[A1575/3/14]¹

Anent the careing of salt furth of the realme

Forsamekill as the small salt maid within this realme rysing to greit and exorbitant pryces, be act of the last parliament it wes statute and ordanit that na small salt sould be transportit furth of this realme at ony tyme thaireftir, at the leist for the space of thre yeris eftir the dait of the said act, under the pane of confiscatioun of the salt, as alsua of the schippis, veschellis and utheris movabill gudis of the personis, transportaris thairof, as the act of parliament maid thairupoun at mair lenth beris; quhilk thaireftir, upoun certane offeris, wes for a tyme dispensit with and licencis grantit to transport salt, on conditioun that the cuntre sould be sufficientlie servit and ansuerit upoun certane ressonabill pryces aggreit on; bot the dispensatioun being thaireftir found prejudiciall to the commoune weill of the realme, the conditionis for serving of the cuntre not being observit, the same dispensatioun wes thaireftir restrenit; and yit it being fund that the said restraint brocht sum hurt and inconvenient with it, the pan maisteris and laubouraris of the salt lamenting how, in hoip of libertie to transport and sell thair salt in foreyn cuntreis, thay had biggit mony ma salt pannis and set mony ma servandis to werk nor heirtofoir thay wer accustumat to do quhen thay onelie travellit to serve the realme it self, quhilke personis and chargeis thay ar not abill to interteny and sustene gif thay salbe constranit to sell the haill salt maid be thame upoun the saidis small pryces, the present derth of all thingis considerit; thairfoir, to the effect that bayth the cuntre mycht be servit of salt upoun ressonabill pryces and that the pan maisteris and laubouraris of the said salt sould not be hinderit of sic commoditie as God mycht send of thair lauchfull laubouris, upoun the humble offer and aggrement of certane of the saidis pan maisteris maid in the moneth of December lastbipast, the regentis grace, with avise of the lordis of secreit counsale present for the tyme, ordanit of every gangand pan thre bollis tobe deliverit oulklie to sic persoun as sould have commissioun to ressave the same to the furnissing of the cuntre, for x s. the boll, under the pane for every boll of salt that sould not be oulklie deliverit of ane laid tobe intromettit with and uptakin thairfoir; quhilk ordour wes appointit to continew quhill this present conventioun of the nobilitie and estaittis, that it mycht be considerit quhidder the ordour than aggreit unto wer expedient for the commoune weill langar to continew or not. And now the saidis pan maisteris and laubouraris meaning thame of new to the regentis grace, nobilitie, counsale and estaittis presentlie assemblit, how havy and skaythfull it is to thame to have the haill salt maid be thame restrenit within the realme, and how impossibill it is to furneis the realme it self on a law pryce gif thay sall not have libertie to transport the remanent furth of the realme, seing God hes now offerit the commoditie of ressonabill pryces tobe had thairfoir in foreyn cuntreis, quhairby the losse of the uther may be upset; and to perswade the same, schew thair oulklie comptis of expensis far greittar nor it had wount to be in servandis feis and wageis, derth of coillis, irne and horsmeit; quhairwith the regentis grace, nobilitie, counsale and estaittis foirsaidis, being ryplie avisit and willing to provyde how the realme within the self salbe sufficientlie servit of salt, and thairwithall that the laubouraris sall not be frustrat of the commoditie now offerit be transporting of the remanent, ordanis that of every gangand pan within this realme, sex bollis of salt salbe oulklie deliverit to the collectour tobe appointit be oure soverane lordis commissioun for furnissing of oure soverane lordis liegis within the realme, and that of the reddiest and first end of the haill salt maid in the pan, alsweill dew to the pan maisteris as saltaris, at x s. viij d. the boll, under the pane of thre bollis for every boll of salt that beis not oulklie deliverit in maner and to the effect foirsaid, tobe instantlie intromettit with and uptakin be the said collectour tobe appointit in every place, with power to him to poind and distrenye thairfoir without calling or proces of law preceding, and the same to inbring and mak compt of to oure soverane lordis use as a pane without ony money tobe deliverit thairfoir. Of the quhilk salt tobe ressavit in maner foirsaid, the inhabitantis of the realme, alsweill cadgearis and utheris for serving of the cuntreis to landwart on the sowithh partis as boittis for the north cuntreis, salbe reddelie ansuerit and servit be ordour and directioun of the said collectour tobe depute to ressave the same fra the pannis, for xj s. the boll, quhill the first day of Februare in the yeir of God j^M v^C lxxv yeris, that than it may be considerit quhiddir the ordour now appointit be expedient and for the commoune weill langar to continew in that state or not. And to the effect that the premisis may tak executioun universallie in all partis quhair salt is maid, ordanis lettres tobe direct chargeing all and sindry our soverane lordis liegis that nane of thame tak upoun hand to transport or cary ony maner of salt out of this realme without oure soverane lordis licence in writt first obtenit to that effect under the signet and subscriptioun of the regentis grace, nor having obtenit the saidis licencis tak upoun hand to by, ladin or transport ony salt out of ony places, bot onelie of sic rowmes as first hes acceptit the conditionis of the present ordour and found souirtie for observatioun and performance thairof, under the panis abonewrittin contenit in the said lait act of parliament maid aganis the careing of salt furth of the realme: that is to say, every severall toun, part or place quhair salt is maid sall send ane or twa personis authorizit be commissioun in writt of the haill pan maisteris of that rowme, and being actit in the bukis of secreit counsale for delivering of sex bollis of salt oulklie of every gangand pan at command and directioun of the collectour to the furnissing of the inhabitantis of the realme within the self, under the said pane of thre bollis for every boll that salbe refusit and not deliverit oulklie upoun requisitioun as said is, to oure soverane lordis use, and that thay ar content and consentis renunceand thair awin jurisdictioun and privilege quhatsumevir in the cais that the saidis collectouris sall instantlie, upoun ony sic refuis, intromet and uptak the said pane of thre bollis for every boll refusit as said is, without ony calling or proces of law; and in caise thay happin to deforce him thairin, to incur thairby the pane of escheting of all thair movabill gudis in the rialtie, the haill to oure soverane lordis use, and within regalitie the twa part to his hienes use and the thrid part to the use of the lord of regalitie, without preiudice of thair full rycht and privilege of escheit in uther caisis occurring within thair jurisdictionis; quhairanent the saidis lordis of regaliteis, being present in this cais, willinglie wer content to dispens quhill the said day, to the effect that the present ordour may the rather tak full effect and executioun without exceptioun or brek in respect of privilege, and that the saidis collectouris be solempnitlie sworne and find sufficient cautioun actit in the saidis bukis of secreit counsale that thay sall trewlie and diligentlie use and execute thair charge in the premisis and mak just compt every thre monethis, anis or oftar as thay salbe requirit, of the salt alsweill ressavit and gevin out to the furnissing of the realme within the self as schippit and past out of the same upoun the licencis tobe grantit as said is, quhairthrow the haill may cum to trew compt and calculatioun; and for the bettir and mair sure comptrolling of the salt passand furth of the realme, that na licencis be grantit upoun ony mair quantitie nor may be transportit in ane veschell attanys, quhairthrow the licencis and cokquettis may be conferrit.

[A1575/3/15]²

Forsamekill as the regentis grace, nobilitie and estattis assemblit at this present conventioun, understanding that it tendis to the honour of oure soverane lord and the commoune weill of his realme and subjectis that the gold of his hienes myndis and utherwayis salbe imprentit and gevin out amangis his liegis in his awin cunye, rather nor tobe, as it is dalie, maid marchandice of and transportit out of the realme, to the prevat gayne of particular personis, thairfoir it is thocht gude, statute and ordanit that thair be cunyeit ane penny of gold of the wecht [...]³