[1649/5/220]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Prayers said, rolls called.
The estates of parliament, taking into their consideration that the place of general of artillery is now vacant through the sentence and deprivation lately pronounced against Colonel Alexander Hamilton, late general of artillery, and considering that Colonel James Wemyss has been brought up from his youth in military affairs, and especially in the practice of ordinance and artillery, and that he has given sufficient proof of his skill, experience and abilities for discharging the said office, therefore the said estates of parliament have nominated and appointed and by this act nominate and appoint the said Colonel James Wemyss chief general of artillery and master of the ordinance, arms and ammunition within this kingdom of Scotland during all the days of his lifetime, and ordain the said general of artillery to make a just inventory of all cannons, guns, ammunition, powder, match, ordinance great and small or others whatsoever thereto belonging and pertaining to this kingdom, to the effect the said general of artillery may give to the estates of this kingdom true information of all the warlike instruments within the said kingdom pertaining to the same, and that the said general of artillery do all and sundry other things touching the premises which the former general of artillery or master of the ordinance and ammunition at any time bygone did use and exercise as he shall think fit and expedient. Likewise the said estates of parliament give and grant full power and authority to the said general of artillery by himself and his deputes (for whom he shall be answerable) to visit, view and take inspection of all cannons, guns and ordinance as well as great and small within the whole ships of this kingdom of Scotland, with power and authority to them to take special assurance, caution and security from all masters and mariners of the said ships carrying cannon, guns and warlike equipment and instruments of whatsoever kind, that when they shall go to foreign parts and territories they shall not sell any of the said cannon, guns and warlike instruments to strangers or whatsoever other persons dwelling or having their residence without this kingdom, but that upon their safe return from their voyages they shall bring and report the said cannon and guns to this kingdom and give account thereof to the said general commissioner of artillery and his aforesaids, that any scruple anent the alienation thereof may be removed, and that under the pain of confiscation thereof as shall be thought fit and expedient relating thereto, the one half thereof to appertain to the said estates and the other half to the said general of artillery and his aforesaids. In consideration of the premises and for the great travails and expenses to be had by the said general of artillery in attending the aforesaid service, the said estates have given and granted and by this act give and grant to the said general of artillery a yearly fee of £24 Scots to be paid to him and his assignees aforesaid at two terms in the year, Whitsunday [May/June] and Martinmas [11 November] by equal portions, beginning the first term's payment thereof at the feast and term of [...], and so forth yearly and termly thereafter at the said terms and by equal portions; and ordain the lords commissioners of the treasury, the lords of exchequer and receivers of his majesty's rents for the present and in time coming that they make payment to the said general of artillery and his aforesaids of the said yearly fee of £24 Scots money aforesaid during the space above-written at the terms of payment above-mentioned, and ordain the auditors of the said exchequer accounts upon sight hereof to allow the same to the payers thereof in their accounts. As likewise they command all and sundry captains, keepers and constables having charge of castles and forts that they and every one of them answer and attend and obey the said general of artillery in all and everything touching the premises at all times and as often as they shall be required by him thereto, and that under all highest pain that they or any of them can commit or incur thereupon. And likewise the said estates have given and granted and by this act give and grant to the said Colonel James Wemyss the said office of general of artillery with all honours, dignities, liberties, fees, casualties and others belonging thereto as freely in all respects as the said Colonel Alexander Hamilton has enjoyed and possessed the same in any time before during all the days of his lifetime, and ordain the director of his majesty's chancellery to cause write a gift to the said Colonel James Wemyss of the aforesaid office hereupon under the great seal, and to [John Campbell, earl of Loudoun], lord chancellor, for causing append the said great seal thereto without the passing of any other seals or registers.
[1649/5/221]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
The which day the estates of parliament have ordained and ordain that the owners of the several strengths and houses within this kingdom formerly appointed to give surety for keeping them for the parliament and committee of estates be warned to give such assurance as shall be thought fit by parliament or committee of estates.
[1649/5/222]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
The estates of parliament, having heard the supplication given in to them by Gideon Jack, bailie of Lanark, showing that he being within the burgh of Lanark at the time that the army under the command of James Graham, [earl of Montrose] was in that part of the country, and they having convened at their committee at Lanark, did send for the supplicant to read their declarations, threatening to send him along to James Graham if he did refuse; who did refuse and by God's providence escaped their hands, was necessitated to flee himself to the town of Ayr and afterwards to Carlisle and next to Berwick and thereafter to Philiphaugh, and came to Lanark with some of the said estates of parliament present, his wife, 10 children and 5 servants, with 6 horse, fled to Portpatrick where they lived 10 weeks at great charges; and the enemy, finding he was escaped, broke up his doors and his chests, plundered and took with them his linen, bedclothes and other plenishing being therein and burnt his coffers and chests, dressers and other plenishing; as also ate and destroyed 20 bolls of threshed corn, ate four stacks of oats, peas and hay, took away his beef, meal and other victual out of his cellars. As also the time of the unlawful Engagement, he having chosen rather affliction than to join in the unlawful cause, fled himself from his family, there quartered upon him a lieutenant and a corporal for the space of 20 days, who brought in with them sometimes six and sometimes eight to breakfast, dinner and supper, with their horse, with £6 each day by their maintenance as long as his wife had maintenance to give them, who was forced to disperse her family to four sundry places. And likewise the said army under James Graham broke up his house in Braxfield, plundered the same and banished away his servants, seized upon his horse and other livestock, destroyed his corns, meadows and cut his young planting. And likewise the time of the unlawful Engagement his said house in Braxfield was again broken up and his goods therein plundered, and remained there five weeks, eating and destroying his corns, meadows and cut and destroyed his wood and planting there, through which by these great losses and sufferings the supplicant can scarcely get maintenance for his family and is damnified through this in the sum of £2,524 6s 8d, as the account of the particulars bears. And also these 10 years bygone the supplicant has been still one of the committee of estates and did attend diligently thereupon and had never received (either for himself, his man or his horse) one penny either from the public or the town of Lanark, albeit the supplicant has been at great charges thereby. Therefore humbly supplicating the said estates of parliament seriously to consider the great losses and charges the supplicant has been put to for himself and his family, and how often he has been menaced for being contrary to the late unlawful Engagement, and to provide some way for his reparation as the said estates should think fit, and in the meantime, until reparation be made, to liberate the supplicant's land in Braxfield from maintenance, quarterings and levies of horse and foot, as at more length is contained in the said supplication. Which, with the report of the committee of bills made relating thereto, being taken into consideration, the said estates of parliament find that the supplicant's condition is very hard and that his sufferings have been exceedingly great, occasioned for his constant affection to the cause and covenant, whereof he has given ample and sufficient testimony; and therefore have recommended and seriously recommend the supplicant to the committee of monies, that present and effectual course be taken for his satisfaction of the sum of £2,524 6s 8d of losses and damage sustained by him in manner above-written, the same being instructed to the said committee; and also that consideration be taken of the great charges and expenses he has been at these two years bygone in attending the meetings of parliament and committees and no satisfaction given to him either by the public or the said burgh of Lanark thereof, and that the same be refunded to him in some answerable way according to his attendance and fidelity.