James Ferguson (29 September 1672 – 1 January 1734) was a Scottish lawyer and was also the 1st Laird of Pitfour, a large estate in the Buchan area of north-east Scotland, which became known as 'The Blenheim of the North'. Prior to the purchase of the Pitfour estate, he had the honorific 'James Ferguson of Badifurrow', the estate he eventually inherited after his grandfather cut all ties with Ferguson's uncle, Robert Ferguson, who was in hiding to attempt to avoid treachery charges.
Ferguson was later known as the 'Sheriff', a reference to the post he held in Aberdeenshire from 1710. This helps differentiate him from men of subsequent generations bearing the same name. Although he was a staunch Jacobite, he had no compunction about purchasing lands forfeited by the Earl Marischal when these became available; Deer Abbey was also part of his portfolio.
He died at Slains Castle, the home of the Countess of Erroll, on 1 January 1734.
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