[1592/4/65]¹

Concerning the king's chapel royal of Stirling and his highness's musicians

²Our sovereign lord, with advice of his estates in this present parliament, ratifies, approves and, for his highness and his successors, confirms the letters made and granted by his highness, with advice of the lords of his secret council and of [Master Robert Douglas, provost of Lincluden], his collector general, making and constituting his highness's daily servant Thomas Hudson musician master of his highness's chapel royal and commissioner to the effect specified in the said letter, and of the yearly fee therein contained, as the same of the date 5 June 1586 at more length bears, in all points, articles and clauses thereof, after the form and tenor of the same; and ordains the said letter to have full effect, strength and execution in time coming, not only concerning his majesty's chapel royal of Stirling, but his highness's other chantry colleges, whereupon his majesty grants like power and commission to the said Thomas as upon his highness's own chapel royal. And because there is a great part of the fruits and rents of the kirks and benefices pertaining to the said chapel royal conveyed and assigned to the ministers serving the cure of the said kirks, therefore his majesty, with advice foresaid, ordains and commands his highness's collector general and treasurer of the new augmentations to answer and make payment yearly to the said Thomas of so much as he shall want of the yearly fruits and rents of the said kirks and teinds thereof by the benefices or stipends assigned or conveyed to the ministers out of the same, and for the remaining prebendaries and rents of the said chapel royal founded upon temporal lands and conveyed to whatsoever others than to the said Thomas and use of the said musicians at any time since the date of his said gift, finds and declares that he has good right and action to pursue for reduction and annulling thereof to the effect the same may be enjoyed and used according to the effect and meaning of the said gift and provision in all points, and because it is specially provided by the said letter that the said Thomas shall have paid to him yearly in his fee by the collector general of the surplus of the thirds of benefices within this realm the sum of £200, until so much of the rents of the same chapel royal be recovered by him as will extend to the same sum, therefore his majesty, with advice and consent of his said three estates, has thought fit, statute and ordained that his highness shall not convey at any time hereafter any of the prebendaries of the same chapel royal to whatsoever persons, either vacant by decease or otherwise, but has ordained the said Thomas to intromit with the fruits and rents of the same, ever as they shall happen to fall vacant, and to be accountable thereof to his majesty and his exchequer, allowing therein his own fee contained in the said letter until his highness has declared what number of musicians he will have to serve him in his house and chapel, and what fee every person shall have, and that it be found there is so much of the rents of the same prebendaries extant as to pay the same fees with. And in case it shall happen his majesty to make any new disposition of any of the same prebendaries otherwise than is before provided, in that case his majesty, with advice foresaid, decrees and declares the same to be of no value, strength, force nor effect, and ordains and commands the said Thomas to refuse their admission.