[1592/4/139]¹

Ratification to Master David Chalmers of Ormond

²Our sovereign lord, with advice of the estates of this present parliament, understanding that [Henry Stewart], his highness's late dearest father, and [Mary], his mother, of most noble memory, king and queen of this realm, conveyed to Master David Chalmers of Ormond, one of the ordinary senators of the college of justice, his heirs and assignees in feu ferm, all and whole the town and lands of Castleton and boats thereof, Belmaduthy, Auchterflow and Meikle Suddie, with the mill, mill lands, ale houses and ale house croft thereof, lying within the lordship of Ardmeanach and sheriffdom of Inverness, to be held of our said late sovereign lord and lady, his majesty's predecessors and their successors for yearly payment according to the old rental, with a yearly augmentation contained in the said Master David's charter of feu ferm of the date at Stirling, 23 December 1566, which was duly ratified and approved by her majesty, with advice of the whole estates of her parliament held at Edinburgh, 19 April 1567, in her highness's perfect age, likewise our sovereign lord, after his perfect age of 25 years complete, under the testimony of his great seal, has ratified and confirmed the said infeftment (with a clause of novodamus); together with the said act of parliament of the dates respectively foresaid, just as the said confirmation of the date at Edinburgh, 2 July 1591, with the said infeftment and act of parliament bears; likewise also his majesty in his perfect age of 21 years and act of annexation, annexing the spiritual lands to the crown, conveyed to the said Master David heritably all and whole the glebes and manses of the chancellery of Ross and vicarage of Suddie, all and whole the glebe, manses and kirklands of Kynnettis (with the teinds included) lying in the Chanonry of Ross at the kirks of Suddie and Kynnettis respectively within the diocese of Ross and sheriffdom of Inverness; also and all and whole two oxgang of Navity, with the pertinents, lying within the sheriffdom of Cromarty, bounded, to be held and for payment respectively specified in the said Master David's infeftments made relating thereto. And moreover, his majesty has given, granted and conveyed to the said Master David, his heirs and assignees, all and whole the tenement of land back and fore, under and above, with the pertinents, lying within the burgh of Edinburgh on the south side thereof at the head of the close called Stewart's Close, endowed of old to the college kirk of Crichton and pertaining to our said sovereign lord by virtue of the said act of annexation, which infeftment, with the said glebes, manses, kirkland, two oxgang of land of Navity, together with the said tenement of land lying as said is, his highness, after his perfect age of 25 years complete, has ratified, approved and of new given as his grace's disposition thereof of the date at Edinburgh, 2 July 1591, at more length purports. And seeing this is the first parliament after his majesty's perfect age of 25 years complete, his majesty, with advice of the estates of this present parliament, ratifies, approves and confirms the foresaid dispositions, infeftments and act of parliament of the dates and tenors above-mentioned, for giving of the same further strength, force and effect, if any further right, consent or authorisation may be found needful thereto in any time hereafter; and wills that this present ratification be extended and interpreted in as ample form as the said act made in the said Master David's favour and ratified in parliament, held by his highness's late dearest mother, with all and sundry points, articles and clauses specified in the same.