[1646/11/246]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
The which day Sir Adam Hepburn of Humbie, for himself and on behalf of the other commissioners sent from the parliament to Newcastle to the king's majesty for representing to his highness the particulars contained in the commission and instructions given to them, and for distributing with advice of the general officers of the army and governor of Newcastle the £200,000 sterling that came down from London to the army, according to the commission and instructions given to them relating thereto, produced and exhibited in parliament the act underwritten, whereof the tenor follows: At Alnwick, 6 February 1647. Forasmuch as we are entrusted and authorised by the parliament for distributing the £200,000 sterling come from London proportionally amongst all the regiments of the army, horse and foot, who have served in England, as well as those who have been broken in the service as those who are yet standing; and being also entrusted and authorised to give proportional share not only to the living but to the widows and orphans of the dead who served in England, therefore, having already appointed a due proportion for all the dead officers and taking into consideration how we might best acquit ourselves in the discharge of that duty, which in appointing some proportional payment for the lame and widows and orphans of the dead soldiers, after special advice had with the general officers of the army relating thereto, have nominated and appointed the sum of £5,000 sterling to be distributed amongst the lame soldiers and the widows and orphans of the dead; and considering that it is impossible to attain to a just and exact account of the names and number of the aforenamed soldiers and of their widows and others having interest in them, do, after serious pondering of the lame and slain of the regiments that come from the several shires, nominate and appoint the proportion following, namely: for the sheriffdoms of Aberdeen and Banff - £120 sterling; sheriffdom of Kincardine - £100 sterling; sheriffdom of Forfar - £250; sheriffdom of Perth - £600; sheriffdoms of Fife and Kinross - £750; sheriffdoms of Stirling and Clackmannan - £200; sheriffdom of Lanark - £300; sheriffdoms of Renfrew and Ayr proportionally amongst them - £900; sheriffdom of Wigtown and stewartry of Kirkcudbright - £350; sheriffdom of Dumfries - £200; sheriffdom of Peebles - £50; sheriffdom of Berwick - £200; sheriffdom of Roxburgh and Selkirk - £350; sheriffdom of Haddington - £260; the burgh of Edinburgh - £50; sheriffdom of Linlithgow - £60; sheriffdom of Edinburgh to landward - £260; total - £5,000. Which proportion we ordain to be delivered to the present commissioners of the parliament or any of them of each shire and burgh who upon the receipt thereof shall give notes to the effect after-specified and give warning to the several presbyteries in their respective bounds for causing every minister of their number to bring in to the presbytery from their several sessions an exact roll of all common soldiers belonging to their several parishes of the regiments, companies, troops of horse or foot above-named that have been lamed or are dead in the service, and that this roll shall be testified by any of the officers of the field, captain or rutmaster under whom they served, to be revised and approved by the several presbyteries respectively and made use of as follows: that is to say each presbytery of every shire shall choose a ruling elder of their number to whom the same shall be delivered, which ruling elders are hereby authorised to meet with the commissioners of parliament of the several shires and burghs at the head burgh of the shire or stewartry of Kirkcudbright upon a day appointed by the said commissioners immediately after the receipt of the presbytery's diligence made to these commissioners, and in the said meeting, one or more, as they shall find expedient, of the commissioners of the shires and burghs and these elders shall distribute the sum appointed for their shires proportionally amongst the several presbyteries according to the number contained in the rolls; and the rules of the proportion to be as follows, namely: each soldier as he served on horse or foot to have proportionally according to his standing in the service, allowing as much for the first six months from January 1644 to the month of June thereafter as for 15 months thereafter; and although we trust and be confident that in a business of this nature every man will be faithful and diligent as he would shun the curse of the almighty God and procure his blessing, who is a defender of the poor, fatherless and of widows, yet for observing order and regulating enormities (if any shall be) it is hereby appointed that all the committees and presbyteries aforesaid shall make report of their diligence to the parliament or committee of estates or any nominated by them to that effect. And we do hereby further declare that none who were runaways or who have at any time joined with the enemy shall have the benefit of this article. Signed thus, [Alexander Leslie, earl of] Leven, [Alexander Lindsay, lord] Balcarres, David Leslie, J. Hepburn, [Sir Thomas] Ruthven of Freeland, James Holburne, William Glendinning [of Gelstoun]. Which act, being publicly read in audience of the parliament and the same, with the particular division and distribution mentioned therein, heard and considered by the estates of parliament, they ratify, approve and allow the same in the whole particular heads and articles thereof in all points according to the tenor of the said act with the procedure of the committee relating thereto, and do hereby interpose the authority of parliament thereto and ordain the same to have the force, strength and effect of an act of parliament; and return hereby public thanks to the army; and this present act to be printed and published.