[1661/1/79]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Our sovereign lord considering that it appertains to his highness's care to oversee all universities, colleges and seminaries of learning within this his ancient kingdom of Scotland, and that it conduces very much for the advancing of religion, preventing and suppressing of schism and heresy in the church and for stirring up and inciting all ranks and conditions of people therein to their due obedience and allegiance to his majesty, their righteous prince, that sober, learned, well-qualified and loyal persons be established and maintained as professors, masters and members in the said universities, colleges and schools, and forasmuch as it is informed that, during these troubles, diverse abuses have crept into the universities and upon pretence of former visitation, diverse honest and able masters and others have been thrust out of their places and others placed therein, the rents and mortifications of the universities have been dilapidated, impropriated or misapplied, the foundations violated, the youth trained up in principles of disloyalty and schism, discipline and order has been neglected and many other abuses to the prejudice of religion, the king's majesty's interest and interest of the universities. For remedy whereof, our sovereign lord, with advice and consent of his estates of parliament, gives full power and commission to John [Middleton], earl of Middleton, his majesty's commissioner, William [Cunningham], earl of Glencairn, lord chancellor, Gilbert [Hay], earl of Erroll, William [Keith], earl Marischal, John [Erskine], earl of Mar, Charles [Gordon], earl of Aboyne, Alexander [Falconer], lord [Falconer of] Halkerton, [Andrew Fraser], lord Fraser, Alexander [Forbes], lord [Forbes of] Pitsligo, Sir Archibald Primrose of Chester [and Carrington], lord register, Sir John Fletcher, lord advocate, Sir George MacKenzie of Tarbat, Colonel George Keith [of Aden], Sir Gilbert Ramsay of Balmain, elder, Walter Ogilvie of Boyne, elder, Sir Alexander Carnegie of Pittarrow, elder, Sir John Urquhart of Cromarty, Sir George Kinnaird of Rossie, Alexander Bannerman of Elsick, elder, [Robert] Graham of Morphie, younger, [...], provost of Aberdeen, Mr James Sharp, Mr George Haliburton, Mr David Strachan, Mr John Paterson, Mr Alexander Gordon, minister at Forgue, Mr James Chalmers, Mr Alexander Ross, minister at Monymusk, and Mr William Keith at Udny, or any nine of them, the lord commissioner, lord chancellor or the Earl Marischal being always one, to be commissioners for the universities and colleges of Aberdeen, with power to them to appoint the times and places of their meetings and to give furth orders and precepts for summoning the whole masters and members of the university to appear before them, at such days as they shall think fit, and there to call for production of the respective foundations, rentals and mortifications of the colleges thereof, with the registers of the rectorial meetings, and to examine if the business of the university has been carried on accordingly, and how the rents and mortifications have been employed since the year 1648, and to take such course and give out such orders thereupon as they shall think just. With power also to them to try and consider the process of such as have been put from their charges, and the admissions and carriage of such as have been put in since that time, and accordingly, as they shall find just, to remove such as have been imposed or put into honest men's places, and otherwise to punish them as they shall find their carriage to have deserved during their stay and exercise of these places. As also, with power to them to take into consideration all such persons as they shall find to have been unjustly put out and to restore them to their former services, or put them in any other place of the college as shall be thought fit, and those who are to be put in any place of the new college to be put in by the Earl Marischal, conforming to his rights, and generally with power to them to take trial of all abuses, enormities and corruptions of the said university or any of the masters or members thereof, to censure delinquents, redress grievances, order the disposal of the rents of the college, the studies of the youth and the professions therein, and to do all other things for the good of the university that, by the law or custom, has or might have been done in any visitations formerly granted, firm and stable holding and for to hold what shall be done by the said commissioners in prosecution of this commission, which is to endure for a year, and until such time as it is discharged by his majesty and his privy council.