[1649/1/249]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
The estats of parlement etc., taking to ther consideratioune the supplicatioun of the heritors and neighbors for themselffis and the wholl inhabitants of the Cannogate, with the speciall advyse, consent and concurrence of the lord provest, baillies and counsall of the burgh of Edinburgh, their superiors, shewing how small a constant stipend does belong to thair tuo ministers at the kirk of Halyrudhous, being onlie to both of thame the soume of eightene hundreth merks, quhilk is hardlie sufficient for one of thame; and considering the eminencie of the charge, by reasoun of the resort of many persons and families of cheeff quality of the kingdome, his maties palace also being within the samyn, that in tymecomeing thair may be a sufficient maintenance for such ane able ministrie as that place requires, have, with the advyse and concurrance of the magistrats of the burgh of Edinburgh, unanimouslie condiscended and agried unto that ilk ane of the tuo ministers of the said kirk of Halirudhous and their successors shall have yearlie in all tymecomeing for thair constant stipend the soume of eightene hundreth merks, with a frie hous to everie one of thame for thair manse; and thairfor the said supplicants, with consent forsaid, have resolved that thair be a survey of the rents of the duelling houses, chalmers heich and laich, boothes, sellars, with the yeards and others within the said parochin of Halyrudhous (his maties palace being excepted), that upon everie hundreth merks such a proportioun may be imposed as may mak up the soume of tuo thousand merks, quherby everie ane of the saids ministers and their successors may have yeirlie the soume of eightene hundreth merks and the soume of tuo hundreth merks being for payment of a duelling hous for one of the saids ministers, the other minister being alreadie provyded be the said toune of the Cannogate to ane hous belonging to the said minister and his successors in all tymecomeing; quhilk soume is to be collected be the thesaurer, elders and deacons of the kirk of the Cannogate, as at mair length is contained in the said supplicatioun. Quhilk supplicatioun being seriouslie and maturelie considered, the estats of parlement, having found the desyre of the said supplicatioun maist reasonable, doe thairfor ratifie and approve the forsaid provisioun of eightene hundreth merks for one minister's stipend in the Cannogate in all tymecomeing, appoynting also the toune of Cannogate to provyd a sufficient hous for a minister in all tyme comeing as they have done formerlie; and for the provisioun of another minister, the saids estats of parlement statute and ordaine that the said soume of tuo thousand merks yeirlie be imposed and laid upon the haill rents and maills of the saids duelling houses, yeards, chalmers, boothes, sellars and all others houses heich and laich within the said toune (the abbay of Halyrudhous and Arthour Erskine of Scottiscraig, his houses, onlie being excepted), quhilk impositioun shall be paied be the inhabitants and possessors without any exemptioun or exceptioune of anie houses of whatsoever nature or halding they be of, pertayning to any persoun or persons of whatsoever degree, quality or conditioun soever (excepting as is before excepted). The payment of which impositioun shall be termelie by advance, the first termes payment begining at Mertimes last for the first halff yeir and the nixt terme at Witsonday thairafter, and so furth termelie thairafter at Witsonday and Mertimes in winter be equall portiounes. And that the maills and rents of all the houses forsaids may be truely knowne, thair shall be ane exact survey therof made be four suorne men to be appointed be the toune counsall of Edinburgh, and that upon the oathes of the inhabitants to be takin therupone. And the said impositioun is to be alwise collected be the kirk session of the Cannogate and kirk thesaurer of the samyne, and is not to come to any other hands nor to be applyed to any other use then is abonwrittin. And it is declaired that the impositioun forsaid shall nowise affect the ground ryght or property of the houses, tenements and others forsaids, bot that the proportionating and divisioun of the said soume of tuo thousand merks to be paied be the inhabitants and possessors according to ther maills is to be the onlie rule and squair for taking of the inhabitants forsaid for paiment of the samyn at the rates of the maills paied be thame, and is nowise to affect the ground as is aforsaid, the tennents, inhabitants and possessors being alwise lyable to personall and reall executioun for the samene. And the saids estats declaires that when any of the saids tuo ministers places shall vaik, the stipend shall be disposed upone ad pios usus be the said kirk sessioun by advyse of the presbitrie, according to the act of parlement. And the saids estats doe heerby give full power to the toun counsall of Edinburgh (by thameselffis and such as shall be authorized by thame) to tak all courses necessary for ingathering of the said impositioune and the readie paiment therof. And incais of any difference betuix the collectors of the said impositioune and any members of the secreit counsall or of the colledge of justice that shall happin to duell in the Cannogate, the estats of parlement doe appoint the said questiounes and differences to be decyded and determined by these who wer appoynted for decyding of questiounes concerning the impositiounes on the house maills of Edinburgh for ministers stipends, authorizeing the said committee with alse full power for determining all questiounes concerning the valueing, exacting or uplifting the proportions imposed on the maills of houses and others aforsaid in the Cannogate and for executioun theirof as they have for determineing these questiounes concerning the impositiounes on the house maills in Edinburgh.