[1641/8/322]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Our sovereign lord, with consent of the estates of this present parliament, considering that there was a petition and supplication given in to the general assembly held at Edinburgh, 21 August 1639, at the instance of Sir William Anstruther of that Ilk, knight, gentleman usher of his majesty's privy chamber, and of the bailies of the burgh of Anstruther Easter, for themselves and in name and on behalf of the whole other inhabitants of the barony of Anstruther and burgh foresaid of Anstruther Easter, making mention that where the said burgh of Anstruther Easter, being a part of the parish of Kilrenny, and being populous and distant from the kirk of Kilrenny by the space of a mile of deep evil way in the winter time and other rainy times in the year, and the remainder of the said parish of Kilrenny (beside the inhabitants of the said barony of Anstruther and burgh of Anstruther Easter) being as many people as conveniently may be served and eased within the said kirk of Kilrenny the time of divine service, the forenamed supplicants, for their better ease and commodity in frequenting and repairing to God's worship and for edification of the people and administration of the sacraments, have caused build a kirk with a kirkyard upon the said Sir William Anstruther's heritage allotted by him for that use within the said burgh of Anstruther Easter, and intend to provide a stipend to the minister thereof, they obtaining the said barony of Anstruther and burgh of Anstruther Easter and the inhabitants thereof dismembered from the said kirk and parish of Kilrenny and erection thereof in a separate parish by itself; and therefore desiring the said late general assembly to dismember the said barony of Anstruther and burgh of Anstruther Easter and whole inhabitants thereof from the said burgh† and parish of Kilrenny, and to erect the same in a separate parish by itself, and to appoint and ordain the inhabitants of the said bounds to repair to the said kirk of Anstruther Easter as their parish kirk in all time hereafter for divine service, receiving of the sacraments and to use the kirkyard thereof for burial of their dead. And in the meantime the inhabitants of the said burgh of Anstruther Easter and barony of Anstruther to be reputed and held parishioners of Kilrenny, to receive the benefit of the word and sacraments thereof until the said new kirk of Anstruther Easter be provided of a competent stipend, with provision and declaration that the dismembering of the said burgh of Anstruther Easter and barony of Anstruther from the said kirk of Kilrenny and erecting thereof in a separate parish per se shall not be prejudicial to the said kirk of Kilrenny, nor to the minister and parishioners thereof regarding the implement to them of the decreet of lords commissioners of parliament for surrenders and teinds of the date 29 June 1635, and of the contract passed between Master Colin Adam, minister at Kilrenny, with consent of certain person subscribers thereof on the one part, and the said Sir William Anstruther and the bailies and council of the said burgh of Anstruther Easter mentioned therein, for themselves and in name and on behalf of the remainder of the council and community of the same burgh of Anstruther Easter, on the other part, of the date at Anstruther Easter, 19 May 1636. Which petition and supplication being read in presence of the said assembly was found by the same assembly to be reasonable and referred by them to this present parliament without prejudice of the presbytery and parishioners and others having interest, as an extract of an act of the said assembly of the date foresaid at length bears. And his majesty, with consent of the estates of this present parliament, finding the desire of the said supplication and act foresaid of the said assembly not only to be reasonable but also to be expedient, both for advancement of policy within the said burgh of Anstruther Easter and commodious to the inhabitants of the said burgh of Anstruther Easter and barony foresaid of Anstruther for their ease in repairing to the kirk of God to divine service and for baptism and burial, therefore his majesty, with consent foresaid, has dismembered and, by this act, dismembers the foresaid barony of Anstruther and burgh of Anstruther Easter and whole inhabitants thereof from the said kirk and parish of Kilrenny, and has erected and, by this act, erects the same in a separate parish by itself, and appoints and ordains the inhabitants of the said bounds to repair to the said kirk of Anstruther Easter as their parish kirk in all time hereafter for divine service, receiving of the sacraments and to use the kirkyard thereof for burial for their dead. And in the meantime the inhabitants of the said burgh of Anstruther Easter and barony of Anstruther to be reputed and held parishioners of Kilrenny, to receive the benefit of the word and sacraments there until the said new kirk of Anstruther Easter be provided of a competent stipend, and with the provision and declaration above-specified conceived in favour of the minister and parishioners of Kilrenny regarding the fulfilling to them of the decreet of the commissioners of parliament for surrenders and teinds and contract respectively above-specified.