[1599/7/10]¹

Legislation: private act

Act in favour of [Dame Annabelle Murray], countess of Mar

Forasmuch as the king's majesty, remembering the worthy, honourable and memorable service done to his highness by his highness's late right trusty and well-beloved councillor John [Erskine], earl of Mar, his highness's regent, and by his right trusty cousin Dame Annabelle Murray, countess of Mar, his widow, in the careful and diligent attendance and virtuous education of his highness's royal person from his infancy to the acceptance of the government on his own person,² wherein they so worthily discharged themselves, notwithstanding the manifold troubles intervening in that time, as they have acquired and registered to their posterity a perpetual praise, honour and commendation worthy of due remembrance. The consideration whereof, besides innumerable other good offices done to his highness by his said cousins and by his highness's right trusty cousin and councillor John [Erskine], earl of Mar, her son, who honourably and dutifully assisted her after his said late father's death in that worthy service, has moved his majesty to make choice amongst all his nobility of his said cousin the earl of Mar and of his said mother to commit to them the custody and education of the prince, his dearest son, Henry, prince of Scotland, wherein they, and especially his highness's said cousins, without respect or regard to her age, health of her body or particular affairs, has so carefully with great pains and travails discharged herself by continual attendance upon the prince by the space now of five years bygone, that he is now become, praised be God, healthy and well disposed in his person and endowed with all other princely qualities appropriate to his age, to the great comfort of his majesty and of his whole realm. And now his majesty understanding that his highness's said cousin is become of great age, having her body wasted and extenuated by her former service, so that now the course of nature refuses her strength and ability of person any longer to endure her accustomed travails and pains, and his majesty being reluctant now in her great age to overburden her with her accustomed travails, but rather to present to her all good occasion which may procure her rest, ease and comfort, and with that to give her an approbation and allowance of her previous service to be honourable and thankfully rewarded and remembered as occasion shall be offered, therefore his majesty, with advice of the lords of his secret council and estates presently convened, finds, declares, affirms and testifies that his said cousin the Countess of Mar and her servants who assisted and accompanied her in all the proceedings of her previous service and performing of the charge of the upbringing and preservation of his highness's own person during his minority and of his dearest son the prince to this time, has done his majesty and the whole country true, thankful, worthy and good service without spot, negligence or reproach, and duly accomplished her charge since the acceptance thereof to the full liking, satisfaction and contentment of his majesty, his council and of all his good subjects; and therefore ratifies, allows and approves all her said proceedings in the charges above-written, and exonerates and relieves her of all further attendance upon that charge of the keeping of the prince in time coming; and promises in the word of a prince to cause this act be ratified and approved by his estates in his next parliament. And because the commodity has not been presented to his majesty to gratify and reward his said cousin as she has worthily merit and as his highness is most willing to see be done, and in case it shall happen (as God forbid) that she be prevented by death before some occasion of her reward be offered, his majesty, with advice of his said council and estates, faithfully promised in the word of a prince to give and convey to Marie Erskine, daughter lawful to the said cousin the earl of Mar, such honourable and worthy reward and remembrance as the previous worthy service of his said cousin has merited, to be as freely and liberally extended to the said Marie as if his said cousin was alive; and that out of the readiest of his majesty's casualties or otherwise as the occasion shall present, so that always the worthy actions of his highness's said cousin shall not be forgotten nor ungratefully and unthankfully remembered.