[1579/10/20]¹

Touching the disinheriting of the posterity of those that are convicted of the murders of [Henry Stewart, lord Darnley], the king, our sovereign lord's dearest father, and [Matthew Stewart, earl of Lennox and James Stewart, earl of Moray], his two regents, chapter 10

²Forasmuch as by the acts, laws and constitutions of this realm made by our sovereign lord's most noble progenitors, the crimes of treason and lese-majesty have been most severely punished, not only in the persons of the actual committers thereof, but also in the persons of their posterity, which, for the faults of their progenitors, were declared to be unable to claim any heritages, lordships, lands or possessions within this realm; and that in treasons which are not of so great weight and gravity as are the treasons committed in the shameful and detestable murders of our sovereign lord's late dearest father and his two regents and, therefore, in the horror of the said detestable murders and to the terror of others to commit the like in time coming, it is statute and ordained by our sovereign lord, with advice of his three estates of this present parliament, that the bairns, as well natural as lawfully procreated or to be procreated of the persons following, namely, of James [Hepburn], sometime earl of Bothwell, James Ormiston, sometime of that Ilk, John Hay, sometime apparent heir of Tallo, John Hepburn, called John of Bolton, Sir William Maitland, sometime younger of Lethington, and Sir James Balfour, sometime of Pittendreich, knights, which are of a long time bygone convicted for the detestable murder of our sovereign lord's late dearest father, John [Hamilton], sometime commendator of Arbroath, Claud [Hamilton], sometime commendator of Paisley, James Hamilton, called James of Bothwellhaugh, John Hamilton, sometime provost of Bothwell, his brother Gavin Hamilton, sometime of Raploch, Robert Hamilton, sometime of Dalserf, David Hamilton, sometime of Monkton Mains, James Muirhead, sometime of Lauchope, John Hamilton, sometime of Shawton, Andrew Hamilton, sometime in Hailes, Robert Hamilton, sometime in Letham, John Hamilton, sometime in Kilbowie, Robert Balfour, brother to the said Sir James Balfour, Alexander Baillie, sometime younger of Littlegill and James Baillie, his brother, who in this present parliament are convicted of the cruel murders of the said two regents respectively, shall not enjoy or claim any heritages, lordships, lands nor possessions within this realm, howsoever the same is or shall happen to be acquired, or to pertain to the said bairns since the committing of the said murders respectively, but the same heritages, lordships and lands shall pertain to our sovereign lord and be at his highness's disposition as escheat as freely in all respects as if the committers of the said abominable murders had been in title thereof themselves at the time of their committing respectively.