[1540/12/92]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Item, it is statute and ordained that, because men's seals may be lost through adventure, whereby great hurt may be generated to those who own the same, and that men's seals may be forged or put to writings after their death, in hurt and prejudice of the lieges of our sovereign lord, that therefore no faith be given in time coming to any obligation, bond or other writing under a seal without subscription of he who owns the same and with witnesses, or else, if the party cannot write, with the subscription of a notary thereto.
[1540/12/93]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Item, it is statute and ordained that the committers of the crimes of fire-raising and ravishing of women be put under surety to the law, as with the crimes of slaughter and mutilation, and in the case of the failure to find surety, to denounce them rebels, as with slayers of men. And also because the burning of corn in barnyards is so great an offence against the common good that, therefore, respites or remissions shall never be given in time to come to any person who burns corn in stacks or barns, but that the committers thereof to be condemned to death or banished from the realm forever.
[1540/12/94]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Item, regarding the article made to provide how the old acts and statutes made against those who do contrary to the king's privilege, granted to his predecessors and successors by the see of Rome, and especially temporal men who, in violation of the said acts, undermine the king's authority, make finance and furnishing to the persons breaking and hurting our sovereign lord's privilege, and what order shall be taken against Scottish clerks remaining in Rome who stand contrary to our sovereign lord's privilege, it is statute and ordained in this present parliament that the statutes and acts made thereupon of before against those passing against our sovereign lord's privilege be observed and kept in time to come, and that dittay be taken upon the breakers of any of the said acts to underlie the law for the same on the third day of the next justice ayre of the shire where the breakers dwell, or upon 15 days' warning before our sovereign lord's principal justice or his deputies, when and where they shall be summoned thereto by our sovereign lord's letters, so that justice shall be done extremely to those acting contrary to the privilege granted to king's highness and breaking the acts and statutes made thereupon after the form and tenor thereof.
[1540/12/95]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Item, regarding the article proposed, forasmuch as often young persons die who may not make testaments, the ordinaries usually appoint executors dative to their goods, who intromit therewith and withdraw the goods from the kinfolk and friends that should have the same by law, it is statute and ordained by the three estates in this present parliament that where any such persons die within age that may not make their testaments, the nearest of their kin to succeed to them shall have their goods without prejudice to the ordinaries regarding the quot of their testaments.
[1540/12/96]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Item, it is statute and ordained by the three estates of this present parliament that no legate or legation be received in this realm but by the advice of our sovereign lord and known to be by them for the common welfare of the same according to the old acts of parliament made thereupon of before.
[1540/12/97]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Item, because of the great repair in Edinburgh through the restoring of our sovereign lord, his lieges and other strangers, and it is necessary that they be provided with bread, of good and sufficient quality, therefore it is statue and ordained that there be three market days weekly for selling bread within the said town, that is to say Monday, Wednesday and Friday weekly, upon which days it shall be lawful for all our sovereign lord's lieges, both in burgh and to land, to come upon the said market days to the said town and sell their bread for ready money without trouble or injuries to be done to the persons coming with their bread to the effect foresaid.
[1540/12/98]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Item, it is statute and ordained that there be three market days weekly in the said town [of Edinburgh] for selling butcher-meat, that is to say Sunday, Monday and Thursday weekly. All manner of persons, both to burgh and to land, shall be free to come and sell butcher-meat for ready money for the furnishing of our sovereign lord and his lieges and others repairing to the said town.
[1540/12/99]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Item, forasmuch as it was statute and ordained of before that no tallow should be had out of the realm for the eschewing of dearth of the same, nonetheless the tallow is carried out in great quantity, which has raised excessive dearth in the country, putting the stone of tallow to double the price it was before or above; therefore, it is statute and ordained in this present parliament that no person or persons take upon hand in time to come to carry any tallow out of the realm under the pain of forfeiture of all their goods movable who come in contrary hereof, and that all customs officers at every port of the realm where ships are freighted appoint searchers to search and seek all ships, and where any tallow is shipped or brought to the ships to be carried out of the realm, to escheat the same, that is to say, the one half to their own use who apprehends the tallow and the other half to our sovereign lord's use; and that the customs officers make account yearly hereupon in the exchequer and also that they advertise our sovereign lord's treasurer of the owners of such tallow escheated so that he may bring in the rest of their goods movable to our sovereign lord's use for their contempt; and similarly, that no manner of man, butcher or others to burgh or to land take upon hand to rind, melt or barrel tallow under the pain of forfeiture of all their goods.
[1540/12/100]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Item, forasmuch as diverse wicked, ill-inclined persons forge and counterfeit our sovereign lord's money, which may return to the great damage of this realm unless remedy thereof be provided in time, therefore it is statute and ordained that all provosts, aldermen, bailies and burgh officers search and seek upon all market days and other times necessary all persons that can be apprehended having false money or counterfeits the king's coining irons, and bring or send them to our sovereign lord's justice to be justified for their demerits after the form of the laws of the realm made against false coiners.
[1540/12/101]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
In the first, for the honour of God and the Holy Kirk, our sovereign lord, with the advice of the three estates, ordains that the freedom, liberties, privileges and immunities of the Holy Kirk and all spiritual persons be observed and kept in honour, worship and dignity for the time of our sovereign lord that now is, as has been in the time of his most noble progenitors of good mind of before, with this addition: that forasmuch as when prelacies, such as bishoprics or abbacies, happen to become vacant, the nomination thereof pertains to our sovereign lord and the provision of the same to our holy father Pope [Paul III], nevertheless, ill-disposed persons in troubled times have put hands on and taken bishops' castles, palaces and fortalices by their own hand, by their own authority and without our sovereign lord's consent, command or letters at times when bishoprics are vacant and at other times, and similarly enter abbeys and take them and put the same in keeping in secular men's hands without the consent, command or letters of the king's grace and also without the command, advice or desire of the convents of such abbeys, to the displeasure of God almighty, our holy father the pope and in contempt of our sovereign lord's authority, through which the kirk and kirkmen are heavily hurt and damaged; therefore, it is statute and ordained in this present parliament that whomsoever person or persons in any time to come take any bishop's palaces, castles or strongholds, or enter in abbeys by their own authority, to hold these places without our sovereign lord's command, letters or charges or desire of the convents thereof at times when such bishoprics or abbacies are vacant, or any other time, they being not vacant, without the king's authority, they shall incur the crime of treason and lese-majesty and shall be called thereof at the king's pleasure upon their forfeiture, and to the loss of their lives, lands, heritage, goods, movable and immovable, honour and offices because the king's grace is held and bound to defend the Holy Kirk and kirkmen in their just causes.
[1540/12/102]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Item, our sovereign lord has ordained that the acts of parliament made by his highness be published throughout all his realm and that all sheriffs, stewarts, bailies, provosts and bailies of burghs and others of his lieges may have the copies thereof and pretend no ignorance through not knowing of the same, has ordained [James Foulis of Colinton], his clerk register, to make an authentic extract and copy of all the said acts so far as concerns the common good under his subscription manual, to be imprinted by what printer it shall please the clerk register to choose, and it shall not be lawful to any other printer or writer to imprint or write the same within this realm or outwith the same, or bring home to be sold, for the space of six years next to come, under the pain of confiscation of the same, providing always that the said printer to be chosen by the said clerk register as is said has our said sovereign lord's special licence thereto.