[1643/6/71]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Forasmuch as our sovereign lord, the king's majesty, with advice and consent of the lords commissioners of his majesty's treasury and exchequer, by his majesty's letter under the great and privy seals of the date at York, 7 May 1642, gave and granted full power and commission to his majesty's right trusty cousin and councillor, John [Campbell], earl of Loudoun, lord Mauchline and Tarrinzean, lord high chancellor of this kingdom, enduring all the days of his lifetime to sell, alienate and convey, with consent and assent of any two of his majesty's exchequer, to and in favour of whosoever his majesty's subjects, heritors or liferenters of lands, their heirs and assignees, all and whole the annuity of teinds due to his majesty and his successors out of their lands and teinds for the payment of 10 years' purchase, with the arrears of the said annuity resting owed unpaid by them, subtracting always to them one third part of the said arrears resting unpaid, which his majesty of his gracious favour has remitted to the buyers of the said annuities and with such further deduction as the said earl of Loudoun shall think fit and expedient, with consent of any two of his majesty's exchequer, to grant to the said buyers in manner and upon the provisions contained in the said letter of commission. Likewise his majesty, by the said letter of commission passed under the great and privy seals of the date aforesaid, has given and granted full power to the said John, earl of Loudoun, his heirs and assignees, to uplift and receive the said annuity of teinds of all years and terms bygone and yearly in time coming for the space of 19 years, and further always until the said earl's intromission with the said annuity of teinds, or with the prices of the said annuity to be sold to his majesty's subjects, make up and extend to the sum of £20,000 sterling and interest thereof, which his majesty is resting to his familiar servant, James Livingstone, keeper of his majesty's privy purse, to whom the said earl is bound by express warrant and provision of the said commission to pay the same, as in the said letter of commission of the date aforesaid at more length is contained. Likewise the lords of exchequer, by their act of the date at Edinburgh, 27 June 1642, ordained letters of publication at the market cross of Edinburgh and other letters, according to the acts of commission, exchequer, convention and acts of parliament made relating thereto, as the said act in itself at more length purports; and the said estates of this present convention, having maturely considered the said commission, together with the order prescribed by the said lords of exchequer for selling of the said annuity of teinds or uplifting of the same, and thereupon also that the said John, earl of Loudoun, lord chancellor, has contented and satisfied the said James Livingstone of the said sum of £20,000 sterling and interest thereof due to him, and has purchased and acquired from the said James Livingstone his right of the said sum of £20,000 sterling and interest thereof due to him out of the said annuities of teinds or prices thereof; whereby the said earl of Loudoun, his heirs and assignees have good and undoubted right by the laws of this kingdom in and to the said annuity of teinds and prices thereof until they be fully paid and satisfied of the said sum of £20,000 sterling and yearly interest thereof of all years bygone and to come; therefore the said estates have of certain knowledge ratified and approved, likewise by this act they ratify and approve the said letter of commission, with the said act of exchequer made for selling the said annuities of teinds or for uplifting of the same, together with the letter of gift granted by his majesty to the said James Livingstone, his heirs and assignees of the said annuity of teinds, with the rights and dispositions of the same made by the said James to the said earl of Loudoun and his aforesaids in the whole heads and articles thereof; and ordain letters of publication of this act at the market cross of Edinburgh and other places needful.
[1643/6/72]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
The which day Mr Robert Meldrum produced and exhibited before the convention of estates an answer from the houses of the parliament of England to the instructions committed to him by the said estates, whereof the tenor follows:
We, the lords and commons in parliament, having considered the propositions presented to us by Mr Robert Meldrum according to certain instructions given to him by the convention of the estates of the kingdom of Scotland, dated 17 July 1643, do in that particular matter discern many experiences of their brotherly affection to this kingdom and nation and Christian compassion of the great calamites and wants which at this time lies upon us, for which we return them hearty thanks.
And because we find ourselves by these troubles not only disabled to support the necessary charges of the war against the rebellion of the papists in Ireland, to discharge the arrears and growing pay due to the Scottish army there and other expenses incident therein, but even deprived of sufficient and competent means to defend ourselves in the war raised against us by the papists, prelatical faction and other malignants of this kingdom,
We have taken it into our serious consideration how we might give our brethren of that nation most speedy and effectual satisfaction, and do desire that honourable assembly of the estates of the kingdom of Scotland to take notice that before the arrival of Mr Meldrum, we had appointed John [Manners], earl of Rutland, [Sir] William [Grey], lord Grey of Wark, Sir William Armine, baronet, Sir Henry Vane, knight, Thomas Hatcher and Henry Darnley, esquires, committees and commissioners of both houses of parliament to the estates and kingdom of Scotland, [...] which are already on their way there, and have enabled these committees and commissioners, or any three of them, with ample instructions in our name, to treat, agree and conclude all questions, doubts and demands concerning the remainder of the brotherly assistance, the arrears and future pay of that army, the continuance or removal of the same and other matters mentioned in their propositions received from Mr Meldrum.
As for the other particulars, we shall earnestly endeavour so far as our public pressing necessities will give us leave to make speedy payment to Sir William Dick [of Braid] of the remainder of the brotherly assistance due in June 1642, to Mr Thomas Cunningham and his factors the money due for the arms he has sent into Scotland, that Alexander Finlon and Archibald Hamilton may be paid the money due to them by a contract made with Walter Scott, the commissary for the victual in Ireland, for which he was engaged as our servant; and as he may justly thereupon claim the privilege of parliament, so we acknowledge that we stand bound both in justice and honour to pay that debt. Similar care shall we have of giving just satisfaction to John Dernie, James Kerr and James Sanderson upon their several demands, entreating our brethren to believe that it is to us most unpleasing that any particular person of that nation should undergo any loss, much more their ruin and undoing, by reason of our troubles and necessities, which as we shall earnestly by all means seek to prevent, so if that cannot be done, we hope God will in his good time give us means to recompense.
We have further directed and enabled those commissioners to treat and conclude upon sundry other propositions and requisites to be presented from us to the states and kingdom of Scotland concerning the deliverance of this kingdom from the present dangers and calamities, and securing the kingdom of Scotland from similar dangers and calamities, both being the objects of the cruelty and malice of the same enemies; to which desires of ours we doubt not but our brethren will give such a speedy and satisfactory resolution as may contribute most effectually to the safety and peace of both, and to the prosperity and advancement of the cause in which God himself is so clearly interested for the defence of Christ's truth and the profession of it.
[1643/6/73]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
The estates find and declare that Mr Robert Meldrum has carried himself faithfully and diligently in the commission and instructions whereby he was entrusted from them to the houses of the parliament of England, and exonerate him thereof for ever.