[1612/10/42]¹

Dissolution of archdeanery of St Andrews and annexation of the same to the bishopric thereof

Our sovereign lord, with the advice of the estates of this present parliament, ratifies and approves the gift and disposition made by his most excellent majesty to the most reverend father in God, George [Gledstanes], archbishop of St Andrews, and his successors, of the donation, advocation and right of patronage of the archdeanery of St Andrews passed under his majesty's great seal, which is of the date at Whitehall, 4 April 1612, in all the clauses, articles and conditions of the same, whereof the tenor follows:

James, by the grace of God, king of Great Britain, France and Ireland, and defender of the faith, gives greetings to all good men whom this present letter reaches. Let it be known that it is certain and we acknowledge that the union, annexation, incorporation and consolidation of the benefice of the archdeanry of St Andrews, with all the profits, rents and emoluments of the same, together with, whole and complete, the local stipend assigned to the incumbents of the parish church of the town of St Andrews for the care of the said church, from levying the rents of the priory of St Andrews for its archepiscopate as part of the patrimony of the said archepiscopate, and also because the most reverend father in Christ George, archbishop of St Andrews, through the zeal which he has and bears towards the glory of God and the spreading of the divine word and its progression, resigned, renounced, purely and simply gave and surrendered the following by himself and by his procurators lawfully established by him in his name, to the undernoted effect, at Whitehall, from the said archbishop and his successors into our hands, as into the hands of his lord superior and patron of the said archbishopric: whole and complete, the foresaid benefice of the archdeaconry of St Andrews as regards its spirituality, with the manse (commonly called 'the manse') of the same, and the offices of conservator of the privileges of the university of St Andrews and of the investiture of all persons to present to benefices within the diocese of the foresaid archbishopric, in accordance with the ancient custom of archdeacons of the said archdeaconry, with all other offices, privileges, immunities, honours, rents, churches, profits and any emoluments relating and pertaining to the said benefice, together with raising the local stipend assigned locally and in perpetuity to the incumbents of the foresaid parish church of St Andrews for the care of the said church, from the foresaid priory of St Andrews, amounting to ten chalders and eight bolls of fodder as for the present and formerly was possessed by the said archbishop, united and annexed by us to the said archbishopric as part of its patrimony, to the effect that we unify, annex, incorporate and consolidate the said local stipend of ten chalders and eight bolls of fodder assigned to the foresaid church of St Andrews on account of the service of care of the same, to be raised from the said priory of St Andrews, into the foresaid benefice of its archdeaconry as part of the patrimony of the foresaid archdeaconry; this is united and annexed in return for our infeftment of the advocation, donation and right of patronage of the said archdeaconry accordingly given by us to the foresaid archbishop and his successors as archbishops of the said archbishopric, for the presentation of one or more suitable persons whenever a vacancy falls to be handled by them, for an incumbent to the care of the said parish church of St Andrews; these persons shall be held to fulfil actual residence and the function of minister, as is set out at length in the said procuratorial charter granted in that regard. Therefore we, with the advice and consent of the lords of our privy council of Scotland, have annexed, unified, incorporated and consolidated the said local stipend assigned to the foresaid parish church of St Andrews to be raised from the said priory for the foresaid archdeaconry of St Andrews, to remain with it inseparably as part of its patrimony. Further, with the consent of the forementioned, we have given, granted and conveyed, and by the wording of the present document we do give, grant and convey in favour of the most reverend father in Christ George, archbishop of St Andrews and his successors as archbishops of the said archbishopric the donation, advocation and right of patronage of the said benefice of the archdeaconry of St Andrews as pertains and relates to its spirituality, with the manse (commonly called 'the manse') and the offices of conservator of the privileges of the university of St Andrews and the investiture of all persons to be presented to the said benefices within the diocese of the said archbishopric of St Andrews, as the archdeacons had the use and custom of old, with all other offices, privileges, immunities, dignities, honours, churches, rents, profits and emoluments pertaining to the said benefice and the local stipend of the said parish church of St Andrews, now unified incorporated into the foresaid archdeaconry as part of its patrimony, to the effect that one or more persons, to be presented by the said archbishop and his successors to the foresaid archdeaconry of St Andrews, whenever it falls vacant and is in their hands, provided that they are suitable and qualified, will be bound and held to serve the cure of souls at the said church of St Andrews, and shall be actual, resident ministers to the said parish church of St Andrews, with authority to the foresaid and his successors as patrons of the said benefice to present qualified persons to the said benefice whenever it happens to be vacant and in their hands, and to examine their learning, life and behaviour. We also order and instruct the lords of our council and session within our realm of Scotland and any and all of our other judges to address other letters as necessary regarding responding, deferring to and obeying the person or persons who shall in future be presented to the said archdeaconry of St Andrews by the foresaid archbishop and his successors, regarding the fruits, rents, profits and emoluments of the said benefice as appropriate. Further, by our word as a prince, we faithfully promise that we shall ratify and approve this donation and disposition of ours of the said patronage of the foresaid archdeaconry of St Andrews, in favour of the said archbishop of the same and his successors, in the next parliament of ours to be held in our realm of Scotland. In testimony of this we have instructed that our great seal be applied to the present document, at Whitehall on 4 April in the year of the Lord 1612, and in the tenth and forty-fifth of our reigns.

Moreover, our said sovereign lord and estates foresaid, with consent and assent of the said George, archbishop of St Andrews, personally present in presence of this present parliament, dissolve and separate the lands of temporality of the archdeanery of St Andrews from the said archbishopric, to the which it was united and incorporated by his majesty and estates of before, to the effect it may be conveyed by the said archbishop and his successors as lawful patrons of the said whole archdeanery, as well temporality as spirituality thereof, to persons able and qualified for the office and function of the ministry, reserving always to the said archbishop and his successors the house, lands and tenements lying within the territory of the city of St Andrews, to remain perpetually as a part of the said archbishopric, never to be separated therefrom, excepting always the archdean's ancient manse, commonly called the Archdean's Innes, lying at the east end of the said city, which shall appertain in all times coming to the archdean of St Andrews and his successors.