[1389/3/18]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding]
Robert, by the grace of God king of Scots, to all good men of his whole land, clerics and laymen, greeting. Know that we have given, granted and confirmed by this our present charter to our most beloved George de Douglas the whole and entire earldom of Angus, along with the demesnes of Abernethy in the sheriffdom of Perth and of Bunkle in the sheriffdom of Berwick, with all their lands and pertinents, except the lands of Ludynche and of Wester Lednathie,† with an annual rent of 30s 4d from Baldovie with the pertinents in the barony of Kirriemuir, and the lands of Little Pottie, Pitversie, Pitblae and Pitmedden with the pertinents in the said demense of Abernethy in the sheriffdom of Perth. Which very earldom of Angus, with the pertinents, and the demesnes of Abernethy and Bunkle, with the pertinents, were Margaret, countess of Mar's, our most beloved kinswoman, and which she, not through force or fear, or having lapsed into error, but because of her own pure and spontaneous desire, the above lands and annual rent excepted, returned back and resigned purely and simply by rod and staff in her own person in our parliament held at Edinburgh on the monastery of Holyrood on 9 April 1389, and altogether quitclaimed in perpetuity all right and claim which she had or may have in the said lands with the pertinents for herself and her heirs. The said earldom [and] demesnes, except the lands and annual rent abovesaid, with the tenantries, services of freeholders, patronages of churches of the priory of Abernethy, of the prebends, canonries, chapels and chaplainries, to be held and had of us and our heirs by the said George and his heirs legitimately procreated of his body, who perchance failing, Sir Alexander de Hamilton and Elizabeth, sister of the said lady countess, and the heir procreated or to be procreated legitimately between them, and failing them, the legitimate heirs of the aforesaid Elizabeth whomsoever, in fee and heritage, with all and singular liberties, profits, easements and lawful pertinents whatsoever which pertain, or may pertain in future, in any way to the said earldom and demesnes, as freely and quietly, fully, integrally and honourably in and by all ways as the same Margaret, our kinswoman, held the said earldom, with the pertinents, and the abovesaid demesnes, with their pertinents, of us before the resignation of the same was made to us, having reserved the freehold of the said earldom and demesnes to the same countess for the whole time of her life, with all rents, services and tenantries of the freeholders, with bonds and bondages and natives, with the presentations to the churches of the priory of Abernethy and of the prebends of the same church and of the other chapels and chaplainries, with courts, escheats, wards, reliefs and marriages, since they pertain to the aforementioned earldom and demesnes with the pertinents. The said Margaret, performing thereupon the due and customary services to us and our heirs for the whole time of her life, and after her death, the said George and the aforesaid heirs, and failing them Sir Alexander de Hamilton and Elizabeth, the sister of the aforesaid countess, and their aforesaid heirs, and failing them, the true and legitimate heirs of the said Elizabeth [shall perform] the due and customary services. In testimony of which matter we have ordered our seal to be appended to our present charter. Witnesses, the venerable fathers in Christ Walter [Trail], bishop of the church of St Andrews, and John [de Peebles], bishop of the church of Dunkeld, our chancellor, John [Stewart], earl of Carrick, our firstborn, Robert [Stewart], earl of Fife and Menteith, guardian of Scotland, George [Dunbar], earl of March, our kinsman, Sir Archibald de Douglas and Sir Thomas de Erskine, our kinsmen. At Edinburgh on 10 April in the nineteenth year of our reign [1389].