[1592/4/70]¹

Ratification of [George Keith], earl Marischal's proceeding in Denmark, directed to treat the marriage between the king and queen's majesties, and of his infeftments

²Our sovereign lord and his estates of parliament have reviewed, seen and considered the act made by his majesty and the lords of his secret council then resident with his highness for the time at Oslo in Norway, 5 November 1589, bearing that his right trusty cousin and councillor George, earl Marischal, lord Keith, and his colleges, ambassadors directed by his highness for treating, completing and solemnising of the marriage between his majesty and his highness's dearest spouse, of the which act the tenor follows:

At Oslo, 25 November 1589. The which day the king's majesty and lords of secret council, having at great length heard, seen and considered the whole proceedings of his highness's right trusty cousin and councillor, George, earl Marischal, lord Keith and Altrie, his highness's lieutenant in the north, his highness's right trusty cousin and councillor Andrew [Keith], lord Dingwall, colonel general of his realm, his trusty and well-beloved councillor James Scrimgeour of Dudhope, constable of Dundee, together with his highness's trusty and well-beloved servants Master John Skene [of Curriehill], advocate, and Master George Young, archdean of St Andrews, his majesty's ambassadors directed toward Denmark for treating, concluding and solemnising of his highness's marriage with the right high, right excellent and worthy princess Anne, second sister to his highness's dearest brother and cousin Christian IV, elected king of Denmark, in the said weighty errand committed to them, and thereupon being ripely and at length advised with the form and tenor of the contract passed and interchangeably sealed and subscribed relating thereto between the right excellent, right high and mighty princess his highness's dearest sister, the queen of Denmark, his highness's dearest brother, the said elected king, and the four regents and governors of that realm on the one part, and them as his highness's ambassadors and in his highness's name and authority upon the other, exhibited and read before his highness and lords foresaid and bearing date 20 August 1589, together with the form and tenor of the attestation, sealed, subscribed and delivered by them to the said regents regarding the Isles of Orkney, purporting in effect a grant made at their requisition by the foresaid king and regents, that all further claim or repetition of the foresaid isles upon whatsoever pretended right or interest alleged thereto by that crown shall be superseded and continued for their parts to the said elected prince's perfect age, and the said ambassadors' acceptance thereof in name foresaid, always without prejudice of whatsoever right or title acclaimed thereto by either of the crowns, as at more length is contained in the said attestation, whereof the authentic subscribed by the hands of the said whole four governors bearing the date foresaid was likewise exhibited and read before his highness and lords foresaid, together with the form and tenor of the solemn oath interposed by the said ambassadors at the desire and requisition of the said two princes and four governors for his highness's completing and effectuating of all things promised and contracted between them and their foresaids regarding the marriage or any pertinent thereof; all the which contract and process being as said is exhibited and read in presence of his majesty and lords foresaid and the same, together with the requisition made by the said ambassadors to the said queen and governors regarding the transport of the said princess towards Scotland in this winter season, and all the remaining particulars done and assented to by them and at length deduced and discoursed to his majesty and lords foresaid, being by them diligently examined and conferred with the strength and tenor of the commissions and instructions given them relating thereto, read likewise and produced before his majesty and his council to that effect, finds and declares that his highness's right trusty cousin and all others of his colleagues foresaid have, in their treating, contracting and solemnising of his majesty's said marriage with the said princess, in their consenting, perfecting, interchanging and delivery of the said contract, attestation and oath in the said form and tenor in their said requisition regarding the sending home of the said princess in this season, in convoying her both in and out of harbours according to the wind and weather that occurred, in pressing her remaining within Norway after the resolution taken by her convoy to return her back again to Denmark, in their consulting to her residence and remaining here at Oslo until the return of her said mother's further mind regarding the prosecution of her journey towards Scotland, and generally in all and whatsoever other particularly deed or action pertaining to the foresaid treaty, done or assented to by them or any of them from the beginning to the end thereof; all which his majesty, with advice foresaid, holds for particularly expressed and specified in this discharge to have conformed them in every point to their commissions and instructions foresaid, and therein honourably and dutifully to have discharged them of the said weighty errand committed to them and to have done his majesty, his realm and whole estate most memorable and worthy service, deserving his highness's favourable remembrance thereof to them and their posterity in all time coming; whereof his majesty shall find no sooner the occasion, than he will let the same appear to every one of them to their advancement, both in benefit and honour, exonerating, discharging and relieving them and every one of them and their heirs for his highness and his successors, of the said commissions, instructions, contract and other pieces before mentioned, whole articles, clauses and conditions thereof and whatsoever foresaid either intervened or followed thereupon from the beginning of the said treaty to his majesty's repair to the said town of Oslo, and of all pain and pursuit that may impend or be intended criminally or civilly against them or any of them by his majesty or his foresaids, for anything pertaining to the said treaty, done or committed by them or any of them enduring the said space; and for that the abbacy of Deer, being erected by his majesty in a temporal lordship, was by his highness conveyed to his said cousin and incorporated to his said earldom in consideration of his designation at that time for the said service and the exorbitant expense which the honourable discharge thereof would crave and put him to, which now it has pleased God to effectuate by his means; therefore his majesty and lords foresaid have declared and, by the tenor of this present act, declare his highness's cousin foresaid to have honourably, dutifully and to his greatest charges and expenses effectuated and fulfilled the cause and motive of the said erection and union specified in his infeftment, and that in the performance thereof he has most worthily deserved the foresaid benefit, in perpetual memory of his said service to him and his, forever promising in that respect in his highness's princely and inviolable word to cause this said discharge and declaration to be confirmed and ratified by his highness's estates in the next parliament; and ordaining in the meantime this present act to be inserted and registered in the books of secret council for perpetual memory, which act in all clauses, articles and circumstances thereof, our said sovereign lord and his three estates of this present parliament have ratified and approved and, by the tenor of this legislation, ratify and approve; likewise his majesty and his said estates have of new considered the faithful diligence of the said earl and his colleagues in accomplishing the commands and directions contained in the said commission and instructions, without any break in any point thereof; and therefore his highness and estates foresaid have declared and declare that they and every one of them, their heirs and successors and all others to whom it appertains, are and shall be from thenceforth sufficiently acquitted, freed and discharged of their said commission, instructions and directions whatsoever given to them of before as duly fulfilled by them to the honour of our said sovereign lord and his estate, the welfare of his crown and realm, as also our said sovereign lord and estates have perfectly understood that the contract of the said marriage and the other writs mentioned in the said act are faithfully delivered to [Alexander Hay of Easter Kennet], his highness's clerk register, to remain in sure custody and keeping hereafter. And forasmuch as our said sovereign lord, understanding the great charges and expenses which the said George, earl Marischal used to employ upon the said honourable service, erected the lands and rents of the abbacy of Deer in a temporal lordship, now called the lordship of Altrie, to Robert [Keith], then commendator of Deer, in liferent, and to the said George, earl Marischal and his male heirs in fee and heritages, as also his highness upon the same respects renewed to the said earl his infeftments of his old living resigned in his majesty's hands to that effect after the form and tenor of the old infeftments granted to him and his predecessors thereof, making express mention that the barony of Inverugie with tenants, tenancies, annexes and connexes thereof are held of his highness by service of ward and relief, always with express and special provision, that how often and howsoever it shall happen the said lands and barony of Inverugie to fall in the hands of our said sovereign lord and his successors through the minority of the said George, earl Marischal, heirs and successors, they shall be obliged to pay yearly and each year for the said ward, to our said sovereign lord, and his successors, his and their factors the sum of 600 merks money yearly during the time of the said ward and the sum of 600 merks money for the relief at the eschew of the same ward, and the sum of 4,000 merks for the value of the marriage of the heir so often as the same shall happen, as in the said infeftment, which is of the date at Edinburgh, 20 June 1589, at more length is contained; as also in respect of the same service then undertaken by the said earl, our said sovereign lord renewed to the said earl his infeftment of the lands and annualrents pertaining to the black and white friars in Aberdeen, which pertained of before to Master William Leslie of Civildie and were resigned in the hands of our said sovereign lord by the said Master William for great sums of money paid to him thereof, which three infeftments in all heads, clauses and circumstances of the same our said sovereign lord and his estates foresaid of certain knowledge ratify, approve and affirm for his highness and his successors in all time coming, and find and declare that all and sundry the said infeftments made and given in manner foresaid, are made for just and reasonable cause, tending to the well of our sovereign lord's realm and lieges, and therefore decree and ordain the same to stand in full force, strength and effect in all time coming.