[1681/7/105]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Our soveraign lord, with advice and consent of his estates of parliament, considering the loyaltie of and good service done be William Duff, his majesties' chamberlane in the earledome of Ross, lordship of Ardmannoch, baronie of Delnie and milnetoun of Meddat, to the crown, therefor his majestie, with consent of his saids estates of parliament, be thir presents ratifies, approves and perpetually confirmes to the said William Duff, his airs and assigneyes whatsomever heretablie, ane chartor of the date at Whitehall, the eight day of June jM vjC and eightie-one years instant, proceeding upon a signature, under his majesties' royall hand, whereby our said soveraign lord, with consent of the lords commissionars of his majesties' thesaurie and exchequer of his ancient kingdome of Scotland, gave, granted, disponed and perpetually confirmed to the said William Duff, and his foresaids heretablie, all and haill and all and sundrie the lands and others aftermentioned, viz, all and haill the towne and lands of Drumcudden, with the priviledge of ane alehouse used and wont, and with all and sundrie housses, biggings, yairds, orchyairds, tofts, crofts, pairts, pendicles, mosses, muirs, pasturages and universall pertinents thereof, lyand within the said barony of Delnie, lordship of Ardmannoch and shirrefdome of Inverness, and now within the shirefdome of Ross, of new erect and bounded in maner more fully specified in the said chartor. As also, all and haill the lands of Meikle Allen and Drummeddat, with housses, biggings, yairds, orchyeards, grassings, parks, woods, meadows, marishes, mosses, muirs, pasturages and universall pertinents thereof, pertaining and belonging to the saids lands, or that anywayes shall be found to appertain and belong thereto, lyand within the baronie, lordship, earledome and shirefdome of Ross foresaids, and whilks haill lands and others above specified pertained heretablie of before to the persones mentioned in the said chartor, and fallen and become in his majesties' hands and at his highnes['s] gift and disposition, be vertue of two severall decreits of reduction and improbation obtained at the instance of the said William Duff, as chamberlen foresaid, and of his majesties' advocat for his highnes['s] interest, against the saids persons, before the lords of councill and session, the sixteenth day of November jM vjC and sevintie eight and the tuentie-sexth day of June jM vjC and eightie years, and both of the saids decreits, for not payment of the fewdewties due to his majestie as superior furth of the saids lands and others foresaids, be the rights and infeftments thereof, and likewise for not production of the saids rights and infeftments; and our said soveraign lord, with consent of the saids lords commissioners of his highnes['s] thesaurie and exchequer, dissolved the propertie of the saids lands and others foresaids fra the crowne, and willed, decerned and declared the same to appertain and belong to the said William Duff, and his foresaids, as their owne proper heretage, ever since the obtaining of the saids decreits of reduction and improbation, and heretablie in all time comeing, and accepts and receaves the said William Duff, and his foresaids, in immediat, heretable tennents and vassells to his majestie and royall successors in the saids lands and others foresaids for the future, and constituts them his majesties' assigneyes to the maills, fermes, caines, customes, casualities, profites and dewties of the saids lands, alehouse and alehouse crofts with the pertinents since the dates of the saids respective decreits, and in time comeing, with the saids decreits themselves and fewdewties, for which pronunced and all action thereupon competent, with full power to them to intromett with and uplift the saids maills, dewties and casualities aboveassigned from the tennents and possessors of the saids lands and others foresaids intromettors therewith, and to persue therefore, sett and raise tennents, use warning, prosecute, removeing and to doe what else the heretors and others haveing right to the saids lands and others foresaids might have done in the premisses before the said eviction, or as his majestie might doe therein at any time sincesyne, and decernes and ordaines ane seasing to be taken by the said William Duff, and his foresaids, in all time comeing, at the mannor place or duelling house of Drumcudden, or on the ground of any pairt of the lands thereof or of the other lands abovespecified, to be sufficient for the whole, notwithstanding of their discontiguitie and without respect to any other place designed by the originall rights and infeftments of the same for taking of seasing; anent all which his majestie, with consent foresaid, dispenses [and] to be holden the saids haill lands, alehouse and others foresaids, with the pertinents, to the said William Duff and his foresaids, heretablie of our said soveraign lord and his royall successors, as superiors, in fie and heretage for ever, by all rights, meithes and merches of the same old and divised, and as the samen lyes in length and breadth, and with the other priviledges particularly and generallie mentioned in the said chartor, giveand therefore yearlie, the said William Duff and his foresaids, to his majestie and royall successors, superiors abovespecified, the fewdewties and other dewties mentioned in the said chartor, and at the termes of payment therin exprest, all herein holden as for exprest brevitatis causa. And further his majestie, with consent foresaid, ratified, approved and perpetually confirmed to the said William Duff, and his foresaids, the saids two decreits of reductions and improbation with the summonds and executions thereof, acts and remanent grounds and warrands whereupon the same proceeded, in the haill heads, articles and clauses thereof, and willed, decerned and declared the said generall confirmation to be als valide and sufficient and of als great force, strength and effect, to all intents and purposes, as if the saids decreits, summonds, executions, grounds and warrands thereof were word by word insert in the said chartor, and that the production of the saids decreits and chartor abovewritten, in all judgments and actions, yea in improbations themselves, to be als valide and sufficient as if the said summonds, executions, acts and warrands were therewith produced, albeit not so done, and notwithstanding the saids summonds, executions, acts and other warrands be hereafter lost and destroyed; whereanent and with all that may follow thereupon, or that can anywayes be objected against the said chartor, his majestie, with consent foresaid, dispensed for ever, togither with the precept of seasing contained in the said chartor and instrument of seasing following or competent to follow thereupon, in the haill heads, articles and clauses thereof. And our said soveraign lord, with consent of his saids estates of parliament, be thir presents decernes and ordaines this present generall ratification to be als valide and sufficient and of alse great force, strength and effect to the said William Duff, and his foresaids, for all intents and purposes, as if the said chartor and seasing were word by word herein insert, albeit not so done; whereanent and with all nullities, wants and imperfections of the said chartor, his majestie, with consent of his estates of parliament, be thir presents dispenses for ever. And of new hereby, for the causes abovespecified, dissolves the propertie of the saids lands and others foresaids from the crown and likewise of new gives, grants and dispones the same in favours of the said William Duff, and his foresaids, heretablie as said is, to be holden of his majestie and royall successors, as superiors, for payment of the dewties above exprest.