[1592/4/101]¹

Concerning certain abuses in the admiral's proceedings

²Forasmuch as it is heavily complained by the whole burghs of this realm that they, and the whole towns lying upon the sea coast, have been greatly oppressed by the admiral taking a colour upon the new infeftment made to Francis [Stewart], sometime earl of Bothwell, of the said admiralty, in the which infeftment there is a great number of strange clauses, which were never contained in any infeftment given to any admiral of before; for repressing of the which oppression, it is statute and ordained by our sovereign lord and his estates of this present parliament, that the admiral of this realm, and his successors in time coming, exercise nor usurp no jurisdiction, neither yet exact nor crave any kind of duty, escheat nor casualty but according to that which was used to be exercised or taken by the admiral for the time before the decease of King James V of noble memory, notwithstanding any greater speciality contained in any of the said admiral's infeftments bygone or to come.