[1584/5/16]¹

An act for annulling certain alienations, provisions and dispositions made in prejudice of the king's majesty's escheat

Forasmuch as albeit the most odious and treasonable crimes of the restraint and captivity of the king's majesty's most noble person, committed at Ruthven on 23 August 1582, and prosecuted at diverse other places thereafter, until his highness, by God's providence, relieved himself of that thraldom on 26 June 1583, have been graciously pardoned and forgiven by his highness to the authors and committers thereof, nevertheless, the principals of them conspiring anew in the months of November, December, January, February, March and April last, most treasonably consulted, communicated, devised and concluded upon the surprising and taking of his highness's person, to have him anew in their hands and power, to be used against his own mind and good liking at their will and appetite, and upon the slaughter and destruction of diverse noblemen and others, his highness's councillors and faithful subjects, to the great peril of his person and subversion of his estate and authority; and after sundry secret conspiracies, giving and receiving of letters, messages, and intelligences for advancement of their most wicked and treasonable conspiracy, at last assembled themselves and their accomplices in arms at the burgh of Stirling in April 1584, seized and surprised the same, took and made prisoners of the bailies and magistrates thereof, fortified the steeple, bridge, ports and diverse other places of the said burgh, and fortified and furnished the same with men of war, besieged his highness's castle of Stirling, constraining the few number of persons being therein unprovided to render the same, threatening them with danger of present death, and taking, using and keeping of them as prisoners, stopped and impeded his highness's heralds and other officers of arms directed to have proclaimed and executed his highness's letters at the market cross of Stirling to use the same letters and robbed and took them from the said officers, making seditious proclamations of their own at the said market cross, full of untruths and calumnies, and for taking up of bands of men of war to serve them in their seditious and most treasonable rebellion, and in the end, fleeing out of the realm, left the said castle of Stirling fortified and garnished with men, ammunition and victual against his highness and his authority, manifesting by their actions their enduring, obstinate and malicious continuance in their former most treasonable attempt of the surprise, restraint and keeping captive of his highness's most noble person, condemning and disdaining his grace's pardon and favour shown to them; wherefore our sovereign lord, with advice of his three estates in this present parliament, decrees and declares that all alienations, resignations, demissions and other dispositions whatsoever made or to be made by any person or persons convicted or that hereafter shall happen in any way to be convicted or forfeited for art and part of the treasonable withholding and taking of his majesty's town and burgh of Stirling and castle thereof against his highness and his authority, of whatsoever lands, heritage, offices, rooms, benefices, tacks set or to be set to them or their wives, bairns, brothers, sisters or any other persons whatsoever, by coloured means and titles, in defraud of our sovereign lord's escheat, since the time of the said treasonable surprise, restraint and captivity of his highness's most noble person attempted at Ruthven on 23 August 1582, with all confirmations, infeftments or other gifts made and granted by his highness or any other superiors thereupon, between that day and his majesty's relief aforesaid on 26 June 1583 aforesaid, are and shall be of themselves null, and of no effect, strength, force nor value in time coming, with all that has followed or that shall happen to follow thereupon. Likewise his majesty, with advice of his three estates, decrees and declares all gifts, provisions and dispositions of prelacies, abbacies, priories and nunneries, made and granted by his highness to whatsoever persons, his highness's subjects, upon the resignations or demissions of the present possessor of the same prelacies, abbacies, priories and nunneries, with reservation of their own liferents during the time of his highness's restraint and captivity aforesaid committed on 23 August 1582, until his majesty, at God's pleasure, acquired his own liberty on 26 June 1583, to be likewise null and of no value, strength, force nor effect with all that has followed or may happen to follow thereupon.