[1584/5/76]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Forasmuch as sundry persons, the titulars and possessors of the abbeys, priories and nunneries within this realm, have, in the troublous times past of his highness's young age, purchased provisions, gifts and dispositions made to their own bairns or nearest kinsfolk of the same abbeys, priories, and nunneries upon their own resignations and demissions, with reservation of their own liferents, making, as it were, heritable conquest of the said abbeys, priories and nunneries being founded upon the lands and rents given out of old of the property of the crown, and with the which it were most reasonable the same should be again supplied; therefore our sovereign lord and his three estates convened in this present parliament decree and declare all the said gifts, provisions and dispositions of successions of prelacies, abbacies, priories and nunneries made or granted by his highness to whatsoever persons, his highness's subjects, upon the resignations or demissions of the possessors of the same abbeys, priories and titulars of the same, with reservation of their own liferents, are, and shall be, of no value, strength, force nor effect with all that has followed or shall happen to follow thereupon without further process; and that no gift or provision of any such prelacy shall be viable in any time to come unless it shall become vacant by decease, forfeiture or simple demission of the possessor thereof and no other way, without prejudice always of the liferenters and present usufructuaries, †providing always that the provision made to Master Mark Kerr, commendator of the abbey of Newbattle, master of his highness's requests, of the same abbey, in the reign of [Mary], his highness's dearest mother, after her perfect age, nor the late provision made to Master Edward Bruce, one of the commissioners of Edinburgh, of the abbey of Kinloss, with reservation of the present abbot's liferent thereof, shall not be comprehended under this present act of parliament, nor the same act extended thereto directly or indirectly, but both the said provisions excepted out of the same.