The Records of the Parliaments of Scotland to 1707, K.M. Brown et al eds (St Andrews, 2007-2024), date accessed: 17 April 2024
[1604/4/28]1
Legislation: private act
2Act regarding the restitution of Master Thomas Cranston
Our sovereign lord, having consideration of the great troubles and unquietness previously within his highness's realm of Scotland and sundry grudges resulting amongst his loving subjects for the forfeited lands, benefices, rooms and possessions fallen in his majesty's hands by diverse sentences and dooms of forfeiture, and to the effect that his highness's whole subjects be brought to a perfect union and conformity in his majesty's service, without any grudge hereafter to follow amongst them for any [occasion]3 past, by his highness's letters of rehabilitation and restitution under his great seal, granted the benefit of restitution to his highness's beloved Master Thomas Cranston of Murieston and John Cranston, his brother-german, restoring them to their lives, lands, goods moveable and unmoveable whatsoever pertaining to them before their forfeiture, and also rehabilitating the said Master Thomas Cranston and John, his brother, and their posterity to all and whatsoever honours, dignities, rights of succession and other privileges whatsoever competent to them by whatsoever manner of way before the said forfeiture, making and constituting them to be able to possess and enjoy whatsoever lands, heritages, benefices, rooms and possessions pertaining to them of before, and to bear honours and stand in judgement and able to possess dignities and offices in the same manner as they might have done before the said forfeiture, declaring thereto that the said restitution should be as sufficient as if the same were ratified in parliament, with an express promise of his majesty in this first word to ratify the same in his highness's next parliament, as at more length is contained in the said letter of rehabilitation and restitution of the date the [...] day of [...] the year of God 1[...]. And now his majesty, following his natural clemency, for the better effectuating of his said highness's promise and quieting of all grudges within his said highness's realm, has abolished, obliterated and taken away from the ground all and whatsoever processes and dooms of forfeiture led and deduced in his highness's parliaments, justice courts or general councils at any time preceding the date hereof, whereby the said Master Thomas and John, his brother, were convicted and forfeited for any crimes of treason or other crimes whatsoever mentioned in the said forfeiture, and wills and declares that the memory, acts and monuments of the said crimes shall be likewise totally extinguished, abolished and taken away so that it shall not be permissible to any persons within this realm to ground either action or exception thereupon, in judgement nor outwith, at any time hereafter or otherwise to object the same against the said Master Thomas, John, his brother, or their posterity, as if the same forfeitures had never been, nor the said crimes committed whereupon the said forfeitures proceeded; and ordains the said restitution to be as effectual to the said Master Thomas, John, his brother, and their posterity for the full restoring and redintegrating of them to their said lands, living, benefices, rents, rooms and possessions whatsoever, as any restitution that has been granted of before to any of his majesty's subjects whatsoever, either by the ordinary way of reduction, parties compearing or whatsoever other restitution made at Perth in the month of February 1572 [1573], and in the month of April thereafter, ratified in his highness's parliament held at Holyroodhouse, or by the act of ratification made in his highness's parliament held at Linlithgow in the month of December 1585, or by the act of abolition made in his majesty's parliament held at Edinburgh, 29 July 1587, and wills that the whole clauses and conditions contained in all the said acts be extended in favour of the said Master Thomas, John, his brother, and their posterity most largely with all privileges and immunities therein mentioned, restoring the said persons fully against all and whatsoever sentences and decreets, gifts and dispositions of their lands, benefices, rooms and possessions granted by his highness to any persons proceeding upon the said forfeiture, which by this act, with the said gifts and all that has followed thereupon, are declared null, of no force nor effect in all time coming; and ordains letters to be directed in favour of the said Master Thomas, John, his brother, and their heirs in the appropriate form against all and whatsoever possessors of the said Master Thomas and John, their lands, living, benefices, tacks, steadings, rooms and possessions whatsoever pertaining to them and whereof they were in possession before the said forfeiture, and repossessing and restoring of them and their said heirs thereto in most ample form, and ordains other letters, if need be, to be directed upon the premise in the appropriate form.
- NAS, PA2/16, f.45r-v.
- '9 P' written in margin beside heading.
- APS interpolation.