[1649/5/53]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
The estates of parliament, taking into their consideration the supplication given in by Stephen Bryce in Kittochside, showing that where he being dwelling as tenant to Mr Archibald Fleming, sometime commissary of Glasgow, in the said town of Kittochside, the said Mr Archibald Fleming commanded and would have urged him to have gone out in the late unlawful Engagement; which the said Stephen, out of mere conscience, absolutely refused, as his minister's testimonial did bear; and for fear of compulsion was necessitated to absent himself from his own house for the space of 10 weeks, whereupon the said Mr Archibald Fleming, Robert Anderson and Robert Smith, his tenants, most violently and unmercifully at their own hands did go to the said Stephen's house, he being then absent, and in the night took away his whole livestock, namely: 30 sheep, 3 cows and a heifer, and plundered his house, broke up chests, took out money and all his other plenishing, being all worth 400 merks Scots money and above; and notwithstanding thereof, still sought and pursued himself to have sent him out in the said unlawful Engagement. Likewise the said Stephen of late has often at various times required and desired the said Mr Archibald Fleming to refund to him his goods and gear above-written or prices thereof aforesaid, but received nothing but threatening and menacing words. Therefore humbly craving the said estates of parliament to have consideration of the premises and of his present distress, and to assign and appoint to him some effectual and summary course whereby he may have redress and satisfaction of his great damage and losses above-written, as at more length is contained in the said supplication. Which, with the opinion of the committee of bills, being reported to the estates of parliament, they have remitted and remit the same to the committee of war of the sheriffdom of Lanark, to whom the same was solemnly recommended, and have ordained and ordain the said committee of war to take special consideration of the supplicant's condition and whole heads of his supplication; and give power to them to investigate and try the same, and to ordain the said Mr Archibald Fleming to pay to the supplicant what shall be justly due to him, and to allow to him whatsoever maintenance or other public dues the supplicant has paid out as tenant to the said Mr Archibald Fleming. And ordain the said Mr Archibald to attend the diets of the committee, either by himself or some other for him, otherwise the said committee of war to proceed as if the said Mr Archibald were present, he always being lawfully cited for that effect. And ordain the said committee of war to make report to the parliament or committee of estates between now and 1 July next to come, with power to the said committee of estates, in case of the parliament not sitting, to determine therein and to modify expenses to the supplicant.