Act in favoures of the commissioneres for the sherefdome of Sutherland

Our soverane lord and estates of parliament, considering that by an act of the dait of thir presentes mad anent the expenss of commissioneres of shyres passing to parliamentes or general counsells allowance shall be givine to the saidis commissioneres for there whole chairge and expenss in maner specified in the said act, and that the daylie allowance appoynted for ilke commissioner in maner mentionat and divydit in the said act efter the rysing of the saidis parliamentes or generall counselles shall be callculate and put in a soume by the clerkes of parliament wnder there hand, to be devydit and imposed proportionally wpoun the whole freeholderes of the kingis majestie and prince, according to the stent of ther landis lyeing within the shyre, and that letters be directed therwpon by the lordis of sessioune to chairg the saids freeholderes of his majestie and prince to conveene at the head burghe of everie shyre wpoun ane speciall day for deviding and seting doune the proportione thairof in maner foirsaid, as the said act made in favoures of the said whole commissioners of small barrones and shyres at mair lenth beires. And his majestie and the saides estates, considering that in the parliament in the yeere of God 1633 a particular act was made in favoures of the free barones and otheres inhabitantes within the shereffdome of Sutherland, giveing pouer to them to elect and choose ther owne commissioneres for the said shereffdome to compeir at parliamentes, meitings and generall conventiones within this kingdome at all occasiones, and considering lykewayes that, by the said act mad in favouris of the saidis whole commissioneres, the commissioner choosen and attending this present parliament for the shereffdome of Sutherland, and the commissioneres who shall be choosen and sent from the said shereffdome of Sutherland to attend thir parliamentes, generall counsells and other generall meitings and conventiones of estates heireftir in all tymecomeing, shall have no allowance of there expenss and chairges to be depursit by them in the said service, albeit the said shyre be ane of the remotest and farthest distance in the kingdome, becaus there is only tuo inhabitantes within the said shyre holding landis of the kingis majestie, the whole remanent heritoures being ather vasselles to the Erle of Sutherland or holding ther landis of some other superiour, and so according to the said generall act the allowance of the commissioner of that shyre cannot be devydit nor imposed for payment and satisfactione of his chairges and expenss, except the same be extendit againes the heritores, fewares and freeholders within the said shereffdome holding landis of other superioures in maner wnderwrittin. Therfor his majestie and estates of parliament ordeines the allowance appoynted by the said generall act in favoures of the commissioneres of the said sherefdome of Sutherland to be extendit, devydit and imposed proportionally wpoun all and sindrie heritoures, fewares, lyferenters and frieholderes within the said shyre, whither they be vasselles to his majestie or holding ther landis of any other superiour whatsoevir, according to the stent of the landis lying within the said shyre, and that lettires be directed thairwpoun by the lordis of sessione to chairg all and sindrie the heritoures, fewares, lyferenters and free holderes within the said shyre holding of any superiour whatsoevir to conveene at Dornoche, being the head burghe of the said shyre, wpoun a speciall day for devyding and setting doune the proportione therof in maner foirsaid, with power also to stent all and sindrie the foirsaidis heritoures, fewares, lyferenteres and frie holderes holding of whatsoevir superiour within the said shyre, for the tenth penny more of the saidis whole sommes so callculated for the expenss of the lettires to be raised therfor and otheres chairges in collecting therof, with certificatione that such as shall conveene shall have power to proceed notwithstanding of the absence of the rest; and that lettires of horneing and poynding be directed therupoun at the instances of the saidis commissioneres for payment thairof in maner abovewrittin, and if payment be not mad withine the dayes conteyned in the chairge so that the saidis commissioners shall be forced to poynd therfor, then and in that caise it shall be laufull to poynd for the double of the soume chairged for by and attoure the shereffe, and that no suspensione pass therwpon bot wpoun consignatione allenerly; and if the suspensione shall discusse againes the susspender, in that caise the suspender shall be ordeaned to make payment to the commissioneris of the double of the soume chairged for, by and attoure the commissioneres other chairges and expenss in discussing of the suspensione. And this act to take effect for the commissioneres of this present parliament and all parliamentes heirefter.

  1. NAS, PA2/22, f.153v-154v. Back