[1605/6/100]¹

²Act anent the dilapidatioun of bischoprikis

Oure soverane lord and estaittis of parliament, haveing consideratioun of that act of parliament maid in the tent parliament haldin be hes hienes in the yeir of God j^M v^C fourscoir fyve yeiris, and in the ellevint act of the said parliament, contening diverse cautionis and provisionis tending to restrane beneficit persones fra away putting of ony pairt of thair benefice, quhairby thair saidis benefices may be left in worse estait nor the samin wes at thair entrie thairto, as the said act dois at mair lenth contene, hes ratefeit and approvin the said act in all the articlis, heidis and circumstances thairof, declaring the samin to remane in full strenth and to have the effect and force of ane perpetuall law and statute of parliament in all tyme cumming with thir additionis: they ar to say, that it sall nawayes be lesum to ony persone provydit, or to be provydit, to ane bischoprik within this realme to dispone or gif in pensioun ony pairt of the patrimonie of his said bischoprik quhilk sall indure and last langer space nor the gevar of the said pensioun sall bruik the said bischoprik; and gif it salhappin the saidis persones provydit to the saidis bischoprikes now, or in ony tyme to cum, to dismember ony pairt of thair saidis benefices or patrimonie thairof, oure soverane lord and estaittis of parliament decernis and declaris all sic factis and deidis to fall under the compass, perrell and danger of dilapidatioun of benefices and to be ane express spes and kynd of dilipidatioun. And be ressone it hes evir bene fund necessar in all tymes past that the fewing of landis, setting of takkis and doing of sic uther lauchfull deidis be quhatsumevir bischop or prelat within this realme, off ony pairt of the patrimonie of thair saidis benefices, suld have the consent of the maist pairt of thair chaptour, without quhais consent had and obtenit to the saidis deidis in haill or the maist pairt thairof wes nawayes lesum to the saidis prelattis to do ony of the saidis deidis, thairfoir the saidis estaittis, according to the written lawis maid thairanent and custome perpetualie observit in suche caises of befoir, findis and declairis that na bischop within this realme may sett in few, tak or utherwayes, nor do ony uther deid in the disponing of ony pairt of the patrimonie of thair saidis bischoprikis, without the advyse, consent and assent of thair chaptouris, or the greatest number of thame, dewlie procurit and obtenit thairto, in the purchessing of quhais consent it sall nawayes be requisit to have thair saidis chaptouris chaptourlie convenit (bot the saidis deidis being utherwayes lauchfullie done and subscryvit be the maist pairt of the said chaptour), the nocht meting and convening chaptourlie at the tyme of the making of the saidis richtis and subscryveing thairof sall furnische na ground quhairupoun the saidis factis and deidis may be querrellit or the saides richtis and titillis impugnit or annullit throw the cause or occasioun foirsaid; quhilkes chaptouris decernis and declairis to remane now, and in all tyme cumming, according to the fundationis of the saidis bischoprikis and as hes bene in tyme bigane, without ony kynd of alteratioun to be maid thairin, exceptand alwayes the chaptour of the archibischopric of Sanctandrous, the³ alteratioun quhairof (quhilk is maid in maner underwritten) necessarlie procedis in that the samin, consisting of befoir of the priourie of Sanctandrous, is suppressit be the new erectioun of the said priourie, quhairby the said chaptour ceises; and thairfoir the saidis estaittis hes declarit, and declaris, that the chaptour of Sanctandrous heireftir sall consist of this number of persones following, viz: of sevin persones of the ministrie duelland and haveand thair charge within his diocie of Sanctandrous, to be electit and nominat be the said archibischop himself, to be perpetuall convent and chaptour of the said archibischoprie in all tyme cumming, and eftir the deceis or removeing of ony ane or ma of thame fra thair present places and functioun within his said diocie, the intrant succeding in that place and charge to succede alsua in that said rowme of the chaptour and convent, reserveand alwayes to the said archibischop and his successouris thair ancient privileges, that the commoun seall of the said chaptour to be maid of new be thair awin advyse, sall serve for thair consentis without thair subscriptionis. And forder, the saidis estaittis findis and decernis that the present commoun seall of the said chaptour, being appendit to the evidentis or richtis quhatsumevir alreadie maid and grantit be the said archibischop, hes bene, and sall be in all tyme cumming, ane sufficient and perfyte consent of the chaptour and als effectuall for secureing of the vassellis and tennentis ressaveris of the saidis richtis as the samin hes bene in ony tyme of befoir, and sua to indure in force heireftir for consent of the said chaptour ay and quhill the electioun of the said new chaptour and making of the said new commoun seall. Attoure, oure said soverane lord and estaittis of parliament findis and declaris that it is, and sall be, leasome to the saidis archibischoppis, bischoppis and thair successouris to sett als mony takkis of the fruittis and dueteis pertening to thair saidis benefices, ather schorte or lang takkis as they pleise and for als mony yeiris as they sall think expedient, quhilk may subsist of the law, in doing quhairof the saidis estaittis will mak na restrante or limitatioun of tyme to the saidis bischoppis, and be ressone that the dueteis of the saidis takkis to be sett be the persones provydit to the saidis bischoprikis ar to be applyit and convertit for satisfactioun and intertenement of the ministeris serveing the cure of the kirkis of the saidis bischoprikis and for supplie of ane pairt of thair stipendis to be gevin to thame, thairfoir the saidis estaittis ordinis the saidis bischoppis to have ane cairfull regaird that the saidis takkis be sett for ane competent duetie, quhilk may in sum ressonable proportioun ansring to that quhilk is sett in tak be mair meitt to supplie ane pairt of the saidis ministeris stipendis, quhilkis dueteis of the saidis takkis, and als the stipendis quhilkis sall be provydit to the ministeris serveing at the kirkis of everie bischoprik, sall be in all tyme cumming repute as ane pairt of the rentall of the saidis bischoprikis, quhilk rentall sall nawayes be hurte, viciat or diminischeat be the titular of the said bischoprik in ony tyme tocum. And to the effect that the ministeris of the saidis kirkis may be the mair certanelie provydit and the rentall of bischoprikis may be maid (quhilk sall nocht be alterit as said is), ordanis all archibischoppis and bischoppis quha ar alreadie provydit, or sall be provydit in tyme to cum, to mak ane sufficient rentall of the patrimonie of ilk bischoprik and to gif in the samin to the clerk of register and his deputtis, to remane in his register ad futuram rei memoriam; and that within the space of ane yeir eftir the date of this present act, under the pane of ane thowsand merkis to be payit be the persone quha sall failyie in geving of the said rentall within the space foirsaid to oure soverane lordis collectour generall, off the quhilk sowme the said collectour sall be haldin to mak compt and rakning to the auditouris of his hienes chekker. Lyk as it is provydit that it sall nawayes be lesum to the saidis archibischoppis or bischoppis to hurte or diminische ony pairt of the said rentall to be gevin in be thame as said is, quhilk will consist cheiflie of the quantitie of victuall and silver quhilk sall be provydit to the saidis ministeris for thair stipendis for serveing the curis of the kirkis of the saidis bischoprikis as said is, bot the said rentall sall remane in the awin integritie in all tyme cumming, to the effect the saidis ministeris and thair successouris serveing at the kirkis of the saidis bischoprikis as said is may be assurit of certane locall stipendis for thair said service, nocht to be subject to the mony changes and alterationis quhairwith frequentlie they have bene trublit in tymes preceding. And last of all, becaus that the rentall to be gevin in of the saidis bischoprikis will consist and be maid upe partlie of the dueteis of the saidis takkis to be sett as said is, and that the certaintie of the saidis locall stipendis standeth in the upgewing of the saidis rentallis, quhilkis oure said soverane lord and estaittis ordanis to be done with all gudlie diligence within the tyme prescryvit thairto, that the ministeris serveing the kirkis be nocht frustrat or dissapointit of dew satisfactioun and recompence for thair travellis tane in service foirsaidis, and that they may be put in certantie thairof in tyme to cum, quhairin the evident weill and proffeitt of the kirk dois appeir and manifest the self; and for that cause ordour is gevin and forme prescryvit for setting of takkis as the preceding articlis of this act proportis, quhairthrow that quhatsumevir actis and constitutionis maid be ony ather civill or ecclesiastik judge tending to the prohibitioun and restraint of setting of lauchfull takkis be ony beneficed persone aucht to be annullit, seing the saidis actis and constitutionis quhilkis wer maid upoun ony preconsavit fear of ony laik or want of mantenance for intertenement of the kirk or upoun ony uther ground ar now cleirlie satisfeit be the cairfull regaird quhilk his majestie and estaittis of this parliament hes alwayes had to the advancement of the kirk and to the certane provisioun of the ministrie thairof, with constant stipendis, ane work verie necessar and to be forderit and expede be the present bischoppis and to quhais cairis and travellis oure said soverane lord and the saidis estaittis hes recommendit and committis to gif ordour in the certane provisioun of the ministrie serveing at the kirkis of thair saidis bischoprikis with competent, ressonable stipendis answerable and aggreable for thair travellis and sustentatioun. And, thairfoir, oure said soverane lord and estaittis foirsaidis statutis, decernis and declaris all and quhatsumevir actis, lawis, statutis, ordinances and constitutionis ecclesiasticque or civill quhilkis ar alreadie maid in tyme bigane, or salhappin to be maid in tyme tocum, quhairby ony beneficed persone within this realme ar prohibitit and dischargeit to sett ony takkis of teyndis (quhilkis may subsist of the law) and quhilkis actis and ordinances may directlie or indirectlie seme to infring and annull the saidis takkis lauchfullie sett as said is, or to inflict ony pane or punischement upoun the settaris thairof, to be altogidder null and of nane availl and to have na strenth, force, nor effect now and in all tyme cumming siclyk as gif the samin had nevir bene maid, quhilkis and all utheris actis, ordinances and constitutionis to be maid anent the premises, and quhilk may tend to the lyk end in ony tyme to cum, oure said soverane lord and estaittis discharges simpliciter and for evir.