[1600/11/21]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Our sovereign lord and whole estates of this present parliament, remembering the godly and notable act made in his majesty's parliament held at Stirling in the month of August 1571 in favour of his highness's true and faithful subjects for possessing of their lands, heritages, annualrents, life rents, pensions or possessions whatsoever held of any persons called and forfeited in the said parliament, notwithstanding the forfeiting of their superiors thereof; and his highness now being willing and fully resolved to renew the foresaid act and to grant the benefit and favour therein contained to all his faithful and true subjects who, or their predecessors to whom they are heirs or the last apparent heirs albeit as yet not entered, held lands, heritages, annualrents, life rents, mills, woods, fishings or other possessions whatsoever of the late John [Ruthven], sometime earl of Gowrie, or any of his predecessors; therefore our said sovereign lord, with advice of the said estates and whole body of this present parliament, statutes, ordains and declares that all his highness's faithful and true subjects, their heirs and successors being in no way culpable of the abominable and horrible crimes of treason and lese-majesty attempted by the said late John, sometime earl of Gowrie, against his grace's most noble person shall hold, enjoy and possess all their lands, heritages, woods, mills, fishings, annualrents, life rents, tacks, rentals and possessions whatsoever held by them or their predecessors of the said late John, sometime earl of Gowrie, or his predecessors, and hold the same of our said sovereign lord, his highness's successors and others, their next immediate superiors, their heirs and successors, according to their infeftments, rights and securities thereof in all points, in the same way and as freely in all respects as if the process and doom of forfeiture had never been led, deduced nor pronounced against the said late John, sometime earl of Gowrie, in this present parliament, and also notwithstanding of the act made in his highness's parliament held at Edinburgh, 8 June 1594, annulling the acts of parliament made in favour of vassals of persons forfeited, to the which act and all other acts, statutes or constitutions made at any time of before and made or to be made in this present parliament, this act makes and shall make full derogation; and that in favour only of the said persons who, or their predecessors, held lands, heritages and others foresaid of the said late John, sometime earl of Gowrie, or his predecessors as said is, the foresaid vassals and each one of them paying to his majesty and his successors or any others their next immediate superiors for each twenty shilling land which they held of before of the Earl of Gowrie £10 money of this realm between now and Whitsunday [May/June] next for composition.