[1605/6/101]¹

²Erection of Dundrennan in favour of John Murray

Our sovereign lord, with advice and consent of the estates of this present parliament, remembering the good, true and thankful service done by his majesty's trusty and familiar servant John Murray, groom of his majesty's bedchamber, in continual attendance upon his majesty's secret person, wherein he has behaved himself most faithfully and dutifully as is commonly and well known to the said estates; therefore, our said sovereign lord and estates of this present parliament dissolve all and sundry the lands, baronies, towers, fortalices, manor places, mills, multures, woods, fishings, annualrents, kanes, customs, casualties, emoluments and duties whatsoever of the temporality of the abbacy of Dundrennan from the act of annexation made in his highness's parliament held at Edinburgh, 29 July 1587, annexing the temporality of all benefices within this realm to the patrimony of his highness's crown, with the precinct, monastery and manor place of Dundrennan from the said abbacy of Dundrennan and benefice thereof, to which the same pertains and pertained of old, together with the whole spirituality of the kirks of the same abbacy, namely: the kirks of Dundrennan, alias Rerrick, and Kirkmabreck, with all and sundry teind sheaves, other teinds, fruits, rents, profits, revenues, emoluments and duties whatsoever pertaining and belonging thereto; and that the said estates of parliament find it necessary and expedient that his majesty, by his highness's infeftment to be made with advice of his majesty's ordinary officers, shall give, grant and convey to the said John Murray and his male heirs and assignees whatsoever, all and sundry the said lands, baronies, towers, fortalices, manor places, mills, multures, woods, fishings, annualrents, kanes, customs, casualties, emoluments and duties whatsoever of the temporality of the said abbacy, kirks of Dundrennan and Kirkmabreck, teind sheaves thereof, other teinds, fruits, rents, profits and emoluments pertaining thereto, with all right, title, interest and claim of right which his majesty, his predecessors and successors had, has or in any way may have or claim thereto, or any part thereof by any manner of way in time coming, to be erected, united, made, created and incorporated in all and whole a free barony, to be called in all time coming the barony of Dundrennan, and ordain the manor place of Dundrennan to be the principal messuage of the said whole barony of Dundrennan for taking sasine thereat in all time coming. And likewise, the said estates suppress and extinguish perpetually in all time coming the said abbey and monastery of Dundrennan, and declare no person, nor persons to be provided thereto in any time coming hereafter; and ordain an infeftment to be passed under his highness's great seal hereupon, to be held of our said sovereign lord and his successors in free blench, free heritage and free barony forever, giving for that yearly the said John Murray and his foresaids to our said sovereign lord and his successors the sum of £40 usual money of this realm of Scotland yearly at the feast of Whitsunday [May/June] in name of blench ferm only, with a special remit and discharge, with consent of [Master John Preston of Penicuik], collector general, of the whole thirds of the said abbacy of Dundrennan, as well victual as money, and of the whole monks' portions of the same abbacy, because his majesty will be relieved and discharged of the sustentation of the ministry of the kirks thereof, and also declaring all pensions conveyed out of the thirds of the said abbacy in any time bygone to be null in all time coming. And our said sovereign lord and estates of parliament have interposed and interpose their consent and authority to the said disposition and to the infeftment to follow thereupon, now as if it were already made and perfected and then as now, as that deed which is now and shall be in all times hereafter esteemed and judged for the well of our said sovereign lord and for an evident profit and commodity to his crown and realm of Scotland for ever.