[A1662/5/5]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
To the right honourable the lord commissioner, his grace, and honourable court of parliament, the humble petition of Elizabeth Douglas, the distressed widow of the deceased Mr Harry Elliott, minister at Bedrule, and of his seven poor children.
Humbly shows,
That where the said Mr Harry Elliott, your poor supplicant's husband and father to the forenamed poor children, for his loyalty, affection and duty to his prince during his lifetime (as is well-known to many of your lords and honourable court of parliament, but especially to some of the most reverend archbishops and bishops) suffered so much persecution and affliction for maintaining and defending his majesty's royal interest and prerogatives in his pulpit, at home and abroad, both publicly and privately, praying for and maintaining his majesty's forces at the expedition of 1648, that he was driven from his charge and his stipend and benefice taken from him, as is well-known; through which in his own time he lived in a most dejected, miserable, sad and cast down condition, and your poor supplicants, his wife and children, left in a most sad condition, that had it not been the charity of some faithful, loyal and well wishing Christians, they had quite famished and been never able to have subsisted, and now are left in a starving condition. Therefore may it please your grace and honourable court of parliament to take the premises, with the sufferings and sad condition of your poor distressed supplicant, into your serious consideration, and accordingly grant them such help and supply as in your grace and honourable parliament's gracious prudence you shall think fit. For which your supplicants (as in duty bound) shall ever pray.
Edinburgh, 22 May 1662
The lords of the articles recommends the petitioners to the estates of parliament for a part of the vacant stipends to be paid to them as they shall think reasonable.
[William Cunningham, earl of] Glencairn, chancellor, in the presence of the lords
Edinburgh, 8 July 1662
£100 sterling modified to the supplicants out of the vacant stipends.
Glencairn, chancellor, in the presence of the lords of parliament
The estates of parliament taking into their consideration the great sufferings of the deceased Mr Harry Elliott, sometime minister of Bedrule, for his loyalty and affection to his late sacred majesty; and that for the same and his preaching and praying for encouraging and the success of that honourable Engagement in the year 1648, he was by the then prevailing party thrust from the function of his ministry at the kirk of Bedrule in the year 1649. Therefore the king's majesty and estates of parliament do modify and ordain the sum of £100 sterling to be paid to Elizabeth Douglas, widow of the said Mr Harry, on behalf of herself and children out of the first and readiest of the vacant stipends; and ordain Mr John Wilkie, collector of the vacant stipends, to make payment to her of the same accordingly.