[1584/5/93]¹

Act annulling the pensions given out from the archbishopric of St Andrews and bishopric of Aberdeen

Forasmuch as the giving of pensions out of benefices of cure within this realm from very ancient times, even in the days of our sovereign lord's noble progenitor, King James I of most noble and worthy memory, has been considered to be the dismembering of the said benefices and so an inconvenience, insufferable within this realm, that the purchasers thereof in parliament were discharged of the same and the ordinaries inhibited to meddle in that matter, as in a special act of parliament made in the days of the said King James I may clearly appear; and nevertheless, the same abuse and inconvenience has this long time past, during the time of our sovereign lord's minority, increased to such a high disorder, especially in the archbishopric of St Andrews and bishopric of Aberdeen, which are so exhausted with a great number of pensions given out of the two parts thereof and that by the means of them that governed the realm for the time when the said benefices became vacant, and partly by the importunate and ardent soliciting, yea, partly by menacing and boasting of such as our said sovereign lord knows it was hard to them to withstand, so if the said pensions remain as a burden upon the said archbishopric of St Andrews and bishopric of Aberdeen, it shall not be able to Patrick [Adamson], now archbishop of St Andrews and David [Cunningham], bishop of Aberdeen to sustain the charge of the oversight of their diocese and to assist his highness with their advice and council when the necessity of the common affairs shall require; therefore, our sovereign lord, by advice of the three estates in this present parliament, most willing to put order hereto by reason that the said present possessors are daily burdened not only with the charge of their own diocese, but in like manner with his grace's service in council and otherwise, has abrogated, rescinded, retreated and annulled and, by this present act, retreats, abrogates and annuls all and sundry gifts of pensions conveyed and given to whatsoever person or persons, by whatsoever person or persons, out of the said archbishopric of St Andrews and bishopric of Aberdeen at any time preceding the date hereof, with all confirmations, decreets and letters obtained accordingly thereto, and that without any further judicial declaration or process of law; and our said sovereign lord, by the tenor hereof, declares and ordains the said persons, and every one of them, to be consolidated and restored, likewise his highness consolidates and restores them to the said benefices respectively out of the which the same were conveyed and given, and discharges the lords of his highness's session and all other judges, ministers and officers of his laws, that none of them admit any of the said pensions in judgement, decreet or discern letters in accordance with thereto, or in any sort approve the same, or proceed in any action that may result directly or indirectly thereupon by way of action, suspension, warranty or otherwise in time coming, saving and excepting only the pensions underwritten provided to the persons specified below: they are to say, £300 money of the mails of the lands of Keig and Monymusk to James Adamson, eldest lawful son to the said archbishop [of St Andrews]; £106 to James Arthur, the half whereof is transferred in Patrick Adamson, second son to the said archbishop; three chalders, two bolls of wheat, barley and oats equally out of Kilrenny to Walter Cockburn; £40 of the teinds of Farny to Hugh Lindsay; £50 of the mails of the lands of Angus to Paul Lindsay; £50 of the mails of the lands of Stow to Master Robert Nicoll, doctor in medicine; £50 of the teinds of Kinpont and others in the parish of Kirkliston to Hieronymus Bowie, master of his highness's wine cellar; £100 of the teinds of the parish of Kirkliston or feu mails thereof to the widow and bairns of the late Hugh Tod; two chalders of wheat out of the lands of Letham to Sir Robert Melville of Murdocairnie, knight; and four chalders of oats of the ferms of Killeith to Master John Sharp, advocate, all being of the two parts of the said archbishopric of St Andrews; and 500 merks to Sir Patrick Gordon of Auchindoun, knight, out of the temporal lands and two parts of the bishopric of Aberdeen. Which pensions his highness and estates aforesaid declare in no way to be annulled by the said act, but that the persons respectively above-specified provided to the said pensions as said is shall possess and enjoy the same according to the gifts and titles made to them of the same as if the said act had not been made.