[1649/1/320]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
The estates of parliament, taking into their consideration the supplication given in to them by George Jamieson, provost of Cupar, showing that these many years bygone the said supplicant has been lying under a very great and unsupportable burden by reason of various great sums of money indebted to him by the public, which, out of his affection to the cause and covenant, were borrowed by him for furnishing great quantities of victual for the use of the armies in England and Ireland preceding the year 1647, extending to the sum of £35,780 13s 4d, according to the account thereof allowed by the committee of estates. For which sum the committee of estates have drawn precepts upon Sir James Stewart [of Kirkfield and Coltness], commissary-general, appointing him to pay the same to the supplicant, as the precept directed relating thereto of the date 27 December last bears, which precept the said Sir James Stewart professes he is in no way able to answer nor to pay any part of the said sum to the supplicant, in respect he is so far overspent in his accounts and has no monies coming in to him, whereby the said supplicant is very far disappointed in his expectation, he and his sons-in-law and other friends who are engaged for him being now put at by their creditors and charged with horning for payment of the sums borrowed by him for furnishing the said victual, so that he and his sons-in-law, who have their whole means in the hands of the public, are now in danger of utter ruin and the loss of their credit if the said estates be not pleased to take some speedy course for his satisfaction. Supplicating therefore that the said estates of parliament might be pleased to take the supplicant's distressed condition to their serious consideration, and to take some real and effectual course for his present payment of the said sum, whereby he and his sons-in-law who are engaged for him may be preserved from ruin; and for that effect that the said estates might be pleased not only to allow to the supplicant the tack duty payable by him for the excise of that part of the sheriffdom of Fife set to him in tack so far as is resting preceding 1 May next in part payment of his said sum, but also to assign to the said supplicant the excise of the sheriffdom of Fife for the time after the said 1 May next until he be fully paid of his said sum and annualrent thereof, as the said supplication at more length bears. Which being remitted by the estates of parliament to the committee of bills to see the same instructed and give their opinion relating thereto, who accordingly having given in their report bearing their humble opinion to be that the said George Jamieson, provost of Cupar, supplicant aforesaid, should be preferred to the tack of the excise of the whole sheriffdom of Fife, both to burgh and landward, after 1 May next, he paying for that as much as any other will do, and that he retains in his own hand the half of the tack duty to be condescended upon until he be paid of the sum indebted to him by the public and annualrent thereof, he paying the other half of the said tack duty for the use of the public. Which opinion the said estates of parliament having taken into their consideration, they have remitted and remit the aforesaid supplication and report above-written to the committee of monies and excise, and have ordained and ordain the said George Jamieson to be preferred to have the tack of the excise, he always giving the sum of 3,200 merks monthly, the one half thereof to the commissary-general and the other half to be retained by him for the use aforesaid, unless some other person offers more for the same.