Ratification in favour of Sir John Arnott of his infeftment of his lands in Orkney

Our sovereign lord, with advice of the estates of this present parliament, for the good, true and thankful service done to his majesty by his servant John Arnott, burgess of his highness's burgh of Edinburgh, and for diverse other great respects and good considerations moving his majesty and the said estates, has ratified, approved and confirmed and, by the tenor hereof, for his highness and his successors, ratifies, approves and confirms the charter and infeftment, with the precept and instrument of sasine following thereupon, vendition and alienation in them contained, made, given and granted by Patrick [Stewart], earl of Orkney, lord Shetland, to the said John and Margaret Craig, his spouse, and their heirs specified therein, with consent and assent of Dame Margaret Livingstone, his spouse, of all and whole the lands and isles of Birsay, Sandwick, Hoy, Walls and South Ronaldsay, Shapinsay, Deerness, Sanday, Stronsay, Egilsay, Rousay and North Ronaldsay, with the houses, buildings, yards, castles, towers, fortalices, orchards, dovecots, mills and multures whatsoever pertaining thereto, with all their pertinents, all lying in the main land and isles of Orkney, within the sheriffdom of the same, with the annexation and union contained in the said infeftment, with all clauses specified and contained therein. And his majesty and estates foresaid of this present parliament decree and declare that the generality hereof shall be as effectual in all respects as if the foresaid whole charter, infeftment, precept and instrument of sasine following thereupon were at length word by word inserted, herein dispensing with that by this ratification. As likewise his majesty, with advice of the said estates of parliament, wills and grants, and for his highness and his successors, decrees and ordains that the infeftment, right and title made by the said Patrick, earl of Orkney, with consent of his said spouse, to the said John Arnott, his spouse and their heirs foresaid, in respect of this present ratification and approbation thereof, shall be a good and sufficient right and title to them in all time coming for possessing and enjoying of all and sundry the lands and isles above-written, with the houses, buildings, yards, castles, towers, fortalices, orchards, dovecots, mills, multures and their pertinents, with the whole profits and commodities thereof, until the lawful redemption of the same by payment of the sums of money contained in the last reversion granted to the said earl for redemption thereof, extending to 200,000 merks money, notwithstanding of whatsoever laws, constitutions, acts of parliament made regarding the annexation of the isles to the crown, prohibitions and provisions made for not disposition or alienation thereof, or whatsoever other constitution, canon, civil or municipal, whereupon the same may be quarrelled or impugned in time coming, and also notwithstanding of whatsoever crime, fact or deed committed by the said Patrick, earl of Orkney before or after the said alienation, as likewise notwithstanding of the summons of treason intended against him, dispensing with that for his majesty and his successors for ever; discharging therefore his majesty's advocates, treasurers, comptrollers, collectors and all others of his highness's officers, present and to come, of all quarrelling, impugning or objecting against the rights and titles foresaid made and granted to the said John, his said spouse and their heirs of the lands, isles and others above-specified, with their pertinents or any part thereof, in the law nor by the law by any manner of way in time coming, of their offices in that part for ever by this ratification, reserving always to his majesty and his successors the feu mails and duties of the foresaid lands and isles used and wont to be paid to his majesty's comptrollers by the said Patrick, earl of Orkney for the same of before, according to the infeftment granted to the said earl thereupon only given at Whitehall, [...] day of [...] 1606.

  1. NAS, PA2/16, f.72r-v. Back
  2. '65' written in margin beside heading. Back
  3. The date, if given, is obscured by binding. Back