[1612/10/47]¹

Exoneration to [Archibald Campbell], earl of Argyll of his commission to Islay

Our sovereign lord and estates of this present parliament, understanding that his majesty, having a special care and regard that the whole isles and highlands of this realm might be reduced to obedience and the inhabitants thereof moved to embrace a godly, civil and quiet form of living, his majesty for that, out of the good proof and experience his highness had of the affection and willing disposition of his majesty's right trusty cousin Archibald [Campbell], earl of Argyll, lord Campbell and Lorne etc., to employ his pains and travails and to hazard his person in his highness's service, gave sundry commissions of lieutenancy and instructions to the said earl within the bounds foresaid, and sometimes verbal directions and instructions for execution of his majesty's will; in the execution of which commissions, directions and instructions the said Archibald, earl of Argyll, most wisely, discreetly and worthily has behaved himself, and for the execution whereof he was often times forced, beside his own friends, men, servants and dependants, to convoke his highness's lieges in arms, to pursue and siege houses, to raise fire, commit slaughters, raids and other deeds of hostility; and his majesty, being always of mind and intention that the said Archibald, earl of Argyll, nor no others, his kin, friends, vassals, men, tenants, servants nor others being in their company the time of the execution of the said commissions, shall in any way incur any crime, peril, danger, damage or inconvenience in their bodies, lands, heritage, tacks, steadings, rooms, possessions, goods or gear in any time coming, therefore his majesty and estates foresaid of this present parliament decree, declare, statute and ordain that all and sundry slaughters, mutilations, bloodshed, fire-raising, demolishing and destruction of houses, buildings, plantings, policies, robberies, oppressions, depredations, spuilzies, ejections, intrusions, wrongful intromissions, contraventions and all other crimes, offences, wrongs, facts, deeds, actions and enterprises whatsoever criminal committed or assisted to by the said earl, his kin, friends, vassals, men, tenants, servants, dependents, partakers or by any other person or persons whatsoever of their company, directly or indirectly, against whatsoever person or persons in their bodies, lands, houses, rents, policies, rooms, possessions, goods or gear within the said isles or any part thereof, or in the repairing or returning to and from the said isles in any time bygone before the date hereof, together with all decreets and sentences following thereupon, and all actions criminal already moved or intended or which may be in any way moved or intended at any time hereafter against the said earl or his foresaids, their heirs, executors or successors or any of them, directly or indirectly, for the causes above-mentioned, or any of them committed or assisted to by them as is above-specified, with all that has followed or may follow thereupon, to be now by the authority of this present parliament and to be in all time coming, extinguished, expired, remitted, discharged, abolished, buried, taken away and put in perpetual oblivion simply and for ever. Likewise his majesty and estates foresaid, by the tenor hereof, extinguish, discharge, abolish, bury, take away and put the same in perpetual oblivion simply, for now and ever in all time coming, and decree, declare and ordain that no action, process nor execution shall be intended, moved, used or pursued criminally by any manner of way in the premises, directly or indirectly, against the said earl, his kin, friends, vassals, men, tenants, servants, dependents, assisters, parties, partakers or others being in their company, nor their heirs, successors nor executors in any time hereafter, discharging the lords of his highness's council and session, secret council, justices, sheriffs, advocates and all other judges and ministers of law within this realm, macers and officers of arms and other officers whatsoever of all calling, accusing, attaching, arresting, summoning, pursuing, troubling, proceeding against or in any way molesting of the said earl or his foresaids or any others of their companies for the premises or concerning the same or for anything that has followed or may follow thereupon, and of their offices in that part, simply and for ever.