[1621/6/49]¹

Commission for modifying blench duties and ministers' stipends in erected prelacies

Our sovereign lord and estates of parliament, considering that there are sundry benefices pertaining of old to abbots, priors and nuns dissolved and erected to sundry persons in this present parliament by his majesty, with advice of the said estates, in lordships and baronies; and also that the patronages of the kirks pertaining to the said abbacies, priories and nunneries are given and annexed to the same lordships and baronies to the aforesaid persons; as also that there are diverse other patronages of benefices given and conveyed by his majesty, with advice aforesaid, in this present parliament, to sundry particular persons; and our said sovereign lord and estates aforesaid, being most willing that there be a yearly duty contained in every one of the said erections which shall be paid yearly to his highness and his successors, and also being willing that the ministers serving or that hereafter shall serve at the kirks of every parsonage or vicarage whereof the patronages are now conveyed in this present parliament to whatsoever person, either in their erections or otherwise, be provided of sufficient stipends, and that the whole kirks be planted with sufficient ministers to serve the cure at each kirk, so many of them as are yet unplanted, therefore, and that the premise may be performed, our said sovereign lord and estates aforesaid have given and granted and, by this present act, give and grant full power and commission to Alexander [Seton], earl of Dunfermline, chancellor of this realm, John [Erskine], earl of Mar, great treasurer of this realm, George [Seton], earl of Winton, Robert [Kerr], earl of Lothian, Thomas [Hamilton], earl of Melrose, John [Maitland], viscount of Lauderdale, David [Carnegie], lord Carnegie [of Kinnaird], Sir George Hay of Kinfauns, knight, clerk register, and Sir William Oliphant of Newton, knight, advocate to our sovereign lord, or any five of them, to modify, decree and declare the yearly duty to be contained in every one of the aforesaid erections to be paid yearly to our said sovereign lord and to his majesty's successors, and the same duty to be inserted by the clerk register and his deputes in every act of erection granted in this present parliament. And the said estates declare that the yearly duties to be modified, determined and declared by the said persons in manner aforesaid by virtue of this present commission shall be as valid, effectual and sufficient in the self as if the same yearly duties had been modified, determined and declared by the said whole estates and had been presently inserted and contained in every one of their erections. And also, our said sovereign lord and estates aforesaid have given and granted, likewise by the tenor of this present act give and grant full power and commission to John [Spottiswood], archbishop of St Andrews, James [Law], archbishop of Glasgow, Patrick [Forbes], bishop of Aberdeen, Adam [Bellenden], bishop of Dunblane, Andrew [Lamb], bishop of Galloway, John [Abernethy], bishop of Caithness, the said Alexander, earl of Dunfermline, chancellor, John, earl of Mar, treasurer, Robert, earl of Lothian, Robert [Ker], earl of Roxburghe, John, viscount of Lauderdale, and David, lord Carnegie, or any three of the said bishops and any three of the said earls and lords, to modify, decree and declare to every minister serving or that hereafter shall serve the cure at every kirk their yearly stipends in all time coming, by their manse and glebe of all their kirks whereof the patronages are conveyed by our said sovereign lord in this present parliament in the erections of temporal lordships and baronies or otherwise whatsoever, to the effect that the whole kirks, both already planted or as yet unplanted, may be provided to sufficient stipends in all time coming; and that every kirk may be provided of a minister to serve the cure at each kirk, and that they have sufficient and competent stipends, at the least 500 merks money of this realm or five chalders of victual provided to every one of them to serve the cure in all time coming as said is; providing nevertheless that if the present standing stipends at any of the said kirks be above 500 merks or five chalders of victual, that the same stipends shall in no way be diminished, but to stand in the same estate as they are presently. And it is hereby declared that it shall be permissible to any person or persons of their own goodwill and pleasure to augment and increase the stipends now to be modified by virtue of this present commission. And our said sovereign lord and estates aforesaid discharge the clerk register and his deputes of all booking and extracting of any acts of the said erections or any other act of this present parliament wherein the patronages of the benefices are conveyed; and also discharges the keepers of the registers and seals to complete any of these said infeftments to the time that our said sovereign lord's yearly duty and the ministers' sufficient and competent stipends be first modified, determined and declared by the persons aforesaid according to the tenor of this present act of commission in all points.