[A1630/7/11]¹

Procedure: protest and remittance to the king

Act regarding Laurence Keir

The which day, Sir Thomas Hope of Craighall, knight baronet, his majesty's advocate, produced a missive letter written to him from the king's majesty containing a direction to him to pursue and proceed against Laurence Keir, late servant to Master John Skene, clerk of the bills, for some oppressions committed by the said Laurence against his majesty's subjects in the charge which he had under the said Master John Skene, if he found the information made to his majesty in that matter to be true; and therefore the said advocate, out of the duty of his office, protested that the pardon and discharge of penal statutes granted in this convention shall not be extended to the crimes of oppression and extortion allegedly committed by the said Laurence, and that the said crimes were not of the nature and quality of penal statutes. Which protestation being heard and considered by the estates, they remit the consideration thereof to his majesty's royal and excellent judgement.