Arthur, 1st Earl of Balfour and the Balfours of Whittinghame

Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour (1848-1930), was a distinguished political statesman and noted orator. He led the Conservative Party in the Commons from 1891, becoming Prime Minister in 1902 until the election of 1905. He later served as First Lord of the Admiralty and Foreign Secretary. It was during his tenure as Foreign Secretary that the declaration which bore his name was passed, supporting the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. In 1922 he was ennobled Earl of Balfour and Viscount Trapain of Whittingehame. King George V made him both a Knight of the Garter and a member of the Order of Merit. He had inherited a great fortune, almost all of which he spent during his life time. This necessitated the sale of the magnificent Balfour dinner service by Paul Storr at Christie's in 1930. It amounted to over 7,000 ounces.

James Balfour, to whom the dinner service originally belonged, was the son of John Balfour (1738-1863) of Balbirnie and his wife Ellen, daughter of James Gordon of Ellon. His elder brother General Robert Balfour (1762-1837) succeeded their father. James travelled to India where he made a fortune. He returned to his native Scotland buying the Whittinghame estate in 1817. Balfour employed James Dorward of Haddington, to construct a new neo-classical house following the designs of Sir Robert Smirke (1780-1867). The house was later enlarged and altered some ten years later by William Burn (1789-1870). James Balfour married Lady Eleanor Maitland, the daughter of the Earl of Lauderdale and their son James Maitland Balfour (1820-1856) succeeded to the estates. James Maitland was the father of the 1st Earl of Balfour.