[1373/2]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Robert, by the grace of God king of Scots, to all good men of his whole land, greeting. Since formerly, during the time of the lord, our uncle and predecessor of renowned memory, the lord David [II], illustrious king of Scotland, we then [being] steward of Scotland and earl of Strathearn, gave and granted hereditarily to Sir Robert Erskine, our beloved kinsman, our lands of Nisbet and of Ednam, with the pertinents, by our charter, the tenor and contents of which follow.
To all who shall see or hear this charter, Robert, the Steward of Scotland and earl of Strathearn, eternal greeting in the Lord. All of you shall know that we have given, granted and confirmed by this our present charter to our beloved and faithful Sir Robert de Erskine, knight, and Lady Christiana de Keith, his spouse, and the longest surviving of them, all our lands of Nisbet and of Ednam, with the pertinents, in the sheriffdom of Roxburgh. To be held and had by the aforesaid Sir Robert and Lady Christiana, his spouse, and the longest surviving of them, and the heirs male procreated or to be procreated between them, whom perhaps [failing], the legitimate and nearest heirs of the same Lady Christiana, of us and our heirs in fee and heritage, by all its rightful boundaries and divisions, freely and quietly, fully and honourably, well and in peace, in woods and plains, roads and footpaths, muirs, marshes and peat-bogs, meadows, grazing-lands and pastures, rivers, ponds and fisheries, mills, brew-houses and other outbuildings with their multures and appurtenances, with patronages of churches and hospitals if there are any, with the tenancies and services of the freeholders, with bonds, bondages and natives and their appurtenances, with hawking-places, hunting-grounds and fisheries, and with all manner of other liberties, profits and easements, both named and unnamed, both far and near, both below and above ground, pertaining to the aforesaid lands with the pertinents, or which may rightly pertain in future. The aforesaid Sir Robert and Lady Christiana, and the longest surviving of them and their aforesaid heirs, making foreign service thereupon to the lord our king so far as pertains to the aforesaid lands, and paying to us and our heirs annually one penny of silver only at Nisbet at the end of the bridge if asked, in name of blenche ferme, for all manner of other services, exactions, customs or demands which can be exacted or demanded by us or our heirs from the aforesaid lands with the pertinents. And we, the aforesaid Robert, steward of Scotland, and our heirs, shall guarantee, discharge and defend the aforesaid lands of Nisbet and Ednam, with the pertinents, in perpetuity for the aforesaid Sir Robert and Lady Christiana, his spouse, and for the longest surviving of them and their heirs noted before, against all men and women. In testimony of which matter our seal is appended to our present charter. Witnesses the venerable father in Christ the lords William [de Landels], bishop of the church of St Andrews, and Patrick [de Leuchers], bishop of the church of Brechin, then chancellor of Scotland, by the grace of God, the reverend and religious men the lords, by the same grace, John [de Strathmiglo], abbot of Dunfermline, William, abbot of Scone, and John, abbot of Inchaffray, the noble men John Stewart, lord of Kyle, our firstborn son, Robert Stewart, our son, lord of Menteith, Sir Thomas Bisset, David de Graham, Archibald de Douglas, Hugh de Eglinton, John Stewart, our brother, David Fleming and Thomas de Fawside, knights, John de Erth, John de Ross and Hugh de Ross, esquires, John de Mercer and John Gillie, burgesses of Perth, and many others.†
You shall know that we, having previously had diligent discussion with the aforesaid Robert and Christiana, and our men, having considered the greater usefulness in this matter, have given, granted and confirmed by this our present charter to the same Robert de Erskine and Christiana, his spouse, £100 sterling due to us annually from the fermes of the burgh of Aberdeen in exchange for the aforesaid barony of Ednam with the pertinents, which the said Robert gave back and resigned purely and simply into our hands, and quitclaimed altogether all right and claim which he had and may have in future for himself and the said Christiana, his spouse, and for their heirs, in perpetuity. The said £100 to be held, had and received annually by the same Robert and Christian and the longest surviving of them, and the heirs procreated or to be procreated between them, and they perhaps failing, the true and legitimate heirs of the aforementioned Christiana, in fee and heritage, freely, quietly, fully and honourably until we or our heirs shall have infeft the said Robert and Christian and their aforesaid heirs hereditarily in £100 worth of land within the lowland parts of the sheriffdoms of Aberdeen, Kincardine, Forfar, Perth, Fife, Clackmannan, Stirling or Edinburgh, as above, in an adequate place in the same form, effect and condition, and by the same liberty and guarantee by which the same Robert and Christiana and their heirs were infeft in the abovesaid barony of Ednam, as is clear by the tenor of the charter written above. The aforementioned Robert and Christiana, and the longest surviving of them, and their abovesaid heirs, paying to us and our heirs annually for the aforementioned £100 to be received annually from the fermes of the burgh of Aberdeen, one penny of silver only at Aberdeen at the end of the bridge, by way of blenche ferme, as they were held to pay according to the tenor of the aforesaid charter for the barony of Ednam. And also we and our heirs, as above, shall guarantee, discharge and defend the aforementioned £100 to be raised annually in perpetuity, according as the aforementioned barony of Ednam was to be held by our same abovesaid earlier charter. We also grant to the same Robert and Christiana and their heirs, in the event that the bailies of our said burgh of Aberdeen do not make prompt payment annually of the said £100 at the abovesaid times to the same Robert and Christiana or their aforesaid heirs, as shall be lawful, the same Robert and Christiana and their aforesaid heirs themselves, namely whichever of them it then concerns, [the power] to distrenze and seize the said burgh for the same money then being absent in the same way that they distrenze or seize their own land for their ferme without our licence or that of our officer. In testimony of which matter we have ordered our seal to be appended to our present charter. Witnesses the venerable fathers, by the grace of God, William [de Landels], bishop of the church of St Andrews, Michael [de Monymusk], bishop of the church of Dunkeld, Alexander [de Kininmont], bishop of the church of Aberdeen, Alexander [Bur], bishop of the church of Moray, Patrick [de Leuchers], bishop of the church of Brechin, Alexander [de Kylwos], bishop of the church of Ross, Malcolm [de Drumbreck], bishop of the church of Caithness, our firstborn son, John [Stewart], earl of Carrick, steward of Scotland, Robert [Stewart], earl of Fife and of Menteith, Alexander [Stewart], lord of Badenoch, David [Stewart], earl of Strathearn, our most beloved sons, William [Douglas, 1st] earl of Douglas, George de Dunbar, earl of March, John de Dunbar, earl of Moray, our beloved kinsmen, John de Carrick, canon of Glasgow, our chancellor, Walter de Biggar, parson of the church of Erroll, our chamberlain, Sir James de Lindsay, our nephew, Sir Archibald de Douglas, Sir William de Keith, our marischal of Scotland, Sir Hugh de Eglinton and Duncan Wallace, knights. In our full parliament held at Scone on 3 April in the third year of our reign [1373].