Procedure: commission to the lords of the articles
A commission to certain lords of the estates to consider such articles as are committed to them and to report the same again in the next parliament

Item, forasmuch as there are diverse and sundry articles presented and given in by diverse lieges and subjects of this realm to our sovereign lord, [James Stewart, earl of Moray], my lord regent, the lords of the articles and estates of this realm, and especially an article of James [Sandilands], lord of St John concerning the confirmation of his privileges; an article concerning the act of adultery; an article of the learned men of this realm desiring letters to flourish; an article touching ejection and plunder; an article concerning reduction of decreets for the causes contained in the first libel; an article concerning warrants in redemption of lands; an article for punishment of those that wilfully pass to the horn and lie thereat; an article for those that pass to the horn for liquidated sums; an article for those that pass to the horn and enter in the girth; an article for those that put their sons or friends in their lands or make assignations of their goods in defraud of the execution of decreets; an article for superiors that give private sasines after the decease of their vassals in defraud of the heir of the said vassals; an article concerning dearth of victual and livestock; an article for export of fish out of the realm; an article for choosing of commissaries in every shire to keep order amongst craftsmen; an article for slaughter; an article for assythment of party; an article for thieves taken robbing; an article for slaughter of veal and lamb and for passing out of the country, and bringing in of wine, iron, tar, lint and dye, and also concerning the merchants that raise the price of gear that it was first sold for after the importation; an article for confirmation of the gifts of annualrents and chaplainries to burghs; an article of the burgh of Cupar concerning the down-taking of their customs, as in the articles given in thereupon at more length is contained. Our sovereign lord, with advice of my lord regent and three estates of this present parliament, has given and gives power and commission to the lords of the articles underwritten: that is to say, Alexander [Gordon], bishop of Galloway, Adam [Bothwell], bishop of Orkney, Robert [Pitcairn], commendator of Dunfermline, Mark [Kerr], commendator of Newbattle, John [Hay], commendator of Balmerino and Sir James Balfour, prior of Pittenweem, for the spiritual estate; George [Gordon], earl of Huntly, Archibald [Campbell], earl of Argyll, John [Stewart], earl of Atholl, John [Erskine], earl of Mar, Alexander [Cunningham], earl of Glencairn and Patrick [Lindsay], lord Lindsay of the Byres, for the barons; Sir Simon Preston of that Ilk, knight, provost of Edinburgh, Master James Haliburton, tutor of Pitcur, provost of Dundee, William [Ruthven], lord Ruthven, provost of Perth, John Erskine of Dun, provost of Montrose, Thomas Menzies of Pitfodels, provost of Aberdeen, and Patrick Learmonth of Dairsie, knight, provost of St Andrews, for the commissioners of burghs; or any four of every one of the estates above-written, with our sovereign lord's officers underwritten: that is to say, [James Douglas, earl of Morton], chancellor, [Robert Richardson, commendator of St Mary's Isle], treasurer, [Sir William Murray of Tullibardine], comptroller, [John Maitland, commendator of Coldingham], lord privy seal, [Mr James MacGill of Nether Rankeilour], clerk register, [Sir John Bellenden of Auchnoull], justice clerk, and [Robert Crichton of Eliock or John Spence of Condie], advocate, with such other senators of the college of justice as they please name to concur with them; which persons shall view and consider the said articles and take order what they think best to be done therein for the common benefit of this realm and lieges thereof, and as they think best to be done, to declare the same to our sovereign lord, my lord regent and three estates of this realm in the next parliament, to the effect that they may make such laws and constitutions thereupon according to equity and justice and reason.

  1. The Actis of King James the Sext, printed by R. Lekprevick (Edinburgh, 1568), ff.18r-v. Bound with earlier parliamentary material at NLS, Black Acts, 1566-94, H.33.c.21, Scots Acts of Parliament, H.33.c.23 or Scots Acts, H.33.c.25. Back