[1592/4/183]¹

Ratification to William Home of Bassendean

²Our sovereign lord and estates of parliament, having seen and ripely considered the letters of pension granted at the desire of the late Sir John Home of Cowdenknowes, knight, in recompense of his service in the long war against England, and of the great hardships which he sustained through occasion thereof, from our sovereign lord's late dearest grandmother out of the fruits of the abbacy of Kelso, then vacant, to William Home, elder, his lawful son, which pension was conveyed thereafter to the said William for all the days of his lifetime by provision out of the court of Rome, with consent of the entrant, whereof he has been in possession continually since; and also our said sovereign lord and his said estates in parliament have seen and considered the tack and assedation set by the commendator of Kelso for the time, with consent of the convent of the same, to the said William Home and George Home, his son, for all the days of their lifetimes and the longest liver of the two, and to an heir succeeding to the said longest liver for the space of nineteen years, of all and whole the teinds, fruits and emoluments of the parish kirk of Gordon, parsonage and vicarage thereof, for the yearly payment of certain victual or prices thereof, liquidated in the said assedation extending yearly to the sum of 300 merks, which is deducted to the said William by the said assedation for payment and satisfaction to him of the said yearly pension; and further, our said sovereign lord and his said estates, having seen and considered an infeftment made to the said William, his heirs and assignees by the said commendator and convent of Kelso of all and whole the kirkland of Gordon, with the pertinents, for a yearly feu mail and duty contained in the same, which pension, assedation and infeftment his majesty and his estates foresaid have found and declared and, by the tenor of this ratification, find and declare to have been and to be duly and lawfully made in all points and circumstances thereof; and therefore, his majesty and his said estates decree and ordain that the same shall remain and abide in full force, strength and effect to the said William, George, his son, and their heirs and assignees therein contained after the form and tenor thereof in all points; likewise his highness and estates foresaid decree, declare and ordain that the process of forfeiture led, or to be led, against Francis [Stewart], sometime earl of Bothwell, and commendator of the said abbey of Kelso, or whatsoever sentence or judgement shall be given against the inability of his posterity, shall in no way touch the pension, assedation and infeftment foresaid, neither shall the person who shall happen to be provided to the said abbacy or whatsoever other to be heard to quarrel the same for whatsoever cause, but whosoever shall be provided to the said abbacy shall, at his entry thereto, be astricted to ratify and approve the same as if they were a special condition and special clause contained in his provision to do the same.