[1587/7/142]¹

Legislation: private act

Act in favour of the craftismen Flemyngis

²Oure soverane lord and thrie estaittis of this present parliament, upoun the humill supplicatioun of Johne Gardin, Philp Fermant and Johne Banko, Flemyngis, strangearis and warkmen, haifing consideratioun that the saidis strangearis ar cum within this realme to exercise thair craft and occupatioun in making of searges, growgrams, fusteanis, bombesies, stemmingis, beyis, convertouris of beddis and utheris appertening to thair said craft and for instructioun of the saidis liegis in the exercise of the making of the warkis, and hes offerit to oure said soverane lord and haill commoun weill of this realme the experience and suir knawlege of thair lauboris, quhilk will tend to ane perpetuall floresching of the said craft within this realme; thairfoir, oure said soverane lord and thre estaittis foirsaidis hes thocht ressounable and expedient and for the commoun weill of the realme hes aggreit and concluidit with the saidis craftismen and strangearis foirsaidis upoun the particulair heidis and articles following: that is to say, the saidis craftismen sall remane within this realme for the space of fyve yeiris at the leist efter the dait heirof, and salbring within this realme the nowmer of xxx personis of wabsteris, walkaris and sic utheris as may wirk and performe the said wark, as alsua ane litstair or ma for litting and perfitting of thair saidis warkis, and that thai and thair serrvandis, walkaris, wobstaris and litstaris to be brocht hame be thame sall mak and perfite thair steikis and peeces of warkis according as the samin ar, or hes bene, maid in Flanderis, Holland or Ingland, kepand lenth, breid and fynnes conforme to the rule and stile of the buik of the craft foirsaid, presentit befoir his majestie be the saidis craftismen, sene, considerit, allowit, markit and authorizit be his hienes and deliverit in keping to the superintendent of the said craft and keipare of his hienes seill thairof efterspecifiit.

Item, the saidis craftismen ar oblist be thair presentis to tak na prenteisis bot Scottis boyis and madinnis of this realme, and befoir onie utheris, the burges bairnis of Edinburgh to be preferrit and acceptit upoun the conditionis following, to wit, to be prenteisis be the space of fyve yeiris and that the saidis strangearis sall learne thair prenteisis sum pairt of thair craft, quhairby thair laubouris may be worth thair meat and clething within the space of halff ane yeir efter thair entrie; and thairefter the saidis maistiris sall instruct thame in the haill pointis of thair said craft within the space of fyve yeiris and sall hyde na pairt thairof fra thame; and alsua sall furnishe thame ressounablie in meit, drink, clething, bedding, wesching and wringing, for the quhilkis causis to be performit be the saidis strangearis to thair prenteisis during the said space of fyve yeiris, the saidis prenteisis and ilk ane of thame sall pay to thair maistiris for ilk ane of thair prenteisseis the sowme of fourty pundis Scottis money [for ilk man cheild and twenty pund for ilk madin]³; alsua the saidis strangearis ar oblist be thair presentis not to suffer ony personis of thair awin natioun and vocatioun to beg or trouble this cuntrie for povertie, and that thai sall interteny thame be thair warkis and furnessing conforme to the ordour observit be thair natioun in Ingland, and the price of the saidis seillis to be payit be the byaris of the said stuff.

Item, to the effect that his majesties lieges be not dissavit nor prejudgeit be the saidis strangearis unsufficient wark, bot that the samin wark and every peice and parcell thairof salbe als sufficient as ony uther siclyk stuff that is maid in the saidis cuntries of Flanderis, Holland or Ingland, according to the reull and forme of the buik of the said craft producit and merkit as said is, thairfoir his majestie, with avise foirsaid, hes appointit, constitute and ordanit ane honest and discreit man, Nicolas Uduart, burges of Edinburgh, to be visitour and oversear of the saidis craftismen, haill warkis, steikis and peeces and to try the sufficiencie thairof, and to keip his hienes seill, stamp and irne for marking thairof, for the quhilk seill and furnessing of irnes and lead thairto, as alsua the timmer and lomes quhairupoun thai stent the said stuff, the said Nicolas salhave sic dueties as is contenit within the said buke and as is commounlie usit to be payit thairfoir in Flanderis, Holland or Ingland; quhilk office his majestie, with avise foirsaid, gevis and disponis to the said Nicolas during his lyvetyme, and be thir presentis exemis him fra all extentis watcheing, wairding and utheris chairges and impositionis quhatsumever alsfrelie as the saidis strangearis ar exemit thairfra, and that for guid considerationis moving his majestie.

And his majestie, willing to gratifie the saidis strangers for their gude offices foirsaidis, hes grantit and, be thir presentis, grantis to the saidis strangers and workmen ane patent place within the burgh of Edinburgh, or within ony uther burgh within this realme, quhair they sall remane upoun the ordinar mercat dayes of the saidis burrowis to sell their maid steikis and peces of stuff to the lieges of this realm, providing that they sall sell na wool nor worsett befoir the same be put in wark; alsua that the burgh quhair they dwell and usis their craft sall appoint thame sufficient places to sett up treis, draw and dry thair stuff and uther neidfull thingis for their craft, upoun ressonable payment, conforme to the ordour of their said buke.

Item, his hienes, with avise foirsaid, be thir presentis, exemis the saidis strangeris, their cumpanyes, servandis and prentisis fra all taxationis, subsideis, tributis, impositionis, watching, warding, stenting and utheris chargeis quhatsumevir within burgh or owtwith the same, and ordanis that the magistrattis of the burgh of Edinburgh and utheris quhair they sall remane to mak thame burgesis of their burgh and grant thame the libertie thairof gratis during their remaning; and als his majestie grantis to thame the libertie and privilege of naturalizatioun and to be als fre within this realme during their remaning as gif they wer borne within the samyn, and that their lauchfull barnis sall brouke the saidis privilegis as gif they wer naturalizat or borne Scottismen.

Alsua his majestie ordanis the provest and baillies of Edinburgh and of the uther burrowis quhair the saidis strangers salhappin to mak residence to furneis and deliver to ilk ane of the saidis thre workmen ane sufficient worklume to begyn thair work and na further.

Item, it is permittit that strangers may bye the saidis personis steikis of work in the oppin mercat allanerlie, and alsua that they may cheis to thame selffis within the said burgh of Edinburgh and libertie thairof, or ony uther burgh of this realme, ane convenient place for the use of wattir to thame and thair servandis and to ane walker and littistair, conforme to their said buik; and that thair servandis and prentisis that sall cum within this realme salbe exemit fra all exactionis as said is, and alsua salbe rebursit and payit of thair expensis and passage cuming be sey be the magistrattis of the burgh quhair they sall arryve and mak residence, they being alwyse craftismen hable to exercise the said vocatioun.

It is alsua grantit be his majestie, with advise foirsaid, that the saidis Flemyngis craftismen and thair cumpanyes, quhen thay ar ane sufficient nowmer and sall require ane kirk and minister to be the kirk of their natioun, that the samyn salbe permittit to thame upoun thair expensis ressonable for mantenyng of the kirk and sustenyng of ane minister thairat as they can aggre with the parteis, providing that they and thair congregatioun of the said kirk salbe subject to the disciplene and professioun of the kirk of Scotland and to the ecclesiasticall and civile lawes thairof.

And lykewyse, it is permittit be his majestie that the saidis craftismen may bring within this realme and interteny within the same ane wricht of their awin cuntrie for making of their worklumes, quha salbe exemit and brouke their liberties foirsaidis as thame selffis.

And for the bettir furtherance of this gude and godlie interprise, his majestie, with advise foirsaid, gevis and assignis to the saidis thre strangers and their cumpanyes the sowme of ane thowsand merkis money of this realme, to be payit to thame of the first and reddiest of the guidis quhilkis salhappin to be maid be thame for the dewtye of his majesties custume, quhilk salbe ressavit of ilk steik and pece of their work and laboure; and that to be payit efter the said nowmer of threttie workmen be brocht in and plantit within this realme.

Item, his majestie, with advise of the saidis thre estaittis, declaris and ordanis that ilk steik and pece of the saidis craftismenis work sall pay to his hienes, be the workers thairof, for his majesties custume of the same, sic custumes and dewetye as is payit thairfore in Flandirs, Holand or England, conforme to the said buik and valoure of the said stuff as salbe gevin in table to the said Nicolas Udwart, quhome his majestie alsua be thir presentis constitutis ressaver of the said custume and dewetye during the space foirsaid.

And the saidis strangers and workmen presentlie within this realme, or that salhappin to cum within the same to the effect foirsaid, salbe bund and obleist to present thame selffis befoir the provest, baillies and counsale of the saidis burrowis befoir they be admittit to brouke the privilegis abonewrit, and thair gif thair aythis for observing of the lawes of this realme, spirituall and temporall, and for dew obedience to his majestie and his successouris, their jugeis and officiaris, thair superintendent and owersear as accordis to the lawes of this realme, and that they sall remane within this realme at their work and sall not vaig thairfra during the said space of fyve yeiris and further during their remaning within this realme.