[Supplication of William Brown of Dolphinton and his tenants for their present subsistence]

Supplication William Brown of Dolphinton and his tenants†

Read to committee for monies

To the lords and others of this present high and honourable court of parliament, the humble supplication of William Brown of Dolphinton and his tenants, †tyranized over and cruelly oppressed by those who pressed the late unlawful Engagement etc.

Humbly shows,

That we, for our constant adherence to the covenant and cause of God, have sustained most grievous, weighty and pressing burdens since the beginning of May last, first, by those who carried on the late unlawful Engagement by cessing, plundering, striking, wounding, taking children from the cradle and violently detaining them until they were redeemed by money and various other inhumane and unparalleled acts of oppression, whereby our losses amounts to £2,000 or thereby. Next, by the great burden of transient quarters, we lying on the highway of the army's march, who dealt the more rigorously with us, knowing our dislike of them and their ways, which quarterings and money exacted by them stands us £1,000. Likewise, by quarterings of a part of the English army, we were sustained damages of £480, by all which we are grievously burdened and exhausted, the valued rent of our poor parish being but £1,000 a year and our losses in this short time extending to £3,480. Which was represented to the honourable committee of estates and referred by them to a committee that should have sat for causes of that nature, and there being nothing done herein, therefore we do most humbly beseech your lords in your wisdom and zeal to find out some effectual way for repairing our grievous and heavy losses and easing our burdens, that we may be a little revived, who otherwise may be discouraged, sink and be disabled to contribute to and advance the public work in time coming. Your lords' comfortable answer humbly expect.

Your supplicant, William Brown

The commission appoints Mr James Hamilton, Mr Mungo Law, Mr Alexander Livingstone, Mr Alexander Colville and Mr Robert Burnett to assist William Brown's supplication.

  1. NAS. PA7/6, no.58. Back
  2. This petition is also dated 'January 1649', presumably the date of its submission. Back
  3. The remainder of this clause is in a different hand from the rest of the text. Back