Anne Ramsay

Anne Ramsay was the daughter of Sir Andrew Ramsay, 4th Baronet of Whitehill. The portrait of Anne as a young woman is by Allan Ramsay; it shows her face, superimposed onto one of his pre-painted upper bodies. A similar portrait can be seen in the Scottish National Gallery.

Her brother John was painted around the same time. Elizabeth inherited the Ramsay estates after John died in 1745. As a married women, her inheritance passed to her husband.

She had married George Balfour of Balbirnie in 1736, who took the name Balfour-Ramsay on inheriting John’s Ramsay estates. Ann lived at Balbirnie, and had a house in Edinburgh. Her husband was briefly MP for Edinburghshire, so she may have lived in London between 1751 and 1754.

Their surviving children were:

John Balfour, 5th of Balbirnie (1739–1813); married Mary Gordon
George Balfour, later Ramsay (1740–1806), of Whitehill
Andrew Balfour, later Ramsay (1741–1814), of Whitehill
Robert Balfour (1742–1807) of Balcurvie
General James Balfour (1743–1823), of Whitehill
Elizabeth Balfour; married Captain William Wardlaw
William Balfour (1755–1793) of the Honourable East India Company
Ann Balfour (ca. 1757–1826)

George and Andrew died, leaving Whitehill to General James Balfour, who in his turn passed it to his nephew, Robert Wardlaw, the son of his sister Elizabeth, the 7th child and eldest daughter, and her husband William Wardlaw. He had served with the East India Company prior to his marriage, at which point he resigned from the Company to manage his deceased wife’s family estates.

Robert took the name Wardlaw Ramsay.