Editing Henry Balnaves (section)

==Biography==
Born in [[Kirkcaldy]], [[Fife]], around 1512, he was educated at the [[University of St Andrews]] and on the continent, where he adopted [[Protestant]] views.  Returning to Scotland, he continued his legal studies and in 1538 was appointed a lord of session and [[Senator of the College of Justice]].

He married Christian Scheves and in 1539 was granted the estate of Halhill in [[Fife]], after which he is generally named.<ref>''Register of the Great Seal of Scotland, 1513-1546'' (Edinburgh, 1883), p. 450 no. 2005, 10 August 1539, Petlethy.</ref>  Before 1540 he was sworn of [[James V of Scotland]]'s privy council, and was known as one of the party in favour of the English alliance and of an ecclesiastical reformation. He is also described as treasurer to James. In January 1543, [[James Hamilton, Duke of Châtellerault|Regent Arran]] appointed him secretary in the new government of the infant [[Mary, Queen of Scots|Queen Mary]] (January 1543).<ref>Theo van Heijnsbergen, "Literature and History in Queen Mary's Edinburgh", ''The Renaissance in Scotland: Studies in Literature, Religion, History and Culture'' (Brill, 1994), p. 194.</ref>

He promoted the act permitting the reading of the Scriptures in the vulgar tongue, and was one of the commissioners appointed to arrange a marriage treaty between the little queen and the future [[Edward VI of England|Edward VI]].  In [[London]] he was not considered so complaisant as some of the other commissioners, and was not made privy to all the engagements taken by his colleagues. However, [[David Beaton]] "loved him worst of all," and when [[James Hamilton, Duke of Châtellerault|Arran]] went over to the priestly party, Balnaves was deprived of his offices and imprisoned in [[Blackness Castle]] in November 1543.<ref>Theo van Heijnsbergen, "Literature and History in Queen Mary's Edinburgh", ''The Renaissance in Scotland: Studies in Literature, Religion, History and Culture'' (Brill, 1994), p. 195.</ref>

He was released by the arrival of [[Burning of Edinburgh|Hertford's fleet in the following May]], and from this time he became a paid agent of the English cause in Scotland, receiving an annuity.<ref>W. C. Richardson, ''The Report of the royal commission of 1552'' (Morgantown, 1974), p. 31.</ref> He took no part in the murder of Cardinal Beaton at [[St Andrews Castle]], but was one of the most active [[Siege of St Andrews Castle|defenders of the castle during the subsequent siege]] and was English paymaster of the garrison. Balnaves approved the recruitment of [[John Knox]] to be their preacher in the castle.<ref>[[Jane Dawson]], ''John Knox'' (Yale, 2016), p. 41.</ref> In support of Henry VIII's [[Rough Wooing]], he drafted the form of an [[Assured Scots|assurance bond for Scots]] to support the marriage of Prince Edward and Mary.<ref>[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=80885 ''Letters & Papers Henry VIII'', vol. 21 part 2 (London, 1910), no. 524 (2)]</ref> When St Andrews Castle surrendered to the French in July, Balnaves was taken prisoner to [[Rouen]].<ref>Theo van Heijnsbergen, "Literature and History in Queen Mary's Edinburgh", ''The Renaissance in Scotland: Studies in Literature, Religion, History and Culture'' (Brill, 1994), p. 195.</ref>

[[Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset|Somerset]] made vain efforts to procure his release and continued his pension. He made himself useful by giving information to the English government, and even Mary Tudor sent him a reward in June 1554. Balnaves also busied himself in writing what Knox calls "a comfortable treatise of justification," which was found in manuscript at the house of [[John Cockburn of Ormiston]] by Knox's secretary [[Richard Bannatyne]] and published at [[Edinburgh]] in 1584 under the title ''The Confession of Faith''.<ref>Balnaves, John, ''The Confession of Faith'', [[Thomas Vautrollier]], Edinburgh (1584), preface: the book is available on EEBO, subscription required.</ref>

In August 1555, Balnaves wrote to [[Mary of Guise]] from Paris. She had become Regent of Scotland, and Balnaves offered to support her regime with secret legal advice regarding crown incomes. He expressed confidence in her rule and mentioned she had shown kindness to his wife, Christina Scheves;<blockquote>"Your Heighnes' maist gentill and gracious clemencie schawin to me, undeservit, and to the pure woman my wiff, quha hes no other help bot your grace, and the hope I have in your heighness, compellis me seik and preis forward to your grace' service, and to pretermit (''avoid'') na thyng, when occasion is gevin to me, that I can do to your contentation and pleasour."<ref>[[Annie Cameron]], ''Scottish Correspondence of Mary of Lorraine'' (Edinburgh: SHS, 1927), 404-406.</ref></blockquote>

In February 1557 Balnaves was permitted to return to [[Scotland]] and regain his property; probably it was thought that Queen [[Mary I of England|Mary]]'s burnings would have cooled the ardour of his English affections, and that in the war threatening between two Catholic countries, Balnaves would serve his own.

The accession of Queen [[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth I]] changed the situation, and [[Mary of Guise]] had reasons for accusing him of "practices out of England". He took, in fact, an active part in the [[Scottish Reformation|rising of 1559]] and was commissioned by the [[Lords of the Congregation|Congregation]] to solicit the help of the English government through Sir [[Ralph Sadleir]] at [[Berwick-upon-Tweed|Berwick]]. Balnaves was surprised to meet the young [[James Hamilton, 3rd Earl of Arran|Earl of Arran]] there. He arrived and left secretly by sea from [[Lindisfarne|Holy Island]]. Elizabeth wrote to thank Sir Ralph Sadler and Sir James Croft, Captain of Berwick, personally for their good and diligent service in meeting Balnaves.<ref>Clifford, Arthur ed., ''Sadler State Papers'', vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1809), 430-436, 445-446.</ref>

He was also selected one of the Scots representatives to negotiate with the [[Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk|Duke of Norfolk]] in February 1560, arranging the [[Treaty of Berwick (1560)|Treaty of Berwick]]. Balnaves's rehabilitation by letter of [[Mary, Queen of Scots]], in May 1562.<ref>''Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland'', vol. 5 (Edinburgh, 1957), pp. 265-7 no. 1029.</ref>  In 1563 he was restored to his office as lord of session, and was one of those appointed by the [[General Assembly of the Church of Scotland|General Assembly]] to revise the [[Book of Discipline (Church of Scotland)|''Book of Discipline'']]. He was one of [[James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell|Bothwell's]] judges for the murder of [[Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley|Darnley]] in 1567, and in 1568 he accompanied [[James Stewart, Earl of Moray|Moray]] to the [[York]] inquiry into Queen Mary's guilt.

Balnaves died in 1570 at [[Leith]].<ref name="ODNB"/> He has been claimed as a Scots bard on the strength of one ballad, "O gallandis all, I cry and call," which is printed in [[Allan Ramsay (1686-1758)|Allan Ramsay]]'s ''Evergreen'' (2 vols. 1724–1727). His position as [[Senator of the College of Justice]] was filled by [[Thomas McCalzean]] (Lord Cliftonhall).