Act of maintenance for the moneth of July

6 August 1649

The estates of parliament, having considered the dangers which threatens this kingdom, both in respect of intestine and forraign enemies, and being informed that many of these who have been most active in the late Engagement against England are still upon designs and attempts to involve this kingdom in new troubles, withall having certain intelligence of iminent dangers to the cause and covenant and this kingdom from abroad, and being obliged in discharge of the trust committed to them to take care of the safety of the kingdom as they resolve for themselves to use all lawfull meanes and peaceable wayes to prevent these dangers, so they have thought fit to keep up such a number of forces as may preveen these dangers, and for maintaining of the samen, to prorogate and continue the monethly maintenance for the moneth of July last bypast, as the samen was imposed upon the valued rents of this kingdom, the moneths imediately preceding February last, and therefore statutes and ordaines that ilk burgh and shire within this kingdom are and shall be lyable and obliged in payment of the particular summes of mony underwritten for the said moneth of July, and that betwixt and the fifteen day of August instant, and ordaines the samen to be payed to Sir James Stuert of Kirkfield, prowest of Edinburgh, thesaurer of the army and collector generall of the said maintenance, or his deputies or subcollectors, and that the sumes to be payed by the severall shires and burghs for the said moneth of July be as follows, viz: Orknay of monethly maintenance payes, 1,143 l.; Innernesse, 4,176 l.; Caithnesse, 945 l.; Cromerty, 99 l.; Sutherland, 423 [l.]; Nairne, 315 l.; Elgine, 1,890 l.; Aberdeen, 6,543 l.; Banff, 1,431 l.; Kincardin, 1,566 l.; Forfar, 5,004 l.; Pearth, 8,001 l.; Fife, 6,642 l.; Stirling, 2,538 l.; Kinrose, 144 l.; Clackmannan, 522 l.; Edinburgh, 4,167 l.; Linlithgow, 1,746 l.; Haddingtoun, 3,384 l.; Bervick, 3,555 l.; Roxburgh, 5,778 l.; Selkirk, 1,278 l.; Peebles, 1,638 l.; Lanerk, 5,382 l.; Air, 6,066 l.; Wigtoun and stuartry of Kirkcudbright, 4,374 l.; Drumfries, 4,446 l.; Renfrew, 2,205 l.; Dumbarton, 1,233 l.; Argyle, 2,907 l.; Bute, 459 l. Follows the sumes payable by the brughs for the said moneth of July, conform to their taxt rolls, viz: Edinburgh, 5,175 l.; Perth, 810 l.; Dundie, 1,200 l.; Aberdeen, 1,512 l.; Stirling, 240 l.; Linlithgow, 324 l.; Saint Andrews, 780 l.; Glasgow, 1,530 l.; Air, 342 l.; Hadingtoun, 324 l.; Dysert, 270 l.; Kircaldie, 600 l.; Montrosse, 324 l.; Couper, 216 l.; Anstrutherester, 180 l.; Drumfries, 270 l.; Innernesse, 450 l.; Brichen, 120 l.; Irving, 252 l.; Elgine, 135 l.; Jedbrugh, 126 l.; Kirkcudbright, 80 l.; Wigtoun, 135 l.; Pittinweem, 120 l.; Dumfermling, 162 l.; Dumbartan, 162 l.; Renfrew, 90 l.; Lanerick, 162 l.; Aberbrothock, 81 l.; Bruntiland, 216 l.; Peebles, 108 l.; Carraill, 216 l., Kinghorne, 108 l.; Tayne, 90 l.; Selkirk, 126 l.; Anstrutherwester, 54 l.; Culrosse, 90 l.; Dumbar, 180 l.; Bamff, 72 l.; Whithorne, 45 l.; Forfar, 27 l.; Rothessay, 60 l.; Forres, 54 l.; Rutherglen, 45 l.; Northberwick, 36 l.; Cullan, 27 l.; Narne, 36 l.; Lauder, 45 l.; Innerkething, 90 l.; Kilrinnie, 27 l.; Annand, 30 l.; Lochmaben, 18 l.; Sanquhar, 27 l.; Galloway, 9 l.; Dingwall, 18 l.; Quee[n]sferrie, 108 l.; Dornock, 10 l. And for the better ingathering and collecting whereof, the saids estates of parliament allowes to the collector of maintenance and clerk of collection appoynted by him the same allowance they had formerlie, and siclike to all collector deputs and clerks, one or more in each shire, to be nominate by the committee of war thereof, betwixt the [...] day of [...] instant, such fees as the committees of shires shall allow not exceeding the former allowance, which collector deputes shall find caution to the generall collector; wherein if the committees of war shall fail, the generall collector after the day foresaid to appoynt his own subcollector in the shires, and that the said subcollectors shall be comptable to the committees of war of their intromission with all publick dues to be uplifted by them, and how the samen are given out and employed without prejudice of their making compt and payment to the generall collector of the maintenance due by the shires, the brughs being alwayes free of the saids fees. And the saids estates ordains that the letters and charges to follow upon this act for payment of the said moneth of July last bypast shall be raised and directed at the instance of the said Sir James Stuart against the sub-collectors of shires, magistrates of burghs and at the instance of the collectors of shires and magistrates of brughs respective against the sub-collectors of paroches, heretors, fewers, life-renters and others indepted in payment of their severall proportions of the saids moneths maintenance now imposed. And with power to the said Sir James Stewart that if any shire or burgh be deficient in payment of their partes of the said moneth of July, to employ any forces that shal happen to be upon the bounds for the time or in the next neighboring bounds adjacent therto for uplifting of the maintenance of the said moneth of July last bypast from the deficient shires, burghs and paroches, which troops are to receive their entertainment from the deficients at the ordinary rates beside the payment of their maintenance; and the saids troops or parties shall not be employed to quarter upon the deficients till first there be six dayes warning given to the deficients or at the parish kirks where there lands lyable for the said maintenance lies. And it is hereby ordained that the committees of war in the severall shires shall be aiding and assisting to the said generall collector herein for inbringing of the saids moneths maintenance. And in regard of the prorogating of the foresaid maintenance on the shires and burghs for the said moneth of July, it is statute and ordained by the estates of parliament that every debtor shall have retention from the creditor of one and an halfe of each hundred for one years annual rent proportionally for the said moneth of July lastbypast, so that the debtor shall be lyable in payment of six merks 6 s. 8 d. of annual rent of each hundred merks of stock proportionably according to the said moneth. And in regard of the present distressed condition of the sheriffdoms of Argyle and Bute, the estates do exeem the whole sheriffdom of Argyle from payment of the said moneths maintenance of July last bypast, except the lands of Morven, Ardgour, Kingerloch and the iles of Mule, Terie, Cole, Icolumkelne, Muk and Rowm, the maintenance whereof is assigned to Hector Macklean of Torloske for keeping the strength and garison of Barneboil. As also exeemes the sheriffdome of Bute from all payment of the equall half of the said moneths maintenance, and ordaines the said shire of Bute to be onely liable in payment of the other half of the said moneths maintenance, and to be proportionablie payed by the heretors and others lyable in payment thereof through the said whole shire of Bute. As also the estates declares this present act to be but prejudice of the act granted in favors of the town of Innernesse of the fift of January 1647, that any taxations or impositions to be laid on that town be allowed to them in part of their losses conform to the tenor of the said act. And lastly, it is ordained that no suspention be granted but upon consignation, and that all heretors within burghs, pendicles and liberties thereof, shall contribute with them for payment of the maintenance as is contained in the act of the 27 of February 1645. And the estates ordains that the lands and teinds shall pay the foresaid maintenance as they lie locally in shires and burghs, conform to the former acts of maintenance.

  1. Not in manuscript, but from the printed collection of the acts, The acts done and past in the third session of the second Triennall Parliament of our Soveraigne Lord Charles the II, pp.34-37. Back