Judicial proceeding: judgement against James Douglas, earl of Angus, for rebellion

In the name of God, amen. By this present public instrument [it should be] entirely manifest that in the year of the incarnation of our Lord 1445, eighth year of the indiction and 1 July, fifteenth year of the pontificate of the most holy father in Christ and our lord the lord Eugenius IV, pope by divine providence, in the tolbooth of Edinburgh in the presence of our supreme lord the king and the three estates of his realm in full parliament on the aforesaid day, a certain judgement was delivered by the mouth of David Dempster, the dempster of parliament, in this form in the vernacular:

In addition,† that James [Douglas] earl of Angus was lawfully summoned to appear before our sovereign lord the king for crime committed against his majesty and rebellion. Which summons lawfully proved and he various times called and not appeared, the parliament has decreed and determined that all and sundry the moveable goods, lands and possessions pertaining to him are the king's escheat, unless he come within a year and a day and undergo the law, and that I give for doom.

After which, this act having been given, James Forbes, son and heir of the noble lord Sir Alexander [Forbes] lord Forbes asked a public instrument to be made from a copy [of this] law given in judgement by me, the notary public written below. These things were done in tolbooth in the year, day, month, indiction and pontificate abovesaid, in the presence of the noble and potent men Henry [Douglas] lord of Dalkeith, William [Somerville] lord Somerville, Andrew [Gray] lord Gray of Fowlis, Patrick [Lyon] lord Glamis, with many other witnesses specially called and invited for the foregoing.

And I James Parkle, cleric of St Andrews diocese, notary public by imperial authority, was personally present in the midst while all and singular things were so conducted, said and done, along with the before-named witnesses, and I heard those things to be said and done, and I took them down in a note, and therefrom I caused the present public instrument faithfully to be written by someone else for me, and validated by this my own hand written below and my sign and subscription, asked and requested in faith and witness of the truth.

J. Parkle

  1. NAS, GD124/6/3. Another copy, NAS, GD52/1042. Back
  2. The use of 'forby' here does not make immediate sense, unless the act cited followed further judgements now lost from the record. Back