Balfour, William
| Dates | 1629/30-60 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | London | ||
| Vocation | Army officer | ||
| Place of Birth | Pitcullo, Fife | ||
| Marriage | Helen Napier (d.1629); Isabella | ||
| Issue | |||
| Place of birth | Source | Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |
Served in both France and the Netherlands. Upon return to England, served Charles I as a gentleman of the privy chamber. Appointed lieutenant of the Tower of London (1630). Sent as a spy for the crown and names one of the commissioners to investigate the complaints of the opponents of the soap monopoly. Had role of royal gaoler. Continued support for crown rewarded with appointments to the council of war (1638) and to board of investigating illegal duties. King's defeat in the second bishop's war, coupled with Balfour's own presbyterianism, led to a chance in Balfour. Disputed whether his resignation of the lieutenancy of the Tower was voluntary or forced, but did so in 1641. Departure from public office short-lived, returned in 1642 to command a regiment of horse in Ulster. At outbreak of war in England, parliament quickly secured Balfour's services, in which he now fought for the parliamentarians, including in Scotland. Lived in obscurity in Westminster in the 1650s, his wife was given four weeks to leave England in 1651. Died in 1660 and buried at St Margaret's, Westminster.
