Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Colville, James
COLVILLE, Sir JAMES (d. 1540?), of Easter Wemyss, lord of session and diplomatist, was the elder son of Robert Colville of Ochiltree and Margaret Logan. He was one of the commissioners to parliament on 15 Feb. 1525, and was appointed to the office of comptroller previous to 1527. In 1529 he exchanged the lands of Ochiltree with Sir James Hamilton of Finnart for the lands of Easter Wemyss and Lochorshyre in Fifeshire. The same year he was appointed a director of the chancery. He was one of the commissioners to parliament on 24 April and 13 May 1531, 15 Dec. 1535, and 29 April 1536. He was nominated a lord of the articles on 13 May 1532 and 7 June 1535, and at the latter date was chosen a commissioner for the taxation of 6,000l. voted by the three estates to James V on his approaching marriage. On the institution of the College of Justice in 1532 he was appointed one of the judges on the temporal side of the bench, and received the honour of knighthood. He was one of the commissioners at the truce of Newcastle on 8 Oct. 1533, and was sent again into England to treat of peace in the following year. For siding with the Douglases he was in 1538 deprived of the office of comptroller, and on 30 May 1539 a summons of treason was executed against him for affording them in various ways countenance and assistance. He appeared to answer to the charge before the parliament on 18 July 1539, when the only charge persisted in against him was that while comptroller he, on 14 July 1528, had made a pretended assignation for the benefit of Archibald Douglas of Kilspindy, when he knew that a summons of treason against him had been at that time executed. For this he was ordered on 21 Aug. to enter himself in ward in the castle of Blackness. This order he disobeyed, and, returning to England, associated with Angus and his brother in treasonable attempts against the king. He died some time previous to 10 Jan. 1541, when a summons was executed against his widow and children, on account of his having incurred the crime of 'lese-majesty.' His estate was annexed to the crown, but was afterwards bestowed on Norman Leslie of Rothes. The forfeiture was rescinded in parliament on 12 Dec. 1543, under the direction of Cardinal Beaton, to which fact Father Hay in his 'Memoirs' attributes the prominent part played by Leslie in the murder of the cardinal in 1546. Colville was twice married: first, to Alison, eldest daughter of Sir David Bruce of Clackmannan, and, second, to Margaret Forrester, who survived him. Besides several legitimate children, he had a natural son, Robert, ancestor of the Lord Colvilles of Ochiltree.
[Douglas's Scottish Peerage, i. 353-4; Lord Hailes's Catalogue of the Lords of Session; Scot's Staggering State of Scottish Statesmen; Foster's Members of the Parliament of Scotland, 78.]