[1605/6/103]¹

²Ratification to the kirk of Borthwick

Our sovereign lord and estates of parliament, understanding that his majesty, for the zeal he has to the glory of God and propagation of Christ's blessed evangel, has, by his highness's charter under the great seal, made with advice of his highness's officers of state, disunited and dissolved all and sundry the teind sheaves and other teinds, both great and small, as well of the parsonage as vicarage, and whole fruits of the parish kirk of Borthwick, towns, lands and mills within the parish thereof, and also the prebendaries of Arniston, Middleton, first and second prebendary of Vogrie, and two clerks to serve in the divines within the college kirk of Crichton, a yearly rent for their sustentation founded of old within the said college kirk of Crichton and whole vicarage of Borthwick, fruits, rents, manse and glebe thereof, from the said other kirk of Crichton to the which the same was founded and annexed of before, and has united, erected and incorporated the same in a several and distinct benefice of the said parish kirk of Borthwick, to be called the parsonage of Borthwick, and to be a yearly rent and stipend to the minister serving the cure thereat in all time coming, as the said charter of the date 4 April 1596 at more length purports; which charter of erection and incorporation his majesty and estates foresaid and whole body of this present parliament have ratified and approved, and ratify and approve in all and sundry the heads, clauses, articles and circumstances thereof, with all that has followed, or that may follow thereupon after the form and tenor of the same in all points; and also will and grant that this general ratification is, and shall be, as good, valid and effectual in all respects as if the same and every particular clause thereof were herein specially and expressly mentioned or inserted; and decree and declare that the erection and incorporation of the teinds of the said parish kirk of Borthwick and prebendary above-written, which was of before a pertinent and part of the said college kirk of Crichton, and is now erected in a several and distinct parsonage, to be called the parsonage of Borthwick in all time coming, is and shall be as valid and sufficient in all respects as if the said union, erection and incorporation had been passed and completed by the consent of the patron, titulars and prebendaries of the same, and that the want of the consent of the said patron, titulars and prebendaries shall in no way derogate, nor be prejudicial thereto, notwithstanding whatsoever law, act or constitution made in the contrary under the which the said erection and incorporation shall in no way be comprehended, but specially excepted and reserved out of the same. Moreover his majesty and estates foresaid, for the causes above-written, by the tenor of this ratification, of new disunite and dissolve the said teind sheaves and other teinds, great and small, and whole fruits of the parish kirk foresaid, prebendaries and others respectively above-written, and erects the same in a several and distinct parsonage to be called the parsonage of Borthwick in all time coming, and decree and ordain the same union, erection and incorporation of the parsonage foresaid to stand and abide perpetually in all time coming, and the parsons provided, or to be provided thereto, by his highness and his successors to have as good right to the teinds, both great and small, fruits, rents, emoluments and duties whatsoever of the said parsonage of Borthwick as if the same had been a several and distinct parsonage from the beginning, without prejudice of the particular prebendaries' provisions yet alive, who were provided to the said benefices before the month of April 1596, for their lifetimes only.