Ratification of the ryghts of the Old Colledge of Aberdeen

Our soveraign lord and estates of this present parliament, remembring and calling to mynd the manifold acts of parliament made by his majesties' predicessors, of worthy memorie, in favors of the old universities of this realme, which are the seminaries of the kirk and policy within the same, and his majestie, being moved with fervent zeal of the propagation and advancement of religion, and with ane earnest love of incress of policie and haveing therewith ane speciall regaird to the education and upbringing of the youth within this kingdom in pietie and learning, and specialy within the north parts of this realme, wherof our soveraign lord's university and King's Colledge in Old Aberdeen hes been speciall instructors for the space of eightscore [and] eightein yeers or therby since the first fundation of the same, and understanding that the said university and colledge wes of old foundit and erected be umquhile King James the fourt, of worthy memory, for serveing the north parts of this realme, and endued by him with most ample priviledges of teaching and professing divinity, cannon and civill lawes, medicine, philosophie and all other laufull faculties and liberall sciences, and als giveing of degrees of baccalaureat, licentiat and doctorat to these that are worthy and capable of the said degrees, in all and sundry the faculties and sciences above exprest, with full pouer and liberty to the persons promoted and graduat in the samen to read, teach, do and exerce all things whatsomever the persons promoted to the same degrees within the university of Paris, in the university of Bononia, or any other university whatsoever may doe or exerce, both in the university wher they receaved ther degrees and als in whatsoever other university ubicunque terrarum absque alio examine vel approbatione, and generally with all and sundry whatsomever other ryghts, priviledges, liberties, immunities and exemptions given and granted to the saids universities of Paris and Bononia, or to any universitie of this realme, or pertaining and belonging to any university or generall study, togither with conservatories specialy ordained and constitut for conserveing and mantaining of the saids ryghts, priviledges, liberties and imunities and exemptions of the said university and colledge, as it is at greater lenth exprest and set doun in the first fundations and erections of the said universitie and King's Colledge of Old Aberdeen of the date jM ivC nynty four and jM ivC nyntie sevin yeers respective, and that the said university and King's Colledge of Old Aberdeen wer of old gifted and doted by the said umquhile King James the fourt, of worthy memory, and by the bishops of Aberdeen, and certane others his majesties' subjects, with the kirks and benefices, patronages, personages and viccarages therof, lands and anualrents following, mortified, united, annexed and incorporat therto viz, the personage and viccarage of Aberluthnot; the personage and viccarage of Glenmuck and Glengairden; the personage and viccarage of Slaines; the personage and viccarage of Snaw; the personage and viccarage of Auchindoir; the viccarage of Tullinestin, togither with the patronages of the saids kirks; the half toune and lands of Drumlugus; the toune and lands of Adier, Balmaketle, Collynie and Andate, Berrihill, [and] Mundurno; certane crofts and tenements of land lyand in the east and west territories of New Aberdeen; ane anualrent of tuentie punds out of the baronie of Balhelvie; nyntein merks out of the waters of Bamf; tuelf punds, six shillings [and] eight pennyes yeerly furth of the lands of Ord, Mowbray, Blairshinno and Pittinbrunyeounes in Boyne; ane anualrent of fyve punds out of the lands of Udoch; ane anualrent of four punds yeerly furth of the lands of Pettie; the lands of the hospitall of St Germans, with the haill fruits, rents and duties whatsoever belonging therto, wherever the samen beis or lyes within this realme; the lands wherupon the said colledge is founded, with the yeards, crofts and haill precinct of the same, with the mansses, yeards and crofts of the cannonists, civilists, mediciners and grammarians of the said university and colledge, and others particularly specified and contained in the old fundations of the said university and colledge chartors and donations of the samen, of severall dates respective, which priviledges and liberties, with the saids old fundations and mortifications, wer afterward ratified and approven be umquhile King James the fyft, of worthie memory, in the yeer of God jM vC [and] tuentie sevin, and be his royall daughter umquhile Queen Marie, of blissed memory, in the yeer of God 1562 yeers, and be umquhile King James the sixt, of worthie memory, be ane act of his parliament holdin in the yeer of God 1617 yeers, and lastly be his majesties' umquhile dearest father King Charles the first, of worthie memory, be ane act of his parliament holden in the yeer of God 1633; and lykwyse, that the said umquhile King James the sixt, his heighnes said umquhile goodsir, of worthie memory, haveing consideration and respect that the meanes of the saids old rents and duties, being greatly diminished and impared be diverse alienations and impropriations, and other dilapidations of the samen, wes nowayes able nor sufficient to intertaine in any competent maner or measure the maisters and members of the saids university and colledge as the samen wer first foundit; therfor his majesties' said umquhile dearest goodsir, [in] worthie memory of his majesties' princelie liberalty, love and affection which he had to learning and vertew, and to the mantinance and incress therof within this realme, gave, disponed, united and annexed to the said university and colledge of Old Aberdeen, with speciall consent and assent of all haveing intrest, the kirks, teinds, lands and anwelrents afterspecified, to wit, all and haill the personage and viccarage of St Macher, called the deanry of the cathedrall kirk of Aberdeen, with the haill lands, teinds, fruits, rents, emoluments and dutys pertaining and belonging therto; all and haill the personage of Methlick, Furvie, Peterkirk, called Spittell, or the subchantry of Aberdeen, with the haill mansses, gleebs, rents and duties of the saids kirkes respective, all lying within the diocys of St Andros and Aberdeen respective; togither also with all and sundry kirklands, teinds, anualrents, fewfermes, mansses, gleebs, housses, biggings, yeards and other fruits, rents and emoluments which pertained of befor to the freers Carmilites of Bamf, the chaplanries of Westhall and Fallaroull, the chaplanries of St Magdalens alter, with all and sundry kirklands, teinds, anualrents, fewfermes, mansses, gleebs, houses, biggings, yeards and all other fruits, rents, emoluments and duties whatsoever, which pertained of befor to the saids chaplanries or to the old chaplanries of the said university and colledge of Old Aberdeen, togither with all other lands, housses, biggings, prebends, teinds, anualrents, fewfermes, mansses, gleibs, titles, ryghts, jurisdictions and others whatsoever pertaining and addebted to the said colledge, maisters, regents, bursars and members therof, aither given and granted be his heighnes['s] said umquhile dearest goodsir King James the sixt, of worthy memory, or any others his heighnes['s] most noble progenitors and predicessors kings and qweins of Scotland, their regents or governours for the tyme, or be the bishops of Aberdeen of good memory, or be any others at any tyme of befor, which the said colledge and university hes possest, posseses or any wayes might possess as in his heighnes['s] said umquhile dearest goodsir, of worthy memory, his donations, gifts and dispositions and mortifications therof at mair lenth is contained; which last mortifications and donations granted be his heighnes['s] said umquhile goodsir, of worthy memory, to the said university and colledge wer lykwyse ratified be him be ane act of his said parliament holden in the said yeer of God 1617 yeers, and als be his majesties' said umquhile dearest father Charles the first, of happie memory, be ane act of his said parliament holdin in the yeer of God 1633 yeers. And our soverane lord, following the worthy example of his heighnes['s] most noble progenitors, in ther good affection and love of learning and vertuous education of the youth within this kingdome, and being willing, be all means possible sua far as lyes in his majesties' pouer, to promote vertew, advance the said university and colledge of Old Aberdeen and corroborat the ryghts, titles and securities therof, sua that the same may the more and more florish in learning, discipline and good maners; therfor our soveraign lord, with advyce and consent of the saids estates of parliament, ratifies, allowes and approves and, for his heighnes and his successors, perpetually confermes all and sundry the forsaid old fundations of the said university and colledge of Old Aberdeen, with the haill ryghts, titles, priviledges, immunities, exemptions, jurisdictions, freedoms and liberties of the same, and the haill forsaid donations and mortifications of kirks and benefices, patronages, personages and viccarage therof, lands, fewfermes, anualrents and whatsoever other emoluments or duties gifted and granted to the said university and colledge, aither be his heighnes['s] said umquhile dearest father or goodsir, of worthy memory, or any others his heighnes['s] most noble progenitors, kings or queens of Scotland, their regents or governours for the tyme, or be the said bishops of Aberdeen or any others, in all and sundry the heads, points, articles and clausses, circumstances and conditions therin contained, and after the forme and tenor therof in all points, and wils, grants and declairs that the said university and colledge shall injoy the same, intromet with and uplift the haill lands, teinds, fruits, rents, anualrents, chaplanries and others whatsoever abovespecifit pertaining and belonging therto, and als all other priviledges, immunities, freedoms and exemptions which at any tyme the said university and colledge, or any other university or colledge within or without this realme, bruiks and injoyes or hes bruiked and injoyed in any tyme bygone, or may brook and injoy be vertew of ther ryghts and donations granted unto them heirtofore, and that the forsaid ratification of the said ryghts, specially and generally abovewrittin, shall be of als great strenth, force and effect as if the said haill ryghts wer all at lenth [s]pecialy and particularly therin contained and insert, notwithstanding the samen be not sua done; wheranent and with all other objections, defects and imperfections (if any be), our said soveraign lord and estates of parliament dispensses for ever. And because the deanry and subchantery of Aberdeen, with the personage of Methlick, are united, annexed and incorporat to the said university and colledge, the saids kirks and personages being benefices and members of the chapter of the cathedrall kirk of Aberdeen, and his majestie being nowayes willing that the said chapter be hurt, impaired or depryved of any of the old members and priviledges therof, therfor our said soveraign lord, with advyce and consent forsaid, ratifies and approves the statut and ordinance made be his heighnes['s] royall goodsir, of glorious memory, in his said parliament holdin at Edinburgh the said yeer of God 1617 yeers, ordaining that the said principall of the said colledge for the tyme should in all tyme thereafter be dean of Aberdeen, and that the subprincipall of the said colledge should be subchaner of Aberdeen, and that the eldest regent of the said colledge should be parson of Methlick, they representing, at the least, the saids channons and haveing ther places in chapter in giveing votes and suffrages and subscryveing of takes, infeftments and other wryghts, and thereafter ratified be our said umquhile dearest father in his said parliament holdin in the yeer of God 1633, in all and sundry the heads, points, clausses, articles, circumstances and conditions therin contained, and after the forme and tenor therof in all points, provydeing alwayes that the said colledge and members therof mak and provyde sufficient stipends and provisions to the ministers actualie serveing the cure at the said kirks who are not already sufficiently provyded.

  1. NAS. PA2/29, f.138-140. Back
  2. Sic. Appears this should be 1495. Back
  3. 'Adiell' in APS. Back