[1581/10/21]¹

Procedure: commission

Concerning provision of ministers and certain stipends for them at all parish kirks and appointing of commissioners for ordering thereof

²Item, because, for lack of preaching and teaching in sundry parts of the realm, many people are suspected to be fallen in great ignorance and danger of Godless atheism, it being found most difficult that in the charge of plurality of kirks any one minister may instruct many flocks, therefore it is thought expedient, statute and ordained by our sovereign lord and his three estates of this present parliament that every parish kirk, and so much bounds as shall be found to be a sufficient and a competent parish thereof, shall have their own pasture, with a sufficient and reasonable stipend according to the state and sufficiency of the place, and that all kirks to the prelacies annexed be provided of sufficient ministers with competent livings, as well lately conveyed since his highness's acceptance of the government of his own person as that shall become vacant and be provided hereafter until his highness's perfect age; and before the title of any prelacy be conferred to any person hereafter, that the said livings and stipends be reserved in the provision and always accounted in the third, to the effect that ministers may be provided thereto for life; and in case any gift or provision of prelacy shall pass otherwise, declares the same to be null and of no value, force nor effect. For the special execution of the which order, his majesty, with advice of his said three estates, grants and gives power and commission to his right trusty cousins and trusty and well beloved counsellors and others after-specified, namely, James Stewart, earl of Arran, lord Annan and Hamilton, John [Graham], earl of Montrose, lord Graham, Andrew [Leslie], earl of Rothes, lord Leslie, Patrick [Lindsay], lord Lindsay of the Byres, James [Ogilvy], lord Ogilvy, John [Maxwell], lord Herries, Patrick [Adamson], archbishop of St Andrews, etc., Adam [Bothwell], bishop of Orkney, Alexander [Campbell], bishop of Brechin, Mark [Kerr], commendator of Newbattle, Leonard [Leslie], commendator of Coupar [Angus], Alexander [Colville], commendator of Culross, the commissioners of the burghs of Edinburgh, Perth, Dundee, Stirling, Glasgow and St Andrews, with our sovereign lord's officers of the estate underwritten, they are to say: [Esme Stewart, duke of Lennox], the lord great chamberlain, [Colin Campbell, earl of Argyll], chancellor, [William Ruthven, earl of Gowrie], treasurer, [Robert Pitcairn, commendator of Dunfermline], secretary, [Sir William Murray of Tullibardine], comptroller, collector general, [Sir Lewis Bellenden of Auchnoull], justice clerk, [Alexander Hay of Easter Kennet], clerk register, and [Robert Crichton of Eliock], advocate, or any three of them jointly, his majesty's collector general of the surplus always being one, to convene with the commissioners of the kirk this present year how soon may be, and all other years to come on 1 November, and to consider, appoint and order the estate of the said kirks and stipends through which the said ministers, being honestly sustained, may the better attend to their flocks and proper vocation; and the said order to continue until further order be taken by his highness, with advice of his said estates in parliament.