[1704/7/3]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Prayers said.
Her majesty's commission to John [Hay], marquis of Tweeddale for representing her royal person in this session of parliament was read by the lord clerk register and ordered to be recorded, whereof the tenor follows.
Anne, by the grace of God, queen of Great Britain, France and Ireland, and defender of the faith, to all honest men to whom our present letters shall have come, greetings. In as much as we, for reasons of great importance, have decreed that the second session of our current parliament of our ancient kingdom of Scotland shall meet and sit in Edinburgh on 1 June immediately following the date of this commission, and because we are called away elsewhere by the necessities of our affairs and so cannot be present at the meeting of the said parliament; therefore we have decreed that a commission to represent our sacred person and exercise our royal authority in the same be granted to someone of the highest rank and outstanding trustworthiness, and imbued with remarkable talents, and having satisfied ourself of the unblemished good faith, remarkable abilities and experience of our most loyal and well-beloved kinsman and councillor John, marquis of Tweeddale, whose outstanding talents render him in every way fitted to exercise this same high appointment, and to forward our pious, royal intentions in promoting the welfare and interest of our said ancient kingdom both in church and state, as well as in our service; know therefore that we have given and granted, and by these our commission do give and grant to our well-loved, most loyal and well-beloved kinsman and councillor John, marquis of Tweeddale, full power and our commission to represent our sacred person and exercise our royal authority as our high commissioner in the next, second session of our foresaid current parliament of the foresaid kingdom, and in any other matter anywhere or at any time concerning the welfare of the church, strengthening peace and promoting our governance of the said kingdom, and forwarding our service in each and every administrative function of the same. We give and grant the said John, marquis of Tweeddale full power and our authority to do and carry out each and every thing relating to the appointment and authority of high commissioner as fully and freely in every respect and condition as any other person of the same high appointment and distinction had ever done or been able to do during the reigns of our most serene predecessors. We do and shall consider permanent and binding each and every thing which may be done by him in the execution of this said commission; and we straitly order and command each and every one of our officers of state, those who give us private counsel, the judges and the officers of our troops, and all other subjects whomsoever of our said kingdom, to acknowledge the foresaid John, marquis of Tweeddale, as our high commissioner, representing our sacred person and exercising our royal authority, and to afford him respect and obedience to the effect and according to the pattern laid down in this our commission. This commission will last in force from the foresaid 1 June next to come inclusive and during the foresaid second session of our parliament, until such time as it may please us to revoke it. In witness whereof, we have ordered that our great seal be appended to this commission. At our palace of St James's, the last day of May in the year of our Lord 1704, and in the third year of our reign. Signed by the hand manual of our supreme lady the queen.
Written to the great seal and registered 1 June 1704. Sealed.
Rolls called.