[1581/10/73]¹

Protestation made by sundry noblemen and others of the estates

We, undersubscribing, in the fear of God, love, favour and bound duty that we owe to our sovereign lord, our master, protest forasmuch as his grace's predecessors of good memory, and in special King James II, made acts and statutes of parliament against those that should happen to commit the horrible crimes of murder of kings, which acts have been allowed by all princes since, and in special by [John Erskine, earl of Mar], the king's majesty's regent, in the parliament held at Stirling in [August 15]71, for the cruel, horrible and detestable murder of [Henry Stewart, lord Darnley], his highness's father of good memory, and [James Stewart, earl of Moray and Matthew Stewart, earl of Lennox], his regents, as in like manner the king's majesty himself and his estates has allowed and approved the aforesaid acts in the parliament held at Edinburgh in 1579, as the same bears at length, that in case anything be done at this present parliament to the hurt, derogation or in any way prejudicial to the acts aforesaid, that we, in one voice, dissent thereto and likewise in any time coming until his highness be of perfect age, protesting that we, nor none of us, shall be called, accused nor pursued in any time hereafter for the same in respect of this our protestation made in the contrary, which we most humbly desire to be admitted by our said sovereign lord and lords aforesaid, and that the clerks may have command of his highness etc. to insert this our protestation in the register books and there to remain for ever. It is thus subscribed: [Colin Campbell, earl of] Argyll, [James Stewart, earl of] Arran, [Robert Stewart, earl of] March, [John Graham, earl of] Montrose, [David Lindsay, earl of] Crawford, [William Ruthven, earl of] Gowrie, [John Maxwell, earl of] Morton, [Robert Stewart, earl of] Orkney, [George Seton, lord] Seton, [Andrew Leslie, earl of] Rothes, [Patrick Adamson, archbishop of] St Andrews, James Stewart, Patrick Lindsay, James [Stewart], lord Innermeath, [Sir William Murray of] Tullibardine, comptroller, Alexander [Home], commendator of Coldingham, James [Ogilvy], lord Ogilvy, [John Maxwell, lord] Herries, [Sir Lewis] Bellenden [of Auchnoull], James Haliburton, R[obert Pitcairn, commendator of] Dunfermline, Alexander Clerk [of Balbirnie], provost [of Edinburgh], [Andrew Stewart, lord] Ochiltree, [Alexander Colville, commendator of] Culross, [Alexander Campbell, bishop of] Brechin.