1578, 15 July, Stirling, Parliament

Parliamentary Register†

July 1578†

Declaration: the king and the estates of parliament
The declaration of the king and estates of the freedom of this parliament

Forasmuch as it was murmured and meant by some evil advised persons, our sovereign lord's lieges, opponents of his grace's government and rule of this realm and lieges thereof in his own person, and of the holding of this present parliament within the castle of Stirling, whereby it was alleged that there was no free access nor liberty to the said lieges to freely repair and resort to our said sovereign lord, his three estates and lords of the articles to communicate in such affairs as were treated therein, albeit the contrary thereof be well-known and that all our said sovereign's lieges had, and have, free access thereto, and none stopped to come to his highness nor to the said lords to that effect; therefore our said sovereign lord, with advice of his three estates of this present parliament, has declared and declares the same to have been, and to be, a free and public parliament where all his lieges had, and have, free access, liberty and freedom to resort and repair to the said castle where the same is and was held who pleases to come thereto, without stop, trouble or interruption.

  1. Goodare thinks that the most prominent attendees of this parliament can be 'guessed at' from an unusually well-attended privy council meeting the following day. See J. Goodare, 'The Scottish parliamentary records, 1560-1603', Historical Research, 72 (1999), p.263, and RPCS, iii, pp.6-7. A contemporary chronicler listed the lords of the articles before the legislation, D. Moysie, Memoirs of the Affairs of Scotland, 1577-1603, ed. J. Dennistoun (Maitland Club, 1830), p.12. Back
  2. None of the proceedings below are given a specific date, although it seems likely that the bulk of the acts were passed on 25 July, when 'all and sundry earls, lords, bishops, abbots, priors, commissioners of burghs and others having vote' were ordered to attend. See RPCS, iii, p.9. Back
  3. NAS, PA2/12, f.1r. Back

1578, 15 November, Stirling, Council or Convention?

Additional Source

A meeting of 'the estates convened' on this date voted a tax of £12,000 for maintaining a force on the Borders. However, there were neither lairds nor burgesses in attendance, and a number of those sitting were not regular council attendees, instead being present in the capacity of supernumaries. Because of the business transacted by this 'convention', complaints arose as to its unrepresentative nature. See RPCS, first series, iii, 56-7.

  1. Goodare thinks that the most prominent attendees of this parliament can be 'guessed at' from an unusually well-attended privy council meeting the following day. See J. Goodare, 'The Scottish parliamentary records, 1560-1603', Historical Research, 72 (1999), p.263, and RPCS, iii, pp.6-7. A contemporary chronicler listed the lords of the articles before the legislation, D. Moysie, Memoirs of the Affairs of Scotland, 1577-1603, ed. J. Dennistoun (Maitland Club, 1830), p.12. Back
  2. None of the proceedings below are given a specific date, although it seems likely that the bulk of the acts were passed on 25 July, when 'all and sundry earls, lords, bishops, abbots, priors, commissioners of burghs and others having vote' were ordered to attend. See RPCS, iii, p.9. Back
  3. NAS, PA2/12, f.1r. Back

1579, 12 March, Stirling, Council or Convention?

Additional Source

A series of particularly large sederunts recorded at Stirling from 12 to 21 March 1579, and the repeated use of the phrase 'our soverane lord and his thre estaittis' in a number of the measures passed, seems to imply that this meeting should be regarded as something other than an ordinary gathering of the privy council. However, despite the use of the term 'thre estaittis', there are neither barons nor burghs in attendance and the business conducted is strictly privy council in nature. Rather than a convention of the estates, this gathering seems instead to be a convention of nobles and prelates. It is not clear from the record for what purpose they convened. See RPCS, first series, iii, 108-20 for the proceedings of this council or convention.

  1. Goodare thinks that the most prominent attendees of this parliament can be 'guessed at' from an unusually well-attended privy council meeting the following day. See J. Goodare, 'The Scottish parliamentary records, 1560-1603', Historical Research, 72 (1999), p.263, and RPCS, iii, pp.6-7. A contemporary chronicler listed the lords of the articles before the legislation, D. Moysie, Memoirs of the Affairs of Scotland, 1577-1603, ed. J. Dennistoun (Maitland Club, 1830), p.12. Back
  2. None of the proceedings below are given a specific date, although it seems likely that the bulk of the acts were passed on 25 July, when 'all and sundry earls, lords, bishops, abbots, priors, commissioners of burghs and others having vote' were ordered to attend. See RPCS, iii, p.9. Back
  3. NAS, PA2/12, f.1r. Back