Ratification to Alexander [Seton], late commendator of Pluscarden

Our sovereign lord, after his lawful and perfect age of 21 years complete and general revocation, with advice and consent of his three estates in this present parliament, ratifies, approves and, for his highness and his successors, perpetually confirms the charter and confirmation made and granted by his highness under his great seal to his well beloved and familiar councillor Alexander, late commendator of Pluscarden, and his male heirs specified therein, of all and sundry the lands, lordships, baronies, immunities, regalities and privileges thereof pertaining of old to the priory and monastery of Pluscarden, with the mills, multures, salmon fishings, woods, parks, forests, mansions, manor places, teind sheaves, other teinds, mails, annualrents, kanes, customs duties, tenants, tenantries, service of free tenants, yards, orchards and all profits, rights and emoluments pertaining and belonging to the said monastery and priory and whereof the priors thereof have been in use and possession in any times past, of the which charter and confirmation the tenor follows:

James, by the grace of God, king of Scots, gives greetings to all good men throughout his land, both clergy and laity. Let it be known that we, now after reaching our age of 21 years, in order to keep a promise made by the word of a prince to the following effect in the charter and infeftment detailed below and for the reasons contained in them, with the advice and consent of the three estates of our realm now gathered in the same parliament, have ratified, approved and for ourselves and our successors in perpetuity confirmed the charter, infeftment, donation and disposition contained in it made by us and granted after our completion of our age of 21 years, under our great seal, to our beloved familiar and councillor Alexander Seton, for a long time past commendator of Pluscarden and his legitimate male heirs, whom failing Master John Seton of Barns, knight, his brother and his legitimate male heirs, whom failing William Seton, his brother, and his legitimate male heirs, whom failing any of the male heirs of the said Alexander bearing the name and arms of Seton, of, all and singly, the lands, baronies, immunities, regalities and privileges of the same and pertaining to the foresaid priory and monastery of Pluscarden from of old, with mills, multures, salmon traps, woods, parks, forests, mansions, manors, teind sheaves, other teinds, ferms, annualrents, kanes, customs, dues, tenants, tenancies, services of freeholders, gardens, orchards, and all profits, rights and emoluments relating and pertaining to the said monastery and priory, and of which the priors and community of the same in some past time were in use or possession; these lands, lordships, baronies, immunities, regalities, privileges and other things specified by name above were expressed and inserted in our foresaid infeftment, together with the right of patronage of offices of rector and churches of Urquhart, Bellie, Dalcus and Durris specified, designated and erected in the said infeftment and lying within our sheriffdom of Elgin and Forres. All and singly, these lands, baronies with mills, multures, woods, fishtraps, teind sheaves and other things specified above, we, by the wording of the present charter and infeftment, have unified, annexed and incorporated into one temporal lordship and barony to be called Urquhart and to be called that for all time to come, in favour of the foresaid Alexander and his heirs male and entailed, and to this effect we have dissolved the said abbey and monastery of Pluscarden and treat them as suppressed, and with the consent of our collector general we renounce all right and title of right which we had or have or could have to a third of the fruits of the foresaid benefice, and we have given and granted to the forenamed Alexander and his foresaids various other privileges, freedoms and immunities of the forementioned and concerning them; they are to be held from us and our successors in fee and heritage and free barony in perpetuity for the annual payment of the sum of 700 merks of the usual currency of our realm as blench ferm, just as the said charter and infeftment completed and granted at Falkland in July in this year of the Lord 1587 contains at greater length, in each and every one of its points, clauses and articles; following its contents and for the reasons contained in it and clearly appreciated and explored by us and by the said orders of our parliament, and approved in terms of acknowledgement and truth of the case, accordingly we have decreed and ordained and by the contents of this charter of ours do decree and ordain that the said charter and infeftment is and will be for all time to come good, valid and effective, in favour of the foresaid Alexander and his male heirs as mentioned above, and of sufficient robustness, efficacy and effect in all its points to the effect contained in it following the contents of the same; notwithstanding any other acts, statutes, laws and resolutions passed or to be passed which could or seem to be able to damage, annul or prejudice the same, by dispensing with them and repealing them in perpetuity by means of the present document; with supplement of all defects whether named or not which we wish to be as if expressed in this confirmation of ours. Further, we decree and ordain that this confirmation of ours is and will be of such strength, robustness, efficacy and effect as if the said charter and infeftment had word for word been inserted at greater length in this confirmation of ours. Also we have ordained that one special act of ratification is to be made in our parliament now in session regarding the contents and to the above-mentioned effect, and that the said infeftment, as is necessary, is to be included in it. In testimony of this, we have instructed our great seal to be applied to this present charter of ours. Witnesses were our beloved kinsmen and councillors John [Hamilton], lord Hamilton etc., commendator of our monastery of Arbroath, Archibald [Douglas], earl of Angus, lord Douglas, Dalkeith and Abernethy etc., Lord John Maitland of Thirlestane, knight, our chancellor and secretary, the most reverend and venerable fathers in Christ Patrick [Adamson], archbishop of St Andrews, Walter [Stewart], commendator of our monastery of Blantyre, warden of our privy seal, our beloved familiars and councillors Alexander Hay of Easter Kennet, clerk of our rolls of register and council, Sir Lewis Bellenden of Auchnoull, our justice clerk, and Master Robert Scott, director of our chancellery. At Holyroodhouse on 29 July in the year of the Lord 1587, and in the twenty first year of our reign.

  1. NAS, PA2/13, ff.124v-125v. Back
  2. 'P.' written in margin. Back