Declaration
Act 6
Act in favouris of the Lady Loudoun and hir childrene

The quhilk day the estatis of parliament, conveind by his majesties speciall authoritie, haveing received the supplicatione of Margaret, lady Lowdoun, quhairof the tennour falloueth: To the right honorabill estatis of parliament, the supplicatione of Margaret, lady Lowdoune and hir childrine, that wheras Johne, lord Lowdoune, my husband, is universallie knowne in the haill course of his lyfe to have endevored to be, and proved, loyall to his majestie, faithfull to his cuntrie and duetifull to all men, and since the begining of the present troubles (these thrie yeiris bygane) heath beine in continowell exerceise of publicke employmentis for the preservatione of the liberties of this kirke and kingdome, to his great diversion and necessitat neglect of his privat effairis, with what caire, zeall and consience it is best knowne to your lordships and at diverse tymes manefested by your trustis put upon him, and namlie in this late and great chairge of justifieing befoir his majestie the proceidingis of assemblie and parliament, and wheras notwithstanding he was sent by your honnours siting in parliament once and againe by your commissionaris upon his majesties owne warrand, and caried himselfe as becam one wha desyred to be fund faithfull, yit his majestie heath beine pleased to committ him close prisoner to the toure for no just cause, where he is deteind after your other commissioneris ar send home, to the great greife of the whole kingdome and notour prejudice, loise and ruine of his famelie and childrine. Thairfor, as his calling was from God and your honnours, the estatis of this kingdome, and daylie requeistis are put up to the throne of grace in all kirkis for his enlargment and delyverance, so in Godis providence haveing the occasione of this your honorabill meiting, I am constrained with most havie hart, in all earnestnes and humility, to supplicat your honnours for Christis cause to take into your pious and most serious consideratione the present deplorable estat and conditione of the persone and famelie of the said Johne, lord Loudoune, your commissionar, mad cloise prisoner in the toure dureing his publict employment upon your command and his majesties warrand, and for your publict act as of one in whom the commoun interest and ingadgment of the kirke and kingdome is most deiplie concerned, not onlie by the law of God and your covenant with him, but also be the verie commoune law of nature and nationes, whoise dignitie, honnour and saiftie is declaired so to consist in the saiftie and indemnitie of thair legatis and commissioneris, as whatsoevir injurie, loise or prejudice is offerit unto them is takine to be done and aucht to be repaired by theme that sent them. As I am certanlie persuadit of your honoris most censible recentment, both of his conditione and your commone interest exprest allreddie in your supplicatione sent by your commissionaris to his majestie and letter to the noble lord, the Erle of Dumfermeling, so I dare not omit this occasione of casting my husband, selfe and childrine, famelie and whole effairis at your honnouris feit and upon your bake, to be borne be yow wnder the Lord as your owne caice and conditione more then of any, and most humblie to beg that all possible meanes may be used for releife of his persone and standing of his famelie, who have laid both at the staike for the saiftie and good of this kirke and kingdome. The particuleris I live to your honnours owne deipest thoughtis of compassione, caire and provident wisdome as haveing the eyes of God and the whole kingdome [and of forraigne nations also] upon your cariage in this great passage, and looking that thairfra the Lord may regulat his succes, the subjectis measure thair encouragmentis or discouragmentis in publict imploymentis and strangeris fram thair estimatione of your judgment and proceidingis, so most humblie expectis your honouris ansuer, as the said supplicatione in the selfe proportis. And the saidis estatis of parliament, haveing seriouslie considerit the foirsaid supplicatione, they fand and declairit and heirby findis and declaires anent the caise and conditione of Johne, lord Loudoun and the commone intrest of this whole kirke and kingdome thairin that the said noble erle, Chairles, erle of Dumfermling, and the said Johne, lord Loudoun, wer sent up first from the parliament and then they, with Sir Williame Douglas of Caverse and Maister Robert Barclay, proveist of Irving, from the commissioneris of the parliament, upon the kingis owne warrand, wnto his majestie to shew the reassones of thair demandis and proceidingis in assemblie and parliament, and that they have dischairged thair trust and commissione so faithfullie, resolutlie and painfullie as they deserved and doe heirby obteine the parliaments approbatione of thair cariage and proceidingis, whilkis war evident by what was givine under thair hand to his majestie and are now published in print; and particularlie the said Lord Lowdoune, now prisoner in the toure, be the testimony of all his colligis, especiallie the noble Erle of Dumfermeling, anent his abilitie, fidelitie and friedome manifested in that his imployment with all respective cariage to the kingis majestie and to the liberties of this kirke and kingdome, and whereas he was imprisoned in the toure be the kingis majestie upoun pretence of a French lettir subscryveit by him and otheris to have beine sent to the kinge of France, the innocencie quhairof and of the said Lord Loudoun and wtheris thairin is sufficientlie shawne to the world allreddie and cleered also in a leteir of our commissioneris of parliament to the Erle of Dumfermeling to have beine shawne to his majestie with ane supplicatione for the Lord Loudounes releisse one the tuentie day of Maii last, we doe profes and declair that we are consious of his innocency in that his suffering for our publict intendit act and dureing his publict imployment from ws upoun the kingis warrand and our command, so also that we are most sensible and sensiblie recensis this hard conditione of his persone and famelie suffering directlie for the state and the states suffering in him. And heirby doe publictlie acknowledge befoir the world our obligationes by the law of God and nationis in conscience and honour, to the uttermost of our power, to use all possible meanes for obteaneing the libertie of the said Johne, lord Loudoune, and what he hes sufferit or shall suffer in this cause we take it as done to the bodie of this kingdome, as also for the standing of his house and famelie depending much one his persone, that quhat prejudice or hurt soevir shall fall one his estat, his lady and childrine be his sufferingis wee find our selffis obleidged to make wp the samene; and thairfoir we ordeane this our declaratione of our commone intrest and suffering for the state and of this our obligatione to use all possible meanes for his saife delyverie and standing of his house, as for the dignitie and saiftie of the whole natione, whilke consistis in the securitie and indemnitie of thair commissioneris, to be registrat in the recordis of parliament as ane satisfactorie ansuer to Margaret, lady Loudoun, hir supplicatione, and a testimony of our fidelitie for the dignitie and libertie of this kingdome to all posteritie.

  1. NAS, PA2/22, f.18r-19r. Back
  2. APS interpolation, taken from the original warrant at NAS, PA6/3, 'June 11 1640'. Back
  3. In APS, 'of the state in the said Johne, lord Loudoun, our commissioner his suffering' follows. Interpolation taken from the original warrant at NAS, PA6/3, 'June 11 1640'. Back