[1600/11/19]¹

²Act in favouris of Schir Johne Ramsay anent ane infeftment to be maid to him of the landis of Eist Barnis

Oure soverane lord, with advyse of the estaittis of this present, parliament calling to rememberance the maist excellent and singular service done to his majestie and to this haill realme upoun the fyft day of August last bipast be Schir Johne Ramsay of Eist Barnis, knycht, at Perth, within the ludgeing of umquhile Johne, sumtyme erle of Gowrie, in assisting, defending and revengeing of his majestie aganis the said sumtyme erle and umquhile Maister Alexander Ruthven, his brothir, quha, haveing maist diffinalatlie and falslie upoun pretence of great service to be done be the said Maister Alexander to his majestie, allurit his hienes to cum frome Falkland to the said burgh of Perth to the said sumtyme erlis ludgeing; and thair the said umquhile Maister Alexander having maist secretlie and tressonablie convoyit his hienes to the turret of the said ludgeing upoun sett purpose to have cruellie and vyilelie murtherit his majestie be assistance of ane armit man inclosit thairin be the saidis sumtyme erle and Maister Alexander, and preparit with armor and wappinnis necessesar for that wickit purpose, and the said umquhile Maister Alexander, with maist vyile language and horrible crueltie, haveing than tressonablie put violent handis in his graces maist sacred persone, offerring him self to the uttermost of his rage and malice to have bereft his majestie of his lyfe and only stayit be that couragious resistance quhilk his majestie, destitute of all maner of armour, wappinnis or uther help, culd possiblie mak, at last, be the mercyfull providence and savour of God, his hienes, cumming to the window of the said turrett perforce and despytte of the said umquhile Maister Alexander, and be his cry making warning to his grace faythfull servandis and subjectis, being of accident upoun the streitt foiranent the said window, of the foirsaid maist horribill interpryse and tressonable violence useit aganis his maist royall persone and lyfe, the said Schir Johne Ramsay, albeit at that tyme forder removeit fra the place of his hienes danger nor the maist pairt of his hienes remanent faythfull servitouris yit led be the spirit of God and vehement affectioun to spend his lyfe in saiftie of his maist gracious prince and maister, come with sa wonderfull diligence to his majesties releif that entering befoir all utheris within the said chalmer quhair his hienes wes sa tressonablie and cruellie assalyeit and persewit and finding his majestie without armour or wappinnis in that wonderfull distres and stryf aganis that desperat tratour provydit for that purpose, the said Schir Johne maid sic help to his majestie that eftir certane woundis gevin with his dager to the said Maister Alexander expellit him furth of the said chalmer, foirseing the danger that micht ensew be the said umquhiile erle his prosecuting of the said tressonable interpryse. For better resistence thairof, the said Schir Johne callit Schir Thomas Erskeyne of Gogar and Schir Hew Heres to his hienes defence, quha scarslie culd with sic diligence cum to the said Schir Johne as the foirsaid sumtyme erle, accumpanyit with ane great number of desperat tratouris spedelie following and fercelie invading thame in the said chalmer for slauchter of his majestie, and his saidis faythfull servandis reddie to die in his defence, and haveing be the advantage of armour and number of his complices reducit thame to verry great extremitie, at lenth the said Schir Johne Ramsay, with mervellous valoure and divyne succes, assailyeit sa curagiouslie the saidis tratouris that haveing strikin the said erle throw the heart and woundit sindrie of his tressonable complices expellit thame with assistance of the said Schir Thomas and Schir Hew furth of the said chalmer, quhairby thair haill devillische interpryses wer dissappointit be the great providence of God and curagiouslie resistance of the kingis majestie, with the faythfull concurrence of the said Schir Johne and remanent his grace faythfull servitouris his hienes wes miraculouslie preservit and the haill estaittis, body and memberis of this commoun wealth thairby deliverit frome extreme danger of confusioun, wrak and utter subversioun. Quhilk being manefest and nochtour to this haill realme and cleirlie and evidentlie verefeit, tryit and provin to the haill estaittis convenit in this present parliament and fundin be thame the maist singular and happie service that culd fall in ane subjectis hand to do to his prince and to have tendit to the hichest blessing and weill that culd have bene wischit of God to this realme, oure said soverane lord and estaittis foirsaidis, willing to gratifie and rewarde the said Schir Johne Ramsay and his airis, findis, decernis and declaris that the said service done be him in maner abonementionat is great, wechtie and acceptible service to his majestie and to this haill realme, and that the landis eftir specefeit, disponit to the said Schir Johne for the samyn, ar disponit for great, sene and ressonable causes of the realme. For the quhilkis causes, albeit his hienes annexit propirtie may nocht be disponit be his majestie, his predecessouris or successouris, yit, in the first act of annexatioun of landis to the crowne maid be King James the secund of maist nobill and worthie memorie, it is exceptit, considerit and provydit that the annexit landis to the crowne may be disponit be the kingis of Scotland be advyse, delyverance and decrete of the haill parliament for great, sene and wechtie causes of the realme; and sua the singular service abonementionat being fundin and declarit be his majestie and haillestaittis of this parliament to be ane great, seand and ressonable cause of the realme for the quhilk his majestie may dispone the landis underwrittin, thairfoir oure soverane lord, with advyse of the haill estaittis of this present parliament, ordanis ane chartour to be maid under the great seall in dew forme in favouris of the said Schir Johne Ramsay, his airis and assignais contening the narrative abonespecefeit and makand mentioun that it is fundin and declarit be act of this present parliament that the said Schir Johne Ramsay his service abonementionat is fundin, decernit and declarit ane great, seand and ressonable cause, tending to the weill of his majestie and of this haill realme, for granting and disponing to the said Schir Johne and that the³ foirsaidis estaittis may dispone to the said Schir Johne the landis underwrittin, gevand, grantand and disponand to the said Schir Johne Ramsay, his airis and assignais heretablie the landis of Eistbarnis, occupyit presentlie be Johne Brysoun thair, payand yeirlie fyftie tua bollis and tua peckis, half quheat, half beir; Johne Gulane thair, payand yeirlie fyftie tua bollis and tua peckis, half quheat and half beir; Williame Maslett thair, payand yeirlie fyftie tua bollis, tua peckis; George Smyth thair, payand yeirlie tuentie sex bollis, ane peck; Johne Purves thair, payand yeirlie xxvj bollis, ane peck quheat and beir; [...] Purves thair, payand tuentie sex bollis, ane peck quheat and beir; George Maslet thair, payand yeirlie xxvj bollis, ane peck; and Williame Wolf thair, payand yeirlie xxvj bollis, ane peck quheat and beir; the landis of Newtounleis, occupyit be Maister Johne Achesoun payand yeirlie threscoir tuelf bollis, iij peckis quheat and beir; the landis of Rig and Fluiris, occupyit be Williame Kellie, thesaurar of Dunbar, payand yeirlie threttie thrie bollis, ane [...],⁴ Williame Nesbit, portioner of Newtoun, payand yeirlie tuentie [...]⁵ extending to tuentie sex chalderis victuall of the[...]⁶ tennentis, tenandreis, service of frie tennentis parti[...],⁷ lyand in the parochin and lordschip of Dunbar wi[...]⁸[...]dome of Edinburgh, to be haldin of oure soverane lord and his grace successouris in frie blenche for payment of ane reid rose yeirlie upoun the fyft day of August in name of blenche ferme, gif it be askit alanerlie, with power to reduce all and quhatsumevir infeftmentis, richtis and titill maid to quhatsumevir persones of the foirsaidis landis or ony pairt thairof for ony cause, ground or occasioun competent of the law, and to sett the samyn in fewferme or utherwayes dispone thairupoun at his plesure in all tyme cumming. And to the effect the foirsaid infeftment of the landis abonewrittin may be effectuall and stand perpetually valide to the said Schir Johne Ramsay, his airis and assignais, oure soverane lord, with advyse of the saidis estaittis, dissolvis the saidis landis particularlie abone rehersit, unioun and annexatioun thairof fra the patrimonie of the crowne in all tyme cumming as gif the samyn had nevir bene annexit to the effect abone mentionat; and lykwayes his majestie, with advyse of the saidis estaittis, for the gude, trew and thankfull service foirsaid, be the tennour heirof, grantis and disponis to the said Schir Johne Ramsay the haill fermes and dueteis of all and sindrie the townis and landis particularlie abonerehersit of the crop and yeir of God j^M and sex hundreth yeiris instant, with power to him to uplift, ressave and intromett with the samin fra the tennentis, occupiaris and possessouris thairof to his awin behuif and utilitie and upoun his ressait to grant acquittances, quhilk sall be sufficient to the ressavearis as gif his majestie and his comptroller had ressavit the samin and gif discharges therupoun.