[1487/10/24]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
James, by the grace of God king of Scots, to all good men of all his land, clergy and laymen, greeting. Whereas nothing can happen of more honour and advantage to us, our successors, the inhabitants of our realm and our subjects, than that, in every part of our kingdom we are sufficiently endowed with lordships and possessions in which we may reside, in order to provide justice to our same subjects and punish malefactors, so that thereby we may strongly lead the realm's estate, honourably and peacefully, without oppressing our lieges. Hence it is that in our parliament held and begun at Edinburgh on 1 October 1487, and continued for a declared range of days following, namely to 13 [October], it was statute and ordained by us - with the consent and unanimous assent of all and sundry the prelates, the barons, the commissioners of burghs and the freeholders representing the three estates of our realm - that all and sundry the lordships, lands, castles, with advowsons of churches and chaplainries, with pertinents, described below, be perpetually unified, incorporated and annexed, and by the force of the present ordinance and statute united as property, to us and our successors, the kings of Scotland, and to the right of our royal crown, so that it will not be permissible for us or our successors, the kings of Scotland, to give or grant in fee or freehold anysoever of the aforesaid lordships, lands, castles, advowsons of churches, or any part thereof, at any time in the future, to whomsoever person of whatsoever estate, degree or condition he may be, or in anysoever manner to alienate them from the right and property of our royal crown, unless that gift or alienation be with the advice, mature deliberation and decree of the three estates of our realm [in] parliament, and also of evident advantage and manifest utility to our successors and our subjects. And if in time to come it should happen that any of the lordships, castles, lands or advowsons of churches described below by us or our successors, kings of Scotland, [be alienated] without the mature deliberation, consent and decree of parliament, or without evident advantage and manifest utility to our successors and subjects as aforesaid, then that gift or alienation made in such a manner shall be of absolutely no strength or moment. Furthermore, it will be permissible for us and our successors, the kings of Scotland, absolutely to revoke the aforesaid alienations or gifts made contrary to the tenor and strength of the present statute, and to resume those lordships, lands, castles and advowsons of churches to the right and property of our royal crown and to [their] own uses, without the need for anysoever judicial process thereupon, [and] through our pleasure and free will. And likewise that those persons to whom the lordships, lands, castles and advowsons of churches happen to be given or alienated, be required to return all and sundry the fruits, profits and emoluments arising and received thence for the whole term of the aforesaid gift and alienation, fully and wholly, to us and our successors, the kings of Scotland. The lordships, lands, castles and advowsons of churches unified, incorporated and annexed to us and our successors, the kings of Scotland, and to our royal crown, as aforesaid, are these: in the first place namely all of the lordship and earldom of March, with pertinents; all of the lands of the baronies of Dunbar and Cockburnspath, with pertinents, with the castle of Dunbar and the fortalice of Cockburnspath; all of the lands of the lordship of Annandale, with pertinents, and with the castle of Lochmaben, with tenants, tenandries and the services of freeholders of the said earldom and lordship of March, of the aforesaid baronies of Dunbar and Cockburnspath and of the aforesaid lordship of Annandale; also the advocations of all and sundry the churches, prebends and chaplainries belonging and appertaining to the said earldom, baronies and abovementioned lordships. And moreover, so that this statute may be more firmly observed, it was ordained and statute that we must take an inviolable bodily oath to observe this statute, and that all and sundry our successors, the kings of Scotland, be required to take a similar oath in their coronation rites. In faith and witness of all and sundry the aforesaid things, [we have ordered to be attached] our great seal, and the seals of the reverend and venerable fathers in Christ the bishops, abbots [and] priors, together with the seals of our dear cousins the earls, lords, barons, freeholders and commissioners of burghs, etc.