The contents are as follows:

(i) Ordinance of the Committee of War of the Sheriffdom of Fife on the arming of heritors within the Presbytery of Cupar, 1644 (folio 1);

(ii) Information for John Balfour, probably Portioner of Kinloch (died 1651), regarding the succession to certain lands of Christian Williamson, daughter of John Williamson and Helen Balfour, 1644 (folio 2);

(iii) Breakfast bill of ‘Langshaw’ [? David Montgomery of Lainshaw], receipted by Thomas Gardon, Merchant, Edinburgh, 1662 (folio 4);

(iv) Two tradesmen’s bills due by John Balfour, Portioner of Kinloch, apparently the 'Burley' who murdered Archbishop Sharp, to John Glas, Merchant in Perth, 1668-1670 (folio 5);

(v) Physician’s Bill to John Balfour in Kinloch for medicines and attendance, 1674 (folio 6B);

(vi) Account between the 2nd Earl of Kincardine and Sir Alexander Bruce of Broomhall (afterwards 4th Earl), 1671-1674 (folio 7);

(vii) Account between the Dowager Countess of Kincardine and Sir William Purves of Purves Hall concerning the wards, marriages, and non-entries received belonging to the 2nd Earl; including Purves’s signed oath and deposition in the action pursued by the Countess against him upon the declarator of the Earl’s escheat in her person, 1683 (folio 15);

(viii) Letter dated ‘3 Mar 168-‘ criticising ‘a trew relation’ of the Battle of Bothwell Bridge (apparently James Ure’s narrative, printed in ‘Memoirs of Mr. William Veitch’, edited by Thomas McCrie, (Edinburgh, 1825); the writer was present at the battle and seems to have been John Balfour, Portioner of Kinloch (‘Burley’) (folio 23);

(ix) Letters addressed to or relating to Mr John Hay, Rotterdam, chiefly connected with orders for books, e.g. ‘Naphthali’, 1680-1682, 1687-1688. John Hay (who in one case calls himself John Hay of Neuk) may possibly be John Balfour of Kinloch (‘Burley’), whose mother’s name was Hay (information supplied by Dr D Hay Fleming from the manuscript ‘Commissariot Records of St. Andrews’, volume x, H M Register House, Edinburgh); see also endorsement on (x) below (folio 25);

(x) Letter of Jacobus Koelman, Minister at Amsterdam, to Mrs Hay, stating that he cannot baptize her child, 1683; endorsed in a nineteenth-century hand, 'Letter supposed to Mrs Balfour from Rev. Dr. — Holman' (folio 33);

(xi) Contemporary copy of a letter from the Ministers at Groningen 'for the satisfaction of the poor remnent in Scotland vindicating themselves of al intention and acession in examining, licensing, or ordaining of Mr John Flint' (afterwards Minister of the New North Kirk, Edinburgh), 1684 (folio 34);

(xii) Other letters, etc., 1685-1760, undated (folio 35), including a letter requesting the magistrates for ‘the use of the hangman’ Thurso, 1720 (folio 43), and the “Account furnished by Patrick Crambie to Mr John Balfour’s funeral”, Coupar, 19 February 1734 (folio 49).