[1585/12/18]¹

An act ratifying the former act of parliament made concerning discharge of infeftments and sums of money obliged for delivery of castles

²Our sovereign lord, with advice of his three estates of parliament, ratifies and approves the act made before in the parliament held at Edinburgh on 24 October 1581, and the repetition of whatsoever lands or sums of money given to the keepers of our sovereign lord's castles and fortalices to the keepers thereof in his highness's minority and less age, being constrained thereto by the aforesaid keepers before the said castles and fortalices might be relieved out of their hands, as the said act in itself at more length bears, in all points and clauses thereof, with this addition: that the said act shall be extended to all persons who, in the reign of [Mary], our sovereign lord's dearest mother, bearing authority for the time, received lands, goods, sums of money, bond, obligation or surety thereof for deliverance of the said castles and fortalices, and that the persons or their heirs obliged either as principals or as cautioners for payment of the sums of money, or to make infeftments of lands or to give any other profit to the keepers of the said castles and fortalices, and can verify and prove that the said obligation was made for that cause, shall have good action to reduce the said bond and obligation and a competent exception by virtue of this present act to make the same null and of no value whenever they shall be called for the fulfilling thereof; and if they pursue the said reduction, they shall be heard summarily before the lords of session upon 15 days' warning without diet, table or continuation of other summons.