[1372/3/13]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Robert, by the grace of God, king of Scots, to all good men of all his land, greeting. Know that we have understood in full a charter made by William, earl of Ross. of good memory, our brother, to Henry Stewart and Mariota, his spouse, of the lands of Kinhrive and Strath Rory,† with the pertinents, in the earldom of Ross and sheriffdom of Inverness, seen, read and diligently inspected by our mandate, in these words:
Present and future people should know that we, William, earl of Ross and lord of Skye, having weighed up the advantage to us and our heirs with the appropriate deliberation, have given, granted and confirmed by this present charter to our beloved and faithful Henry Stewart and Mariota, his spouse, our kinswoman, for the good and diligent service of the said Henry long and faithfully devoted to us, all our land of Kinhrive and Strath Rory with all the men inhabiting the same land, and the rest of the pertinents, lying in the marsh of Delny.† To be held and had by the same Henry and Mariota and either of them, and their heirs procreated or to be procreated of their bodies, of us and our heirs in fee and heritage in perpetuity, freely, quietly, fully and honourably, by all rightful and customary boundaries and divisions, in woods and plains, in lands and rivers, in roads and footpaths, in muirs and marshes, in meadows and pastures, in ponds and mills, in smithies and brewhouses, in hunting-grounds and hawking-places, in fish-ponds and fisheries, with courts and escheats, with common fuel† and pasture, and with free ish and entry to the fuel and pasture, and with all liberties, profits, easements, customary practices and pertinents relating to the said land of Kinhrive and Strath Rory and which may relate to them in any way in future, both named and unnamed, without any hindrance. The said Henry and Mariota and their heirs paying thereupon annually to us and our heirs only one penny of silver, which is called a sterling, in the name of blench ferme at Kinhrive on the day of the feast of the birth of the Lord, if asked, for all homage, service, ward, relief and marriage, and for all secular service, and for all customary practices, exactions or demands which may in future be exacted, or requested in other ways, by us or our heirs, or any other persons in our name for the said lands of Kinhrive and Strath Rory or their pertinents. If, however, it should happen that the aforementioned Mariota on the day she dies, which God forbid, has left no surviving heir procreated between Henry and herself, we wish nevertheless that the said Henry and his heirs should hold, have and possess the said land of Kinhrive and Strath Rory, in all [and] singular the points and articles stated before, of us and our heirs in perpetuity as freely and quietly, fully and honourably as any freeholder freely and quietly, fully and honourably possesses or holds any land within the earldom of Ross of our progenitors or us. We, indeed, the aforesaid earl, and our heirs shall guarantee, discharge and defend in perpetuity the aforesaid land of Kinhrive and Strath Rory with the aforesaid pertinents for the aforementioned Henry and Mariota and their heirs, and also the heirs of the said Henry, as was expressed above, in and by all ways, in equal form and effect, against all men and women. In testimony of which matter we have caused our seal to be appended to our present charter at Delny on 1 April in the year of grace 1362. Witnesses the venerable father in Christ the lord Donald, by the grace of God abbot of New Fearn, the lord Simon, prior of Beauly, Hugh de Ross and John de Ross, our brothers, John de Hay, lord of Tullibole, Thomas de Sinclair, and others.
Which very charter we ratify, approve and confirm in equal form and effect, in perpetuity, for us and our heirs in all its points, conditions, articles and circumstances whatsoever, saving our service. In testimony of which matter we have commanded our seal to be appended to the present charter of confirmation. Witnesses the venerable father William, bishop of St Andrews, Alexander, bishop of Aberdeen, and Alexander, bishop of Ross, John [Stewart], our firstborn, earl of Carrick and steward of Scotland, Robert [Stewart], earl of Fife and Menteith, our beloved son, William, earl of Douglas, John de Carrick, our chancellor, William de Keith, our marischal of Scotland, Alexander de Lindsay, knights. At Scone in our full parliament held in the same place on 6 March in the second year of our reign [1372].