[1455/6/6]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
The earls, magnates, nobles, barons, city and burgh commissioners in the parliament at Edinburgh held and begun on 9 June 1455, [send] greeting in the saviour of all to all those to whose notice these present letters shall come. We cause it to be known by all of you that the most excellent prince and our lord the lord James most illustrious king of Scots, on 10th of the said month and year, in our presence in Edinburgh tolbooth in the aforementioned parliament, caused to be presented and read through certain letters of summons of the royal chapel under the seal of the office of the chancery of our said supreme lord the king, sufficiently sealed and lawfully endorsed, directed to James Livingston, sheriff of Lanark in that part, and sealed also by his seal in testimony of the execution of the same, for the summons of James Douglas, formerly earl of Douglas, etc. After the reading of which letters and the endorsements of the same, it becoming known that the said James of Douglas was lawfully and peremptorily summoned by virtue of the said letters, as was crystal clear by the production of four witnesses, namely of Lyon herald of the king's arms, Robert Bruce, Henry Livingston and Robert Dalziel, produced by the said James Livingston, and the swearing of oaths on the sacrament intervening, that they were present on 24 April in the said year [and saw] James Livingston [make] due execution of the said letters of summons of the royal chapel made at Douglas, Strathaven and the burgh cross of Lanark. Then, the said proof lawfully and duly made, the said James of Douglas often called to compear personally in the presence of our supreme lord the king and his estates of the realm on 10 June in parliament to answer to our said supreme lord the king for the treasonous munitions and fortifications of the towers and fortalices of Threave, Douglas, Strathaven and Abercorn, and for the treasonous bonds and confederations also made by this James with the English, to the harm of the royal crown, and for James's treasonous conspiracy and insurrection with a multitude of armed men in a hostile manner and by way of war near the burgh of Lanark against the king, and for this James's treasonous help, maintenance, reinforcement, assistance and support exhibited and applied to his brothers and their accomplices in their treasonous rebellions, etc., made by them and for the plunderings made by him of the grange of Henry [Abernethy] lord Abernethy, the lord king's justiciar, and for James's help and support made to Robert Douglas in the exheridation of the king and his successors in so far as he was able in the lands of Strathbrock [Broxburn], pertaining [to the king] by right and heritage, and for the fires and burnings made by James upon the grange of Colden, and for art and part in the burnings of the burgh of Dalkeith and the plunderings of the goods of the inhabitants of the said burgh, and for many other treasons, rebellions, crimes and transgressions committed and perpetrated by the said James against our lord the king and upon his lieges and subjects to the reproach and contempt of our lord the king and the immoderate and grave hurt of his lieges, which James often called and not compeared, then Lancelot of Abernethy, forespeaker of our lord the king, for proving and clearly declaring the said James Douglas to have committed and perpetrated treasonable treachery in the diverse transgressions mentioned before, perpetrated by this James, produced many reasons, allegations, acts and statutes of parliament and common laws, both canon and civil, rendered in writings, heard and understood. After long communication had between us, we found the said James to have committed treasonable treachery in all the preceding articles touching treasonably treachery, according to the acts and statutes of parliament and common law, canon and civil, and the said James to be guilty and culpable in all other transgressions mentioned before. Then, all and singular the lords prelates of parliament and the rest of the clerics standing in sacred orders being withdrawn, it was given for judgement by the mouth of David Dempster of Carraldston, dempster of the court of parliament, that the said James Douglas, for his treasonable crimes perpetrated by him, forfeited in perpetuity his life, and his lands, rents and possessions, superiorities and offices, with the pertinents, and all his moveable and immoveable goods [are to be taken] from him and his heirs, applying them hereditarily to the use and utility of our lord the king, his successors and assigns in perpetuity. Afterwards, by mandate of the king
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the aforementioned Beatrice [formerly countess of Douglas]
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having proved lawful execution of the same
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clearly approved for [answering] to our lord the king for the treasonous munition of the castles of Abercorn, Douglas and Strathaven, and for the treasonous placing of king's rebels in the said castle of Abercorn, and for art and part in the burnings of the towns of Kingscavil, Bondington and Warnestoun, and art and part in the plunders and depredations of the goods of the tenants of the said lands, and for her treasonable counsels, help and support, which [were] the greatest
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[and for the support shown by] Beatrice to her sons, James [earl of Douglas], Archibald [Douglas, earl of Moray], Hugh [Douglas, earl of Ormond] and John Douglas [lord of Balvenie] and their accomplices in their treasonable crimes and transgressions perpetrated both in treasonous contracts and bonds with the English and in other treasonous actions perpetrated by them, and the aforementioned Beatrice often called and not compearing, it was therefore heard and declared [...] to us the aforementioned crimes and many other evil acts perpetrated by her we find her to have committed treasonable treachery for the said crimes, evil acts and transgressions perpetrated by Beatrice, as said, against royal majesty, common [law], [and is] culpable, and [should] forfeit life, lands, possessions and all her [... and], by the mouth of the said dempster of the court of parliament it was given for judgement that the said Beatrice, for her treasonable and notorious crimes perpetrated by her, forfeited her life, and from her and her heirs all her lands, annual rents, possessions, superiorities and offices, and all her moveable and immoveable goods are to be applied to the said lord our king and his successors and assigns hereditarily in perpetuity, and that he gave for judgement [....] And then, after this, on the said 12 June, it was declared also that Archibald pretended earl of Moray committed treasonable treachery in the munition and fortifying of the castles of Lochindorb and Tarnua against the king and the laws and statutes of the realm, and [the things] said and done [before] and that he committed treasonable treachery for his treasonous assistance, etc., stated above, by the mouth of the dempster of the court of parliament it was said for judgement that all and singular the lands, rents, possessions, superiorities and office and moveable and immoveable goods of the said Archibald Douglas by law ought to remain with our said supreme lord the king and his successors and assigns as his escheat in perpetuity, and this it was given for judgement by the said David, dempster of the court of parliament. Then immediately John Douglas of Balvenie, brother german of the said James of Douglas, the weighty and [... ?charges] understood and the letters of summons of the same lawfully executed and the due execution of the same made and proved by the aforementioned witnesses and other trustworthy men, that he was summoned to compear in the presence of our lord the king and us on the said 12 June, summoned for compearing the said day for answering concerning all and singular the treasonable transgressions and crimes written below, namely, for the treasonous munition of the castle of Abercorn and for the treasonous bond and confederations made by this John with the English, for the treasonous bonds, crimes, supports performed and given to James Douglas and his brothers and the treasonous and notorious rebellions and transgressions performed by them. Which John often called and not compearing, the witnesses heard
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[we found John guilty of the] transgressions [and] treasonable treachery, and this John also is and has been culpable and guilty in certain criminal actions mentioned before, perpetrated by the said John Douglas, to forfeit his life, appropriating his lands, rents, possessions and moveable and immoveable goods in perpetuity to our said lord the king and his successors and assigns hereditarily. In faith and testimony of all the foregoing things, our seals are appended: [...] John [Stewart] earl of Atholl, George [Douglas] earl of Angus, Malise [Graham] earl of Menteith, William [Hay] earl of Erroll, constable of Scotland, John [Stewart] lord Lorne, Thomas [Erskine] lord Erskine, Colin [Campbell] lord Campbell, Patrick [Graham] lord Graham, William [Somerville] lord Somerville, Alexander [Montgomery] lord Montgomery, Robert [Maxwell] lord Maxwell, George [Leslie] lord Leslie, Patrick [Lyon] lord Glamis, James [Hamilton] lord Hamilton, Andrew [Gray] lord Gray, Robert [Boyd] lord Boyd, William [Borthwick] lord Borthwick, along with the seals of John [...] and William [..] Colibre, procurators of John [MacDonald] earl of Ross, lord of the Isles, and the seals of Mr John [...] procurator of Alexander [Gordon] earl of Huntly, the seal of the community of the burgh of Haddington for the part of the burgh commissioners assembled in the said parliament, and for fuller evidence of the foregoing the seals are appended of the reverend fathers in Christ James [Kennedy] bishop of St Andrews, Thomas [Livingston] bishop of Dunkeld, John [Winchester] bishop of Moray, George [Shoreswood] bishop of Brechin, Thomas [Tulloch] bishop of Ross, Robert [Lauder] bishop of Dunblane, George [Lauder] bishop of Argyll, the venerable father in Christ William [Bonar] prior of St Andrews, and the many abbots being present, at Edinburgh on 17 June 1455.