[1612/10/19]¹

An act concerning the voluntary offer of a taxation made by the estates of parliament to his majesty

Forasmuch as the estates of this present parliament of this kingdom, justly acknowledging their own happiness in living now in the time and under the most just and gracious rule and government of their most dread sovereign, the king's most excellent majesty, to whom both by due of their birth, debt of their subjection and daily bond of their infinite benefits and favours received, holding themselves justly obliged to bestow their whole lives and estates in anything might breed to his gracious majesty any just content, and understanding of his majesty's most honourable intention of the marriage of the most noble princess the Lady Elizabeth, his daughter, whereby his majesty will be driven to great and infinite charges by the resort and entertainment of strangers, by the payment of his daughter's tocher, and in the furnishing of her and her grace's attendants and retinue with all necessary provision, when after solemnising of the marriage and the fitting season of the year the princess is to be transported to the territories of her future husband, the said estates, for a sign, token and testimony of their dutiful affection and devoted service to his majesty, do humbly entreat and beg of his majesty the gracious acceptance in good part of their benevolence after-specified, offered to supply some part of these great expenses and charges whereunto by this so royal and necessary occasion his highness shall be driven, they wanting no will if their wealth would answer to defray the whole, and therefore have concluded, determined and agreed to a taxation of £240,000 usual money of Scotland, which with most thankful hearts they offer to his majesty, to be imposed, collected and paid to his highness by the estates and divided amongst them in manner and at the terms after-specified: that is to say, £60,000 thereof as for the first term's payment thereof at the feast and term of Whitsunday [23 May] 1613; another £60,000 as for the second term's payment thereof at the feast and term of Whitsunday [12 June] 1614; another £60,000 as for the third term's payment thereof at the feast and term of Whitsunday [28 May] 1615; and the last £60,000 in complete payment of the said whole taxation of £240,000 at the feast and term of Whitsunday [19 May] 1616. And for collection and payment of the spiritual men's part of the said taxation, the archbishops, bishops and abbots, as representing the whole body of the spiritual estate, have willingly granted that the same estate shall underlie and be subject to the payment of the just half of the said taxation; and to this effect, that all archbishoprics, bishoprics, abbacies, priories and other inferior benefices shall be stented and pay at every one of the four terms above-written such sums of money as shall be set down in the tax rolls to be made thereupon according to the form observed in the late cases heretofore. And for payment of the temporal men's part of the said taxation, the earls, lords and commissioners of shires, as representing the whole body of the temporal estate, have willingly granted that the same estate shall underlie and be subject to the payment of the two sixth parts of the same taxation; and to this effect that there shall be uplifted of every pound land of old extent within this realm pertaining to earls, lords, barons, freeholders and feuars of his majesty's proper lands at every one of the four terms above-specified, the sum of [...] money. And for the burghs' part of the same taxation, the commissioners of burghs, as representing the whole body of that estate, have willingly granted that the same estate shall underlie and be subject to the payment of the just sixth part of the said taxation, and the same to be divided amongst them according to the form observed heretofore in the like cases and paid by equal portions at the four terms above-specified. And in regard that his majesty has erected sundry prelacies in temporal lordships, whereby the owners thereof may claim to be taxed with the barons of the temporal estate and thereby his highness will be defrauded of a great part of the said taxation, therefore it is statute and ordained that all erections of prelacies in temporal lordships shall in payment of the said taxation pay to the collectors thereof so much of the same taxation according to the rate as they would have been subject to pay as if they were in no way erected and as they paid before the erection of the same. And also it is statute and ordained that all dissolved benefices within this realm shall be subject in payment of so much of the taxation according to the rate as they would have been subject to pay so the same had not been dissolved. And to the effect that all his majesty's subjects may be put in certainty what they ought to pay proportionally at each term for their parts of the said taxation according to the lands and others for the which they shall be held to pay taxation, the said estates have given full power and commission to the right reverend fathers in God Alexander [Lindsay], bishop of Dunkeld, Alexander [Douglas], bishop of Moray, George [Graham], bishop of Dunblane, Patrick [Lyon], earl of Kinghorn, Robert [Lindsay], lord Lindsay [of the Byres], Robert [Ker], lord Roxburghe, Sir Thomas Hamilton of Byres, knight, secretary to our sovereign lord and Sir Alexander [Hay of] Whitburgh, knight, clerk register, Sir David Carnegie of Kinnaird, James Wemyss [of Bogie], Sir Gideon Murray of Elibank [...],² Master Alexander Wedderburn [of Kingennie], clerk of Dundee, Sir George Bruce of Carnock and John Lockhart [of Boghall], burgess of Ayr, [...]³ to the most part of them to see and consider the rolls whereupon any person has been charged of before to make [...]⁴ of bygone taxation, that after due examination of the same, respect being had to the quantity of the present taxation [...]⁵ granted by the foresaid estates and to the proportion to be paid by each one of his majesty's subjects who are astricted [...],⁶ the said commissioners or most part of them may make up a perfect stent roll whereupon all charges shall be [...]⁷directed against any of his highness's lieges for payment of their part of the said taxation, according to the particular [...]⁸ to be imposed upon each pound land by the commissioners foresaid and to be specially mentioned in the said stent roll [...].⁹ Further, the said estates annul and discharge all privileges and immunities whatsoever whereby any persons [...]¹⁰ may think themselves free of payment of this present taxation, excepting only the privileges granted to the [...]¹¹ senators and members of the college of justice.