[A1641/8/72]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Complaint by [Alexander Stewart], earl of Galloway against the town of Wigtown and inhabitants thereof
To the king's most excellent majesty and to the estates of parliament, the complaint of the Earl of Galloway against the town of Wigtown and inhabitants thereof as follows:
First, the said Earl of Galloway, complainer, that the said town of Wigtown yearly raises their measures to the great prejudice of him and his tenants. And notwithstanding that they are charged to receive the prick measure, according to the act of parliament, yet they will make no use of the same, nor will give it out to any other in the country, although both the said earl and others have earnestly desired the said measure from them; but keeps a measure which they yearly raise to the great hurt of his majesty's lieges within that sheriffdom, and to the great hurt of the said earl and his tenants in particular.
Secondly, the said town of Wigtown send some five or six young idle fellows in their town, which none of their honest men will take in hand to do, and of all goods coming through the country from Ireland, or any other goods in the country whatsoever as cattle, horses, sheep, meal, malt or any other goods (although the same come not near their town but going to Dumfries, Ayr, Kirkcudbright, Glasgow or other burghs), the said town of Wigtown exact a custom off them although they be out of the sheriffdom or within it, such as pleases them to exact, to the great oppression and harm of his majesty's subjects, so that commerce with other burghs is mightily hindered.
3. The said town of Wigtown has altered their customs in their markets and fairs in an exorbitant measure, to the great hurt and damage of his majesty's lieges and in special of the said earl, his tenants and servants who repairs thereto. In so far as where they or any other have been ever in use to pay only 2s Scots money for every horse that came to the market of Wigtown, now they have doubled the said custom and exact 4s. And where they paid only 12d Scots for every cow that came to the said market to be sold, now they are forced to pay the double, which is tuppence. And where they only were in use to take 12d Scots from each merchant that repaired to the said market, now they exact 2s Scots. And for every sack of malt, meal or other victual where they were in use to pay only 12d, now they are forced to pay 2s.
4. The town of Wigtown send yearly some five or six young men of their town through the whole country and take from every brewing house, and in particular in the said Earl of Galloway's lands, 1 merk Scots money, together with their dinner, to the value of 4 or 5 merks at least in addition to the merk of silver, to the great hurt and oppression of his majesty's poor lieges within that country. And they call the same exaction by the name of a deanrie, which is not used in any other of this kingdom.
5. In the year of God 163[...], Alexander MacCullan in Whithorn, tenant to the said earl, having come to Patrick Hannay, bailie of Wigtown, and shown him that Robert MacKie, burgess of Wigtown, was due to him certain sums of money whereof he would make him no payment and therefore desired the said bailie to do him justice, the said Robert MacKie, in presence of the said bailie, ran upon the said Alexander MacCullan, and with a great key which was in his hand he felled the said Alexander MacCullan to the ground, to the great effusion of his blood, and gave him many sore and heavy strikes with his feet and hands so that he was not able for a quarter of a year thereafter to go about his affairs. And notwithstanding of the said wrong done by the said Robert MacKie to the said Alexander MacCullan, in presence of the said bailie, the said Patrick Hannay, bailie, as allowing all the wrong that he had got done to him because he was the said earl's servant, caused put him in the tolbooth and suffered the said Robert MacKie, who did the wrong, to escape.
6. John Dunbar, town clerk of Wigtown, in the year of God 163[...] went under cloud of night accompanied with some men and women to the said earl's lands of the Coitland and came to the house of one John MacClowie, the said earl's servant there, and violently and masterfully stripped the house and being within, broke up the door and let in his associates, knocked and struck the said poor old man most grievously to the great effusion of his blood, frightened his old poor sick wife in the midst of her own fire and held her down until the most part of all her clothes were burnt off her and her skin and flesh pitifully burnt and scalded. And without any order of law brought away from them a cow, whereof he never made restitution as yet, which is manifest seizure and oppression, not to be suffered to escape unpunished, to the terror of others to commit the like.
Therefore humbly beseeches your lordship to consider upon the foresaid grievances and oppressions, that strict course may be taken for redress thereof and a way found whereby the said Earl of Galloway and his tenants and servants and others of his majesty's lieges may be freed and secured of the like oppression in time coming.