Regarding sureties for officers of arms

Item, because that the sureties of all officers of arms admitted by the lyon king of arms are found to him and his clerk, it is therefore statute and ordained that they be charged twice in the year to produce their books of sureties, to the effect our sovereign lord and his treasurer be not defrauded of the half of the penalties for the deprived officers; and this to be used by the treasurer in such sort as the sheriff clerks are ordained to produce their hornings, to the effect that execution may follow thereupon and the treasurer to be charged with his reset of the foresaid penalties in his accounts. And further ordains all the said officers that have [not] found sufficient caution for due administration in their office, or whose cautioners are deceased or are not sufficient, to find caution of new between now and 1 August next to come; otherwise, the not finding of the said caution is presently declared to be the cause of their deprivation. Which deprivation shall be immediately published at the market crosses of the sheriffdoms where the said officers remains, and all their executions from thenceforth to be unauthentic and null.

  1. NAS, PA2/15, f.35v. Back
  2. APS interpolation, taken from the contemporary printed collection of acts, Sir John Skene, Lawes and Actes of Parliament, maid be King James the First and his successors Kings of Scotland - The XIII Parliament, halden at Edinburgh, the aucht daie of Junij, the yeir of God, ane thousand, five hundreth, foure score fourtene yeirs (Edinburgh, 1597), p.150. Back