[1633/6/74]¹

Act in favour of [John Gordon], earl of Sutherland

Our sovereign lord, with advice and consent of his majesty's three estates of parliament, ordains an act of parliament to be made ratifying, approving and, for his highness and his successors, perpetually confirming, likewise his majesty, with advice and consent foresaid, by the tenor thereof, ratifies, approves and, for his highness and successors, perpetually confirms the charter and appointment made and passed at Oatlands and Holyroodhouse respectively, 18 July and 26 August 1631, between our said sovereign lord, the king's majesty, with advice and consent of his majesty's treasurer principal and depute for the kingdom of Scotland and of the other lords of his majesty's secret council and exchequer of the said kingdom on the one part, and his majesty's right trusty cousin John, earl of Sutherland, lord Strathnaver etc., on the other part, whereby the said John, earl of Sutherland surrendered in his majesty's hands, and in favour of his highness and his successors, to remain perpetually, the heritable offices of sheriffship and crownary of Sutherland, wherein the said John, earl of Sutherland stood infeft, together with the heritable right of regality of Sutherland, wherein also the said earl stood heritably infeft, for the which, his majesty has promised to give to the said John, earl of Sutherland the sum of £1,000 sterling, likewise his majesty, by the said contract, has of new erected the said country of Sutherland in a free sheriffdom and has added thereto the lands and others after following, namely: the countries of Strathnaver, Assynt and Fairintoscar, alias Sleischeles, with the whole bounds, lands, baronies, earldoms, lordships, waters, fishings, mills and others within the bounds limited and mentioned in the said contract, and has erected the said united lands and others foresaid, together with the said country of Sutherland, in a whole, free and distinct sheriffdom by the self to be called in all time coming the sheriffdom of Sutherland, to be governed by the sheriffs and other officers pertaining to the jurisdiction of a sheriffdom in all time coming. And whereby his majesty ordained the town and burgh of Dornoch, lately erected in a free burgh royal, to be the head burgh of the said sheriffdom of Sutherland and to enjoy the whole liberties of a free burgh royal and other liberties and privileges mentioned in the said contract, and whereby his majesty gave power to the free barons and other inhabitants within the said sheriffdom of Sutherland in all time coming to elect and choose their own commissioners for the said sheriffdom to compear at all parliaments, meetings and general conventions within this kingdom at all occasions requisite, and they to have vote therein, likewise and as freely as any other commissioners of any other free sheriffdom within this kingdom, and whereby his majesty to the time the said sum of £1,000 sterling be paid to the said John, earl of Sutherland, his majesty, with consent foresaid, wadset and pledged to the said John, earl of Sutherland, his male heirs and assignees whatsoever, all and whole the right of regality of all and whole the said earldom of Sutherland and offices of sheriffship and crownary of the said sheriffdom of Sutherland within the whole bounds and limits of the same mentioned in the said contract, with all and sundry fees, privileges, jurisdictions, immunities, casualties and duties pertaining and belonging to the said rights and offices of regality, sheriffship and crownary to be held of his majesty and his successors for payment of the blench duty and under reversion by payment of the said sum of £1,000 sterling in manner at length mentioned and contained in the foresaid contract, and also ratified, approved and confirmed the charter, infeftment and sasine following upon the said contract granted to the said John, earl of Sutherland, his male heirs and assignees foresaid thereupon in the whole heads, articles, clauses and circumstances. And his majesty, with advice and consent foresaid of his majesty's three estates of parliament, has of new erected the said country of Sutherland, together with the said united lands and others foresaid, and the countries of Strathnaver, Assynt and Fairintoscar within the whole bounds and limits expressed in the foresaid contract, in a free distinct sheriffdom, and declares the said burgh of Dornoch, which is erected in a free burgh royal as said is, to be the head burgh of the said sheriffdom, and declares the said town and burgh of Dornoch to be a free burgh royal and to possess the whole liberties and privileges of a free burgh royal in all time coming, and wills and declares that the said burgh of Dornoch shall direct their own commissioners with other free burghs to all general conventions and meetings of burghs, and shall be obliged to stent and tax with other free burghs, and to bear proportionable burden with them in all burdens as a free burgh royal in all time coming. And wills and grants, and for his highness and his successors, decrees and ordains this present confirmation to be of as great value, force and effect to the said John, earl of Sutherland, his male heirs and assignees foresaid and others having interest thereto, as if the foresaid contract and charter, infeftment and sasine following thereupon were, word by word, inserted herein, regarding the which and with all defects that may follow thereupon his majesty, with advice and consent foresaid of his highness's three estates of parliament, has dispensed and by this act dispenses for ever. And his majesty, with advice and consent foresaid, ordains this act to be a sufficient warrant to the clerk register for inserting of the said act of ratification of the foresaid writs, rights and securities and privileges contained therein with the rest of the acts of parliament to be made and set down in this next parliament to be held within the kingdom of Scotland.