Falconer was born on 16 August 1648 at
Alves in Moray, one of at least 11 children of John Falconer (1620-1682), Master of the Scottish Mint. As the mint was located many miles away in
Edinburgh the father, if not the whole family, also had lodgings in the capital. James' mother, Esther Briot, was the daughter of
Nicholas Briot a famous French coin-designer, who had come to Scotland in 1633 as a
Huguenot exile, and worked closely with the Scottish Mint, which was located on the
Cowgate in
Edinburgh. James was educated in Edinburgh then trained as a lawyer and qualified as an advocate in January 1674. He had his legal practice in Edinburgh. Falconer purchased the
Phesdo estate, near
Fettercairn, in the 1680s. In November 1689 he was elected a
Senator of the College of Justice and adopted the title
Lord Phesdo. He was the Member of Parliament for
Kincardineshire in 1703/4. He died in Edinburgh on 9 June 1705 aged 57 and is buried in
Greyfriars Churchyard in the city centre. His position as Senator was filled by
George Elliot, Lord Minto. ==Family==