[1587/7/98]¹

Act absolving kirkmen from warrandice, excepting their own death

²It is statute and ordained by our sovereign lord and three estates of parliament that where there are diverse of the bishops, abbots and prelates of this realm that have set their livings for certain sums of money to be paid to them for their liferents, as also have conveyed diverse and sundry pensions out of the two parts of their benefices, partly to their convents and partly to others, and for the readier and more sure payment have assigned the same to be taken up of the readiest of the said bishops, abbots and prelates' feu lands, which being now assumed and annexed to the crown, the said possessors will be put from there and the said prelates called for their warrant, which will be so great action and import such harm to them that they will never be able to sustain any honest rank; therefore our sovereign lord, having consideration that the said temporal lands are taken from the said prelates by act of parliament and law of our realm and dissolved from their benefices, so that no fraudulent deed can be alleged in the person of the said prelates, his majesty, with advice of his three estates, has ordained that the said prelates whose lands are assumed and annexed to the crown and dissolved from the said benefices, they shall be in no way held to warrant tack, pension, assignation or other disposition whatsoever made of the temporal lands of the said benefices, ferms or profits thereof to the possessors nor any others, but shall be free from all warrandice in times coming, notwithstanding any contract, pension or assignation thereof made in times past; providing always that where the said bishops, abbots and prelates by their own death have made double rights, either tacks, pensions, assignations or other dispositions of anything conveyed out of the said temporal lands, ferms and profits thereof to two or more several persons, possessors of the said temporal lands, or others whatsoever, they shall be held to warrant the said double rights made by them for their own deed and disposition only; and ordains the lords of our session and council to judge according to this act as one of the laws of our realm.