[1612/10/21]¹

Ratification of the contract between his majesty and Sir John Arnott [of Birswick] regarding Orkney

Our sovereign lord, estates and whole body of this present parliament, after mature deliberation and advisement, trial and cognition carefully and diligently taken by them, perfectly understanding that the contract and appointment passed between our said sovereign, with advice of the lords commissioners of his majesty's rents and lords of his highness's privy council of the kingdom of Scotland on the one part, and Sir John Arnott of Birswick, knight, with express consent and assent and advice of William and James Arnott, his lawful sons, on the other part, regarding the alienation and disposition made by the said Sir John and his sons foresaid to our said sovereign of sundry lands, isles and others specified in the same contract lying within the bounds of Orkney and Shetland, is made for the augmentation of the patrimony of his highness's crown of the kingdom of Scotland and so for the evident commodity, manifest utility and welfare of the realm of Scotland, lieges and subjects thereof, therefore our said sovereign, with advice and consent of his majesty's estates for them and their successors, ratifies, approves and perpetually confirms the foresaid contract and appointment in all and sundry points, heads, articles, clauses, circumstances and conditions thereof, and whole alienations, dispositions, bonds, obligations and assignations therein expressed, with the promise made by his highness in the word of a prince by the said contract to cause the said Sir John Arnott, his heirs, executors or assignees be thankfully paid out of the readiest and best payment of his highness's customs of the kingdom of Scotland of the sum of £300,000 usual money of the realm of Scotland at the terms and in manner therein specified, as the same contract of the date at Theobalds in England, and at Edinburgh respectively, 21 September and 9 October 1612, registered in the books of session and council 13 October the year of God foresaid, in the self at more length purports, together with all and whatsoever warrandice granted or to be granted by our said sovereign in favour of the said Sir John Arnott or his foresaids for thankful and ready payment to be made to the said Sir John or his foresaids of the sums of money or any part thereof promised to them by the said contract of whatsoever dates, tenor or contents the foresaid warrandice be, declaring hereby that the customs officials, farmers and tacksmen of his majesty's customs within this kingdom present and being for the time are, and shall be, obliged in payment to the said Sir John and his foresaids of the whole sums, quantities and proportions mentioned in the said contract at the several times therein prescribed; and the said Sir John and his foresaids, their acquittance to be given to the said custom officials shall be as sufficient to them according to amount as if a discharge had been given to them by the receivers of his majesty's rents and to be allowed and deducted to them in their accounts; and will and declare also this present ratification to be of as great strength, force and effect as if the foresaid contract and warrandice, whole tenor and contents thereof were word by word at length inserted herein; concerning which, our said sovereign and estates dispense by this ratification, and ordain the said Sir John to be thankfully paid of the sums promised to him by the said contract at the terms and in manner therein contained.