[1581/10/49]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Our sovereign lord, understanding that there have been diverse acts of parliament made of before concerning the slaying of hart, hind, female deer, roe, hares, rabbits and other beasts with culverins, crossbows and hand-bows, and specially the act made in the parliament held at Edinburgh in December 1567, which acts hitherto have taken no effect, and that in default of magistrates which were appointed to put the same to execution; therefore his highness, with advice of his three estates of this present parliament, has ratified and approved the said whole acts, and specially the said act made in December 1567, in all points, passes, clauses and articles thereof, with this addition: that in case the judge ordinary within whose bounds the contravener of this present act is apprehended does not execute the same, so often as dittay shall be given up to him upon any contravener, he shall pay for the first fault the sum of £100, for the second fault £200, and so often as he fails, shall double the said pain, to be applied to our sovereign lord's use; and to the effect that the stewarts, bailies and all other ordinary judges within this realm may put the said act into due execution, our sovereign lord, with advice aforesaid, has ordained and ordains the lords, heritors or possessors of the ground to present the contravener of the said act to the ordinary judge, within whose bounds the said contravener dwells and makes residence, the said heritor or possessor being required by the ordinary judge to do the same under the pain aforesaid, so often as he is required to that effect, to be applied to our sovereign lord's use as said is; with power to the said ordinary judges to call and convene the said heritors or possessors refusing to present the said contraveners for the said pains, and if they be found culpable, to convict them therein, and to poind and distrenzie them for that, and to make yearly account thereof to our sovereign lord's treasurer in his highness's exchequer, so that the same may be applied to his highness's use as said is; and ordains special letters of publication to be directed hereupon, if need be, in the appropriate form.