | FURNITURE | they equipped their home with french furniture and sèvres china . | |
| 243 | supporter | 1 | PERSON | describing himself as an opponent of the current reform proposals , but a supporter of a " wise and prudent amendment to the representative system " , he won the seat by a margin of 40 votes to the 11 of his opponent sir david baird , bt . | |
| 244 | miles | 1 | GROUP | instead , he turned his attentions to the anstruther burghs , a set of five burghs which were located only 15 miles from his newly purchased estate at balgonie in fife . | |
| 245 | christopher wilson | 1 | PERSON | colin mcwilliam and christopher wilson describe them as having changed " a dry composition into a boring one " . | |
| 246 | son charles barrington balfour | 1 | PERSON | * charles balfour 's son charles barrington balfour became an army officer and an mp . | |
| 247 | stone | 1 | PERSON | built of pale cullalo stone , the house was expanded and altered in 1827 to the designs of william burn , which were not entirely successful . | |
| 248 | county estates | 1 | ESTATE | within two years of their marriage , balfour had bought two large county estates . | |
| 249 | vacancy | 1 | POSITION | a further vacancy occurred in berwick in 1822 , but balfour did not contest the seat . | |
| 250 | november | 1 | PERIOD | in november 1820 , the death of henry st paul mp triggered a by-election for the borough of berwick-upon-tweed , where balfour 's father-in-law lord lauderdale had great influence . | |
| 251 | tory member | 1 | PERSON | balfour became a tory member of parliament ( mp ) from 1826 to 1834 , but never achieved ministerial office . | |
| 252 | earls | 1 | PERSON | the older whittingehame tower has been restored and remains the residence of the earls of balfour , descendants of james balfour . | |
| 253 | centuries | 1 | UNIT | whittingehame tower , which is still owned by descendants of james balfour until the reform act in 1832 , political power in britain had been dominated for centuries by a land-owning oligarchy , and for another century they shared power with the rising bourgeoisie . | |
| 254 | henry arthur herbert | 1 | PERSON | * mary balfour ( 1817-1893 ) , a noted watercolour artist who married henry arthur herbert , owner of the muckross estate in county kerry , and chief secretary for ireland 1857-58 * anna balfour ( 1825-1857 ) , who married lord augustus | |
| 255 | daughters mary | 1 | PERSON | his property in fife , including balgonie castle , was left to his second son charles , while his daughters mary and anna had each been given a dowry of £40,000 ( equivalent to £4.59 million in 2025 ) . | |
| 256 | residents | 1 | PERSON | however , a crowd of non-voting residents of haddington shouted down his attempts to make a speech of thanks . | |
| 257 | whig baronet sir francis blake | 1 | PERSON | after four days of polling , balfour lost by 9 votes ( 374—363 ) to the whig baronet sir francis blake . | |
| 258 | dissolution | 1 | PROCESS | his health had been declining , and he cited that as his reason for retiring at the dissolution of parliament in december 1834 . | |
| 259 | balbirnie house | 1 | PLACE | balbirnie house in fife , balfour 's birthplace balfour was born about 1775 . | |
| 260 | whittingehame house | 1 | PLACE | spouse eleanor maitland whittingehame house , balfour 's mansion in east lothian , scotland james balfour ( c. 1775 - 19 april 1845 ) was a scottish nabob who became a landowner and politician . | |
| 261 | life annuity | 1 | PROPERTY | his widow eleanor ( who survived him by 24 years ) was left a legacy of £31,000 and a life annuity of £3,760 . | |
| 262 | hon | 1 | PERSON | the contract had been held since 1796 by the hon . | |
| 263 | balgonie estate | 1 | ESTATE | adjacent to his native balbirnie , the balgonie estate included coal mines which worked seams described as " inexhaustible " and iron workings . | |
| 264 | duns castle | 1 | PERSON | in 1817 , he purchased the 10,000-acre ( 4,000 ha ; 16 sq mi ) whittingehame estate in haddingtonshire from colonel william hay of duns castle , which provided a net rental income of £11,000 per year ( equivalent to £1,375,000 in 2025 ) . | |
| 265 | estate houses | 1 | UNKNOWN | as with many other estate houses in scotland , balfour family ownership of whittingehame house ended in the 20th century . | |
| 266 | edinburgh | 1 | PLACE | after studying book-keeping and accountancy in edinburgh , balfour went to madras in march 1795 as a writer ( junior clerk ) for the british east india company . | |
| 267 | british army | 1 | HUMAN GROUP | his elder brother robert balfour , who inherited balbirnie , became a lieutenant-general in the british army . | |
| 268 | writer | 1 | PERSON | after studying book-keeping and accountancy in edinburgh , balfour went to madras in march 1795 as a writer ( junior clerk ) for the british east india company . | |
| 269 | sale | 1 | ACT | in the 1930s , death duties forced the mothballing of the house and sale of its contents . | |
| 270 | owner | 1 | VEHICLE | * mary balfour ( 1817-1893 ) , a noted watercolour artist who married henry arthur herbert , owner of the muckross estate in county kerry , and chief secretary for ireland 1857-58 * anna balfour ( 1825-1857 ) , who married lord augustus | |
| 271 | attentions | 1 | STATE | instead , he turned his attentions to the anstruther burghs , a set of five burghs which were located only 15 miles from his newly purchased estate at balgonie in fife . | |
| 272 | pale | 1 | CONDITION | built of pale cullalo stone , the house was expanded and altered in 1827 to the designs of william burn , which were not entirely successful . | |
| 273 | vigour | 1 | PERSON | james balfour 's new wealth brought new vigour to the ancient family , with many of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren achieving notability . | |
| 274 | sèvres china | 1 | PLACE | they equipped their home with french furniture and sèvres china . | |
| 275 | mary balfour | 1 | PERSON | * mary balfour ( 1817-1893 ) , a noted watercolour artist who married henry arthur herbert , owner of the muckross estate in county kerry , and chief secretary for ireland 1857-58 * anna balfour ( 1825-1857 ) , who married lord augustus | |
| 276 | day | 1 | PERIOD | they include : * james maitland balfour 's children : + arthur balfour , the prime minister of the united kingdom from 1902 to 1905 + eleanor mildred sidgwick ( 1845-1936 ) , principal of newnham college , cambridge + alice blanche balfour ( 1850-1936 ) , amateur entomologist + francis maitland balfour ( 1851-1882 ) , one of the greatest biologists of his day + gerald balfour , 2nd earl of balfour ( 1853-1945 ) , a cabinet minister from 1895 to 1905 . | |
| 277 | designer | 1 | PERSON | in the 1820s the balfours employed the architect robert smirke , designer of the british museum , to build a large classical mansion at whittingehame , along with a stable block and gate lodges . | |
| 278 | john balfour | 1 | PERSON | he was the second son of john balfour ( 1739-1813 ) , an advocate who owned balbirnie house , near the town of glenrothes in fife . | |
| 279 | cambridge | 1 | PLACE | they include : * james maitland balfour 's children : + arthur balfour , the prime minister of the united kingdom from 1902 to 1905 + eleanor mildred sidgwick ( 1845-1936 ) , principal of newnham college , cambridge + alice blanche balfour ( 1850-1936 ) , amateur entomologist + francis maitland balfour ( 1851-1882 ) , one of the greatest biologists of his day + gerald balfour , 2nd earl of balfour ( 1853-1945 ) , a cabinet minister from 1895 to 1905 . | |
| 280 | officer | 1 | PERSON | * charles balfour 's son charles barrington balfour became an army officer and an mp . | |
| 281 | consists | 1 | SET | built in about 1840 of red sandstone , it consists of a row of cottages and a school . | |
| 282 | dukes | 1 | PERSON | two of anna 's sons became dukes of grafton | |
| 283 | son charles | 1 | PERSON | his property in fife , including balgonie castle , was left to his second son charles , while his daughters mary and anna had each been given a dowry of £40,000 ( equivalent to £4.59 million in 2025 ) . | |
| 284 | efforts | 1 | ACTION | arthur and gerald lost a lot of money in a series of poor investments , particularly in their efforts to develop peat processing as a green alternative to coal-mining . | |
| 285 | older whittingehame tower | 1 | PERSON | the older whittingehame tower has been restored and remains the residence of the earls of balfour , descendants of james balfour . | |
| 286 | country gentleman | 1 | PLACE | established as a country gentleman , though known locally as " the nabob " , balfour became a justice of the peace , and in 1822 was appointed as a deputy | |
| 287 | francis maitland balfour | 1 | PERSON | they include : * james maitland balfour 's children : + arthur balfour , the prime minister of the united kingdom from 1902 to 1905 + eleanor mildred sidgwick ( 1845-1936 ) , principal of newnham college , cambridge + alice blanche balfour ( 1850-1936 ) , amateur entomologist + francis maitland balfour ( 1851-1882 ) , one of the greatest biologists of his day + gerald balfour , 2nd earl of balfour ( 1853-1945 ) , a cabinet minister from 1895 to 1905 . | |
| 288 | flour mills | 1 | PERSON | basil cochrane , who had built his own flour mills and bakeries in madras . | |
| 289 | designs | 1 | PROPERTY | built of pale cullalo stone , the house was expanded and altered in 1827 to the designs of william burn , which were not entirely successful . | |
| 290 | merton college | 1 | INSTITUTION | balfour was opposed at the 1830 general election by robert marsham , the warden of merton college , oxford . | |
| 291 | investments | 1 | ACT | arthur and gerald lost a lot of money in a series of poor investments , particularly in their efforts to develop peat processing as a green alternative to coal-mining . | |
| 292 | arthur | 1 | PERSON | however , many of his descendants found fame and success , including his grandson arthur balfour , who served as prime minister from 1902 to 1905 . | |
| 293 | newnham college | 1 | INSTITUTION | they include : * james maitland balfour 's children : + arthur balfour , the prime minister of the united kingdom from 1902 to 1905 + eleanor mildred sidgwick ( 1845-1936 ) , principal of newnham college , cambridge + alice blanche balfour ( 1850-1936 ) , amateur entomologist + francis maitland balfour ( 1851-1882 ) , one of the greatest biologists of his day + gerald balfour , 2nd earl of balfour ( 1853-1945 ) , a cabinet minister from 1895 to 1905 . | |
| 294 | view | 1 | PERSON | the sitting mp lord john hay had been an advocate of parliamentary reform , a view which was supported by the county 's voteless tenant farmers but opposed by the existing voters . | |
| 295 | ireland | 1 | PLACE | * mary balfour ( 1817-1893 ) , a noted watercolour artist who married henry arthur herbert , owner of the muckross estate in county kerry , and chief secretary for ireland 1857-58 * anna balfour ( 1825-1857 ) , who married lord augustus | |
| 296 | wester | 1 | WIND | at the 1826 general election he won the support of three burghs of pittenweem , anstruther easter and crail , whereas the sitting mp and lord advocate of scotland sir william rae won only anstruther wester and kilrenny . | |
| 297 | franchise | 1 | ACT | at the general election in december 1832 , with the franchise expanded under the scottish reform act , balfour was re-elected but with a much narrower majority of 271 votes to 232 . | |
| 298 | july | 1 | PERIOD | balfour was also supported by admiral sir david milne , who had defeated st paul at the general election in march 1820 but was unseated on petition in july . | |
| 299 | life balbirnie house | 1 | PLACE | ||
| 300 | adelaide barrington | 1 | PERSON | charles balfour ( 1823-1872 ) , who married adelaide barrington , daughter and 8th child of the 6th viscount barrington . | |
| 301 | william burn | 1 | PERSON | built of pale cullalo stone , the house was expanded and altered in 1827 to the designs of william burn , which were not entirely successful . | |
| 302 | father | 1 | PERSON | in november 1820 , the death of henry st paul mp triggered a by-election for the borough of berwick-upon-tweed , where balfour 's father in-law lord lauderdale had great influence . | |
| 303 | january | 1 | PERIOD | at the general election in january 1835 , the haddingtonshire seat was won by the whig robert ferguson . | |
| 304 | son henry arthur herbert | 1 | PERSON | mary 's son henry arthur herbert , was mp for kerry from 1866 to 1880 * | |
| 305 | position | 1 | POSITION | john 's position looked untenable , so balfour was drafted by lord lauderdale and hay 's brother lord tweeddale . | |
| 306 | lord lauderdale | 1 | PERSON | in november 1820 , the death of henry st paul mp triggered a by-election for the borough of berwick-upon-tweed , where balfour 's father-in-law lord lauderdale had great influence . | |
| 307 | money | 1 | MONEY | arthur and gerald lost a lot of money in a series of poor investments , particularly in their efforts to develop peat processing as a green alternative to coal-mining . | |
| 308 | adultery | 1 | PERSON | his agents claimed that balfour would have opposed her trial for alleged adultery , but he was portrayed as too close to liverpool 's tory ministry to properly represent interests of the borough . | |
| 309 | unreformed house | 1 | PLACE | the new parliament was dominated by the reform bills , and in the last parliament of the unreformed house of commons balfour voted against them at most opportunities . | |
| 310 | ancestor george balfour | 1 | PERSON | his ancestor george balfour had purchased balbirnie in the late 16th or early 17th century , and by the late 18th century its land included profitable mines in the fife coalfield . | |
| 311 | diplomat | 1 | PERSON | one of his sons was knighted for his work as a diplomat * | |
| 312 | biologists | 1 | PERSON | they include : * james maitland balfour 's children : + arthur balfour , the prime minister of the united kingdom from 1902 to 1905 + eleanor mildred sidgwick ( 1845-1936 ) , principal of newnham college , cambridge + alice blanche balfour ( 1850-1936 ) , amateur entomologist + francis maitland balfour ( 1851-1882 ) , one of the greatest biologists of his day + gerald balfour , 2nd earl of balfour ( 1853-1945 ) , a cabinet minister from 1895 to 1905 . | |
| 313 | notability | 1 | PROPERTY | james balfour 's new wealth brought new vigour to the ancient family , with many of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren achieving notability . | |
| 314 | british museum | 1 | PLACE | in the 1820s the balfours employed the architect robert smirke , designer of the british museum , to build a large classical mansion at whittingehame , along with a stable block and gate lodges . | |
| 315 | father in law lord lauderdale | 1 | PERSON | ||
| 316 | parents | 1 | PERSON | they had seven children , three of whom predeceased their parents . | |
| 317 | oligarchy | 1 | GOVERNMENT | whittingehame tower , which is still owned by descendants of james balfour until the reform act in 1832 , political power in britain had been dominated for centuries by a land-owning oligarchy , and for another century they shared power with the rising bourgeoisie . | |
| 318 | balfour monument | 1 | PERSON | death and legacy the balfour monument , near whittingehame , erected in memory of balfour 's son james maitland balfour balfour died at whittingehame in april 1845 , aged about 70 . | |
| 319 | duke | 1 | PERSON | fitzroy , later 7th duke of grafton on his death , balfour 's estate was valued at over £1 million . | |
| 320 | set | 1 | SET | instead , he turned his attentions to the anstruther burghs , a set of five burghs which were located only 15 miles from his newly purchased estate at balgonie in fife . | |
| 321 | warden | 1 | PERSON | balfour was opposed at the 1830 general election by robert marsham , the warden of merton college , oxford . | |
| 322 | tenant farmers | 1 | IMAGE | the sitting mp lord john hay had been an advocate of parliamentary reform , a view which was supported by the county 's voteless tenant farmers but opposed by the existing voters . | |
| 323 | thanks | 1 | EVENT | however , a crowd of non-voting residents of haddington shouted down his attempts to make a speech of thanks . | |
| 324 | building | 1 | BUILDING | the building was leased for various purposes before being sold in 1963 to become a residential school , and has since been converted into apartments . | |
| 325 | town | 1 | PLACE | he was the second son of john balfour ( 1739-1813 ) , an advocate who owned balbirnie house , near the town of glenrothes in fife . | |
| 326 | business | 1 | AMOUNT | the indian business did not end with balfour 's return home . | |
| 327 | commons balfour | 1 | PERSON | the new parliament was dominated by the reform bills , and in the last parliament of the unreformed house of commons balfour voted against them at most opportunities . | |
| 328 | favour | 1 | PERSON | balfour presented all the petitions to parliament , but in april he voted with the majority in favour of the bill . | |
| 329 | king edward vii | 1 | PERSON | his daughter lady eve balfour ( 1899-1990 ) was an early advocate of organic farming , and co-founder of the soil association + colonel eustace james anthony balfour ( 1854-1911 ) , an architect who served as adc to king edward vii . | |
| 330 | needs | 1 | UNKNOWN | his breakthrough came in 1806 , when the partners obtained the contract with the victualling commissioners of the royal navy to supply their needs throughout the east indies . | |
| 331 | united kingdom | 1 | PLACE | they include : * james maitland balfour 's children : + arthur balfour , the prime minister of the united kingdom from 1902 to 1905 + eleanor mildred sidgwick ( 1845-1936 ) , principal of newnham college , cambridge + alice blanche balfour ( 1850-1936 ) , amateur entomologist + francis maitland balfour ( 1851-1882 ) , one of the greatest biologists of his day + gerald balfour , 2nd earl of balfour ( 1853-1945 ) , a cabinet minister from 1895 to 1905 . | |
| 332 | tory ministry | 1 | INSTITUTION | his agents claimed that balfour would have opposed her trial for alleged adultery , but he was portrayed as too close to liverpool 's tory ministry to properly represent interests of the borough . | |
| 333 | lieutenant general | 1 | PERSON | ||
| 334 | politician | 1 | PERSON | scottish businessman , landowner and tory politician | |
| 335 | oxford | 1 | PLACE | balfour was opposed at the 1830 general election by robert marsham , the warden of merton college , oxford . | |
| 336 | breakthrough | 1 | GROUP | his breakthrough came in 1806 , when the partners obtained the contract with the victualling commissioners of the royal navy to supply their needs throughout the east indies . | |
| 337 | dowry | 1 | INSTANCE | his property in fife , including balgonie castle , was left to his second son charles , while his daughters mary and anna had each been given a dowry of £40,000 ( equivalent to £4.59 million in 2025 ) . | |
| 338 | majority | 1 | PERSON | balfour presented all the petitions to parliament , but in april he voted with the majority in favour of the bill . | |
| 339 | county | 1 | PLACE | within two years of their marriage , balfour had bought two large county estates . | |
| 340 | scotland sir william rae | 1 | PERSON | at the 1826 general election he won the support of three burghs of pittenweem , anstruther easter and crail , whereas the sitting mp and lord advocate of scotland sir william rae won only anstruther wester and kilrenny . | |
| 341 | scottish reform act | 1 | ACT | at the general election in december 1832 , with the franchise expanded under the scottish reform act , balfour was re-elected but with a much narrower majority of 271 votes to 232 . | |
| 342 | contents | 1 | PERSON | in the 1930s , death duties forced the mothballing of the house and sale of its contents . | |
| 343 | ross shire | 1 | PERSON | ||
| 344 | votes balfour | 1 | PERSON | with three out of five votes balfour was declared elected , and a petition lodged by rae was rejected in march 1827 . | |
| 345 | fife coalfield | 1 | PERSON | his ancestor george balfour had purchased balbirnie in the late 16th or early 17th century , and by the late 18th century its land included profitable mines in the fife coalfield . | |
| 346 | church | 1 | PERSON | they then rebuilt the local church , and created a new model village to the north-west of the old one . | |
| 347 | memory | 1 | EVENT | death and legacy the balfour monument , near whittingehame , erected in memory of balfour 's son james maitland balfour balfour died at whittingehame in april 1845 , aged about 70 . | |
| 348 | assets | 1 | ASSET | it was run on his behalf by agents , and within a few decades the family 's assets had grown ten-fold to £3 million ( equivalent to £344 million in 2025 ) . | |
| 349 | constituents | 1 | PERSON | in 1829 , several groups of his constituents submitted petitions against the roman catholic relief bill . | |
| 350 | victualling commissioners | 1 | PERSON | his breakthrough came in 1806 , when the partners obtained the contract with the victualling commissioners of the royal navy to supply their needs throughout the east indies . | |
| 351 | crail | 1 | PERSON | at the 1826 general election he won the support of three burghs of pittenweem , anstruther easter and crail , whereas the sitting mp and lord advocate of scotland sir william rae won only anstruther wester and kilrenny . | |
| 352 | support | 1 | SET | at the 1826 general election he won the support of three burghs of pittenweem , anstruther easter and crail , whereas the sitting mp and lord advocate of scotland sir william rae won only anstruther wester and kilrenny . | |
| 353 | entomologist | 1 | PERSON | they include : * james maitland balfour 's children : + arthur balfour , the prime minister of the united kingdom from 1902 to 1905 + eleanor mildred sidgwick ( 1845-1936 ) , principal of newnham college , cambridge + alice blanche balfour ( 1850-1936 ) , amateur entomologist + francis maitland balfour ( 1851-1882 ) , one of the greatest biologists of his day + gerald balfour , 2nd earl of balfour ( 1853-1945 ) , a cabinet minister from 1895 to 1905 . | |
| 354 | native balbirnie | 1 | UNKNOWN | adjacent to his native balbirnie , the balgonie estate included coal mines which worked seams described as " inexhaustible " and iron workings . | |
| 355 | rest | 1 | POSITION | the rest was divided between his children . |
| Categoría | Objetos |
| PERSON |
adelaide barrington admiral sir david milne adultery advocate alice blanche balfour ancestor george balfour anna anna balfour arthur arthur balfour baker balfour balfour family ownership balfour monument balgonie balgonie castle basil cochrane behalf berwick berwick upon tweed bill biologists birthplace balfour block book keeping brother lord tweeddale brother robert balfour businessman campaign catholic relief bill charles balfour chief secretary child children christopher wilson church co founder cochrane colin mcwilliam colonel eustace james anthony balfour colonel william hay commons balfour constituents contents contract county kerry county seat crail daughter daughter lady eve balfour daughters daughters mary deputy designer diplomat duke dukes duns castle earl earls east indies east lothian easter eleanor entomologist father father in law lord lauderdale favour fife fife coalfield flour mills fortune francis maitland balfour gate lodges gerald gerald balfour grafton grandson arthur balfour hay henry arthur herbert henry st paul mp hon iron workings james baker james balfour james balfour born james maitland balfour john balfour junior clerk king edward vii lady eleanor lady eleanor maitland landowner lauderdale legacy leven lieutenant general lord advocate lord augustus lord john lord lauderdale lot majority mary mary balfour merchant narrower majority native fife navy officer older whittingehame tower opponent opponent sir david baird paperwork parents peat politician principal queen caroline rae reform bills residents robert marsham robert smirke ross shire row royal navy scotland james balfour scotland sir william rae sitting mp sitting mp lord john hay son son charles son charles barrington balfour son henry arthur herbert son james maitland balfour balfour sons stone supporter tory member tory politician tory politician james maitland trader victualling commissioners view vigour viscount barrington voters votes balfour warden watercolour artist whig baronet sir francis blake whig robert ferguson widow eleanor wife william burn writer |
| PLACE |
apartments balbirnie house britain british museum cambridge career india country gentleman county edinburgh england estates grosvenor square haddington haddingtonshire highlands home house india ireland kerry life balbirnie house liverpool london madras model village north west office oxford point residence return home scotland scottish highlands seat spouse eleanor maitland whittingehame house st paul sèvres china town town house united kingdom unreformed house whittingehame whittingehame house |
| ACT |
death duties disambiguation disenfranchisement franchise investments mines petition petitions reform act sale scottish reform act ten fold votes |
| PERIOD |
april century day days december january july march november partnership year years |
| EVENT |
death descendants issue lodge marriage memory opposition thanks trial |
| ESTATE |
balgonie estate borough boroughs county estates estate fife estate muckross estate whittingehame estate |
| GROUP |
accountancy breakthrough crowd groups margin miles partners |
| PROPERTY |
designs haddingtonshire seat health justice life annuity notability property |
| INSTITUTION |
british east india company merton college newnham college school soil association tory ministry |
| HUMAN GROUP |
balfour family british army family gentry family parliament people |
| ABSTRACT ENTITY |
alternative coal mining equivalent reason reform proposals |
| SET |
agents bourgeoisie consists set support |
| POWER |
by election election influence power |
| STATE |
amendment attentions peace success |
| BUILDING |
building cottages mansion whittingehame tower |
| POSITION |
position rest vacancy |
| HUMAN ROLE |
cabinet minister minister prime minister |
| MONEY |
income money sold |
| ACTION |
attempts efforts |
| INSTANCE |
composition dowry |
| AMOUNT |
business reform |
| ACTIVITY |
mothballing work |
| COLLECTION |
accounts wealth |
| WORD |
grandchildren great grandchildren |
| PROCESS |
dissolution polling |
| SYSTEM |
system |
| STRUCTURE |
built |
| TERM |
architect |
| CONDITION |
pale |
| UNIT |
centuries |
| WIND |
wester |
| LAND |
land |
| HILL |
sandstone |
| OPPORTUNITY |
opportunities |
| SPEECH |
speech |
| AREA |
area |
| FURNITURE |
furniture |
| FIRE |
fire |
| CONCEPT |
seams |
| IMAGE |
tenant farmers |
| ASSET |
assets |
| VEHICLE |
owner |
| PURPOSE |
purposes |
| DOCUMENT PART |
bakeries |
| REPUTATION |
fame |
| SERIES |
series |
| GOVERNMENT |
oligarchy |