Lewis Balfour


Rev Lewis Balfour was an 18th/19th century Scottish minister of the Church of Scotland. He was a pivotal figure in the family life of Robert Louis Stevenson.

Life

He was born on 30 August 1777 at Pilrig House between Edinburgh and Leith the son of John Balfour of Pilrig, son of James Balfour. His mother was Jean Whytt of Bennochy Lodge near Kirkcaldy in Fife daughter of Dr Robert Whytt. He was christened on 14 May 1777 in South Leith Parish Church.
In August 1806 he was ordained as minister of Sorn.
In 1824 he was translated to Colinton parish, south-west of Edinburgh and remained there for the rest of his life. From 1850 onwards his young grandson, Robert Louis Stevenson was a frequent visitor.
He died at Colinton Manse on 24 April 1860. He is buried in an open vault on the north side of Colinton Parish Church, between James Gillespie and Admiral John Inglis.

Family

He was married in the Manse in Galston, East Ayrshire on 26 April 1808 to Henrietta Scott Smith, third daughter of the Rev. Dr. George Smith.
Mrs Balfour died in the Manse in Colinton on 13 March 1844.
Their thirteen children included James Melville Balfour, George William Balfour and Margaret Isabella Balfour who married the lighthouse engineer Thomas Stevenson and together were parents to the world-famous author Robert Louis Stevenson. The latter was christened Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson, after his grandfather, but Lewis was changed to Louis to make it sound more French, and Balfour was dropped altogether. Their daughter Henrietta Louisa Balfour married R. H. Traquair, uncle of Ramsay Heatley Traquair. Their son Lewis Balfour was a merchant in Calcutta. Mackintosh Balfour was a manager in the Bank of Bombay.
Stevenson's book; A Child's Garden of Verses remembers his summers at Colinton manse.
The 1851 census has two young grandchildren, Lewis Balfour, and John Boyle b.1841 in India, both living at Colinton manse.

Family Tree

Artistic Recognition

A family photographic portrait is held in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.