James Balfour of Pilrig JP (20 August 1705 – 6 March 1795) was a Scottish advocate and philosopher.
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Life
He was born on 20 August 1705 at Pilrig House, midway between Leith and Edinburgh. He was one of the 16 children of Louisa Hamilton and her husband, the Edinburgh merchant James Balfour (1681–1737). His father had acquired the estate of Pilrig from the Gilbert family, which had lost a fortune investing in the Darien Expedition, and built the current Pilrig House around 1705.
After studying law at the University of Edinburgh and the University of Leyden, he was called to the Scottish bar as an advocate.
He held the offices of treasurer to the Faculty of Advocates and sheriff-substitute of the county of Edinburgh. In 1754 he was appointed to the chair of Professor of Moral Philosophy in the University of Edinburgh, and in 1764 transferred to that of Professor of Public Law.
In 1775 he is still listed as living in Pilrig House, having inherited the property on the death of his father.
He was Secretary to the Edinburgh Company of Golfers, and belonged to both the Edinburgh and Leith Golf Courses. In this role he would have been involved in the establishment of the original rules of golf in 1777.