[1661/1/119]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Our sovereign lord and estates of parliament, taking to consideration a supplication given into them by James Arbuthnott in Drumlithie, horseman, John Moncur, servant to James MacMorran, footman, witnesses summoned upon the account of Henry Denniston, Alexander Falconer in Drumlithie, horseman, Patrick MacGregor in Stonehaven, horseman, and Alexander Ogston in Fettercairn, footman, witnesses summoned at the instance of Elizabeth Doughty in Drumlithie, showing that upon 21 February last the supplicants were summoned, at the instance of the said Henry Denniston and Elizabeth Doughty, to compear before the said commissioners on 26 February last, to bear truthful testimony in an exception proposed by Henry Denniston, and that in obedience of the said citation they came to Edinburgh, being 60 miles distant from their own dwellings, and seeing the supplicants had all testified in the cause, nevertheless, the said Henry Denniston refuses to pay his two witnesses above-named for their expenses in their long journey and attendance, and also the said Elizabeth Doughty refused to pay the expenses of the three witnesses above-named summoned upon her account; therefore, craving that the said Henry Denniston might be ordained to pay to the supplicants considerable sums of money for their expenses in attendance in the said cause, as the said supplication at length bears. And this with a report given in by the commissioners for trade and bills, showing that they upon consideration of the said supplication conceived that Henry Denniston should be decreed to pay to each of the foresaid witnesses being horsemen £12 and being footmen £8, which supplication and report being this day heard, seen and considered by the said estates of parliament and they therewith, being well and ripely advised, his majesty, with advice and consent of the said estates of parliament, have approved and hereby approve the foresaid report and decree and ordain the said Henry Denniston to pay the foresaid sums to the several witnesses above-named as aforesaid.