[1585/12/20]¹

Committee members: privy council

An act for establishing of the king's majesty's private council

²Our sovereign lord, considering how at sundry times since his highness's coronation and acceptance of the government of his realm in his own hands there has been sundry persons admitted and sworn to be of his privy council, although by such a multitude making no residence but when they pleased, the majesty and gravity that ought to be in his said private council has been rather brought in decay than increased, and the care of his majesty's affairs and of the commonwealth has been rather neglected than well provided, his majesty, therefore, with advice of his three estates convened in this present parliament, has discharged and, by the tenor hereof, discharges all persons heretofore being of his privy council and presently has of new elected and nominated the persons underwritten: they are to say, John [Hamilton], lord Hamilton, Archibald [Douglas], earl of Angus etc., George [Gordon], earl of Huntly etc., George [Keith], earl Marischal, John [Erskine], earl of Mar, Andrew [Leslie], earl of Rothes, John [Maxwell], earl of Morton, lord Maxwell, Patrick [Adamson], archbishop of St Andrews, Adam [Bothwell], bishop of Orkney, William [Maxwell], lord Herries, Claud [Hamilton], commendator of Paisley, Patrick [Gray], master of Gray, Robert [Keith], commendator of Deer, Alexander [Seton], commendator of Pluscarden, and Sir James Home of Cowdenknowes, knight, captain of the castle of Edinburgh, and Alexander [Colville], commendator of Culross, with his highness's ordinary officers of his estate, to be of his highness's privy council in time coming until his highness's next parliament, and further, until they be specially discharged; and that five at least shall be a sufficient number to hear, discuss and determine in any matter belonging to the judgement of the privy council, and that the clerk shall note in his book the names of them present that sit and the king's majesty's own subscription only, with [John Graham, earl of Montrose], treasurer, [Andrew Wood of Largo], comptroller, or collector or their deputes to signatures or letters properly belonging to every one of their offices, and his highness's subscription, with the secretaries only, or his depute in his absence, to all others letters shall be sufficient warrant to the signet, privy, great and quarter seals, without any other subscriptions or writing of sederunt on the backs of the signatures of letters, as has been lately accustomed; and that the said comptroller, then collector and secretary and their deputes do their duties faithfully and diligently in every one of their offices, attending that nothing pass his majesty's hand or theirs that is a novelty or of any dangerous example against justice or his highness's honour and commodity, or to the hurt of the commonwealth, and be answerable to his highness and remainder of his council thereupon as often as they shall be required.