[1621/6/46]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Forasmuch as the present scarcity of money cannot conveniently in short time be redressed and all things tending to the bringing in of money and to the increase and abundance thereof within this kingdom can hardly be foreseen and ordered without good and mature advice and deliberation, therefore our sovereign lord and estates of this present parliament have given and granted full power and commission to the persons following, namely, [John Spottiswood], archbishop of St Andrews, [James Law], archbishop of Glasgow, [David Lindsay], bishop of Brechin, [Patrick Lindsay], bishop of Ross, [William Douglas], earl of Morton, [Robert Ker], earl of Roxburghe, [Alexander Elphinstone], lord Elphinstone and [David Carnegie], lord Carnegie [of Kinnaird], [Sir Andrew] Murray of Balvaird, George Auchinleck of Balmanno, Master John Leslie of Newtoun and Sir Alexander Napier of Laurieston, David Aitkenhead, provost, and John Byres, dean of guild of Edinburgh, Andrew Gray, provost of Perth, and Master Alexander Wedderburn [of Kingennie], town clerk of Dundee, together with the four officers of state following, namely, [Alexander Seton, earl of Dunfermline], lord chancellor, [John Erskine, earl of Mar], lord treasurer, [Thomas Hamilton, earl of Melrose], lord secretary and [Sir George Hay of Kinfauns], lord clerk register, or any three of every one of the aforesaid ranks of persons, for trying and examining the most profitable and usual way for the well of this kingdom to bring in money and make the same increase and abound within this country. With power to them to convene and meet at such times as they shall think fittest and to call before them and inquire of any person best skilled in matters of money, as well tradesmen as coiners, and all others who can give greatest light and knowledge therein, and to do all other things most expedient for furtherance of that which is committed hereby to their charge. And whatsoever the said commissioners, or three of every one of the said ranks together, appoint, statute and ordain in the premises, our said sovereign lord and estates of this present parliament declare to be of as great force, strength and effect as if the same were now presently concluded, acted and ordained in this present parliament.
[1621/6/47]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Our sovereign lord and estates of parliament, considering the supplication presented by William [Keith], lord Keith, sheriff principal of the sheriffdom of Kincardine, bearing him to have been charged by the collectors of sundry past taxations to make payment for a fifteen pound land more than the retours of the whole lands of the said sheriffdom of Kincardine will extend to, craving therefore that commission might be given for setting down a true and perfect tax roll of the just extent of all lands lying within the said sheriffdom, according to which his majesty's taxations may be paid in all time hereafter; and, therefore, our sovereign lord, with consent of the said estates, has given and granted and, by the tenor hereof, gives and grants full power and commission to David [Carnegie], lord Carnegie [of Kinnaird], Sir George Hay of Kinfauns, knight, clerk of his highness's register, Sir George Erskine of Invertiel, knight, Master John Wemyss of Craigton, Master Alexander Gibson of Durie, all senators of the college of justice, and to [...] Arbuthnott, younger, of that Ilk, [Sir Thomas] Burnett of Leys, [...] Douglas of Glenbervie, [...] Ramsay of Balmain, or any four of them jointly (two of the said senators of the college of justice being always two of the said number), to convene together in a court, which the said lords do by this commission ordain to be held within the tolbooth of Edinburgh upon the first Tuesday of December next, and there to call before them the whole heritors of lands lying within the said sheriffdom, take inspection of their old retours and infeftments and confer the same with the old tax rolls of the said sheriffdom, and to use such other means for making a true and perfect stent of all lands lying within the said sheriffdom as to them shall seem most expedient, to the effect that the sheriffs of the said sheriffdom of Kincardine be not at any time hereafter charged by the collectors of the taxations or their deputes for payment making of a greater or less proportion of stent than the retours of the whole barons and freeholders of the said sheriffdom, being joined together, will amount to. For the better effectuating whereof, the said lords ordain letters to be directed to messengers of arms, sheriffs in that part, charging them to pass to the market cross of Stonehaven (being the head burgh of the said sheriffdom of Kincardine) and there by open proclamation in his highness's name and authority make publication hereof that none pretend ignorance of the same; and therewith to warn all and sundry earls, lords, freeholders, heritors and feuars of land lying within the said sheriffdom, whose names shall be given in roll subscribed by any two of the said commissioners personally, or at their dwelling places, to compear before the said commissioners in the said burgh of Edinburgh the said first Tuesday of December, with continuation of days, bringing with them and exhibiting before the said commissioners all and sundry their said old retours and infeftments of their said lands within the said sheriffdom, to be seen and considered by the said commissioners to the effect aforesaid. With certification to such as compears not before the said commissioners at the said day and place and produce not their old retours and infeftments upon their oath solemnly given that they had no other but such as they shall produce at the said day, that the rolls to be made and set down by the said commissioners shall be accepted and allowed of as just and perfect tax rolls of the same sheriffdom and be determined to be registered in his majesty's register and never to be impugned nor quarrelled hereafter, but the same to stand in full force and affect, notwithstanding of any infeftment or retour to be produced in any judgement or court whatsoever for proving of any of the lands within the said rolls so to be set down by the said commissioners to be retoured at any lower rate than they are extended to or to lie within any other jurisdictions than they are designed to lie by the said tax rolls to be set down by the said commissioners in manner above-specified. And in the meantime, the said lords find and declare the granting of this present commission shall be no hindrance nor impediment to the collector of the taxations or his deputes to charge and compel the said sheriff of the said sheriffdom of Kincardine, present and to come, to make payment of the taxation of the lands lying within the said sheriffdom of Kincardine accordingly as they have been in use and custom of payment of the same before the granting of this present commission to the time the said commission take full effect, according to the tenor thereof above-specified.
[1621/6/48]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Our sovereign lord and estates of parliament, considering the evident appearance of harm to the whole lieges of this realm if coal, which is our best fuel, be lacking or be utterly exhausted within this kingdom, and specially beside the coast where the same may be easiest transported; and being willing to take some good solid order for preventing the said danger, which cannot be conveniently done unless some trial and cognition be first made and taken relating thereto, have therefore given and granted and, by the tenor hereof, give and grant full power and commission to the persons following: [...], James [Law], archbishop of Glasgow, Adam [Bellenden], bishop of Dunblane, John [Fleming], earl of Wigtown, David [Carnegie], lord Carnegie [of Kinnaird], Sir John Scrimgeour of Dudhope, knight, Alexander Lauder of Haltoun, Mungo MacCall and Sir George Bruce of Carnock, knight, to sight, view, try and consider the present estate of all and every coal pit lying within two miles to the water of Forth and coast-side thereof on both the sides of the same, if the same coal pits be costly and difficult to extract and in danger of drowning, if they be not speedily wrought and the work maintained by foreign sale, or if the same may be easily wrought with reasonable charges and have a competent sale in the country about and towards Leith and all the coast about, whereby it may be the more perfectly known if the restraint of exporting of coal be necessary or not. And ordain the said commissioners to meet in the town of Edinburgh upon the first Tuesday of April, and there set down and appoint their times of visitation and all other things requisite and expedient for furtherance of that which is hereby committed to their charge. And as they try and find the estate of the said pits and what is most necessary to be done relating thereto, ordain them to report their proceeding in writing in presence of the lords of council upon the first council day in the month of June thereafter, to the effect the same may be recorded in the books of council and at the first occasion of another parliament be offered to the consideration of the estates, that they may take such order relating thereto as the matter itself shall be found to require.
[1621/6/49]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Our sovereign lord and estates of parliament, considering that there are sundry benefices pertaining of old to abbots, priors and nuns dissolved and erected to sundry persons in this present parliament by his majesty, with advice of the said estates, in lordships and baronies; and also that the patronages of the kirks pertaining to the said abbacies, priories and nunneries are given and annexed to the same lordships and baronies to the aforesaid persons; as also that there are diverse other patronages of benefices given and conveyed by his majesty, with advice aforesaid, in this present parliament, to sundry particular persons; and our said sovereign lord and estates aforesaid, being most willing that there be a yearly duty contained in every one of the said erections which shall be paid yearly to his highness and his successors, and also being willing that the ministers serving or that hereafter shall serve at the kirks of every parsonage or vicarage whereof the patronages are now conveyed in this present parliament to whatsoever person, either in their erections or otherwise, be provided of sufficient stipends, and that the whole kirks be planted with sufficient ministers to serve the cure at each kirk, so many of them as are yet unplanted, therefore, and that the premise may be performed, our said sovereign lord and estates aforesaid have given and granted and, by this present act, give and grant full power and commission to Alexander [Seton], earl of Dunfermline, chancellor of this realm, John [Erskine], earl of Mar, great treasurer of this realm, George [Seton], earl of Winton, Robert [Kerr], earl of Lothian, Thomas [Hamilton], earl of Melrose, John [Maitland], viscount of Lauderdale, David [Carnegie], lord Carnegie [of Kinnaird], Sir George Hay of Kinfauns, knight, clerk register, and Sir William Oliphant of Newton, knight, advocate to our sovereign lord, or any five of them, to modify, decree and declare the yearly duty to be contained in every one of the aforesaid erections to be paid yearly to our said sovereign lord and to his majesty's successors, and the same duty to be inserted by the clerk register and his deputes in every act of erection granted in this present parliament. And the said estates declare that the yearly duties to be modified, determined and declared by the said persons in manner aforesaid by virtue of this present commission shall be as valid, effectual and sufficient in the self as if the same yearly duties had been modified, determined and declared by the said whole estates and had been presently inserted and contained in every one of their erections. And also, our said sovereign lord and estates aforesaid have given and granted, likewise by the tenor of this present act give and grant full power and commission to John [Spottiswood], archbishop of St Andrews, James [Law], archbishop of Glasgow, Patrick [Forbes], bishop of Aberdeen, Adam [Bellenden], bishop of Dunblane, Andrew [Lamb], bishop of Galloway, John [Abernethy], bishop of Caithness, the said Alexander, earl of Dunfermline, chancellor, John, earl of Mar, treasurer, Robert, earl of Lothian, Robert [Ker], earl of Roxburghe, John, viscount of Lauderdale, and David, lord Carnegie, or any three of the said bishops and any three of the said earls and lords, to modify, decree and declare to every minister serving or that hereafter shall serve the cure at every kirk their yearly stipends in all time coming, by their manse and glebe of all their kirks whereof the patronages are conveyed by our said sovereign lord in this present parliament in the erections of temporal lordships and baronies or otherwise whatsoever, to the effect that the whole kirks, both already planted or as yet unplanted, may be provided to sufficient stipends in all time coming; and that every kirk may be provided of a minister to serve the cure at each kirk, and that they have sufficient and competent stipends, at the least 500 merks money of this realm or five chalders of victual provided to every one of them to serve the cure in all time coming as said is; providing nevertheless that if the present standing stipends at any of the said kirks be above 500 merks or five chalders of victual, that the same stipends shall in no way be diminished, but to stand in the same estate as they are presently. And it is hereby declared that it shall be permissible to any person or persons of their own goodwill and pleasure to augment and increase the stipends now to be modified by virtue of this present commission. And our said sovereign lord and estates aforesaid discharge the clerk register and his deputes of all booking and extracting of any acts of the said erections or any other act of this present parliament wherein the patronages of the benefices are conveyed; and also discharges the keepers of the registers and seals to complete any of these said infeftments to the time that our said sovereign lord's yearly duty and the ministers' sufficient and competent stipends be first modified, determined and declared by the persons aforesaid according to the tenor of this present act of commission in all points.