James Lindsay, 5th Earl of Balcarres (14 November 1691 – 20 February 1768) was a Scottish peer, the son of Colin, 3rd Earl of Balcarres and Lady Margaret Campbell, daughter of the Earl of Loudoun. He became the 5th Earl of Balcarres on 25 July 1736 on the death of his brother Alexander.
He joined the Royal Navy at the age of 13 and served in it for 12 years. On his return to Scotland he was persuaded to join his father in the 1715 Jacobite Rising and took part in the inconclusive Battle of Sheriffmuir. After the suppression of the uprising he was forced to hide for some time in a secret chamber at the nearby castle of Newark until his aunt secured him a pardon. He then joined the army of George I and fought in the War of the Austrian Succession, being present at the Battle of Dettingen in 1743, and the Battle of Fontenoy in 1745.
After he left the army, his prospects limited by his past allegiances, he concentrated on improving the house and estate farms at Balcarres.
On 24th October 1749, he married Anne Dalrymple in Edinburgh, with whom he had eight children,
He died on 20 February 1768 at age 76 at Balcarres, Fife, Scotland, where he was buried.