Act in favour of the burgh of Burntisland

Our sovereign lord and three estates of this present parliament ordain a ratification to be made therein to and in favour of the provost, bailies, council and community of the burgh of Burntisland and their successors, ratifying, approving and, for his highness and his successors, perpetually confirming the infeftment and charter made, given and granted by our said sovereign lord, for himself and as now lord of the lordship of Dunfermline, and having undoubted right to the whole lands and rents belonging thereto, with advice and consent of his highness's principal treasurer, treasurer depute and other lords and others of his highness's exchequer of Scotland, his majesty's commissioners, to and in favour of the said provost, bailies, council and community of the said burgh of Burntisland and their successors, whereby our said sovereign lord, with advice and consent foresaid, for the causes contained therein, has not only ratified, approved and confirmed all and sundry infeftments, erections, gifts, acts of parliament, rights, titles and securities whatsoever with all and sundry privileges, liberties, easements, commodities and immunities whatsoever therein contained made and granted by his highness's late dearest father James, king of Great Britain, France and Ireland, defender of the faith, of worthy memory, the late Mary, queen of Scots, his grandmother, and the late King James V, his great-grandfather, or any of them, their regents or governors for the time, or by any other of his highness's predecessors, or by any of the abbots of Dunfermline for the time, to and in favour of the said burgh of Burntisland, provost, bailies, council and community thereof, to remain with them and their successors perpetually in all time coming, but also our said sovereign lord, for himself and as now lord of the said lordship of Dunfermline, of his highness's kingly power and authority regal, with advice and consent foresaid, has of new given, granted and conveyed to the said provost, bailies, council and community of the said burgh of Burntisland and their successors heritably all and whole his highness's said burgh of Burntisland, whole lands, tenements, burgh ruids and commonties thereof and all their pertinents lying within the sheriffdom of Fife, bound and limited in manner specially and particularly specified and set down in the said charter, together with the port and harbour of the said burgh of Burntisland, called the Port of Grace, with the indraught thereof and primegilt of all ships coming to the said port and liberty of the said burgh to be taken up and collected by the provost and bailies of the said burgh in all time coming, together with the [...] tolls, customs, fees, bolls and others whatsoever pertaining to a free burgh royal and all their pertinents; as also of new erecting the said burgh of Burntisland, with the port and harbour thereof foresaid, and all and sundry the commodities and pertinents thereof in a free burgh royal, and making and constituting the said provost and bailies of the said burgh of Burntisland and their successive provost and bailies thereof, water bailies within all the bounds, limits, liberty and jurisdiction of the said burgh for administration of justice in all and whatsoever causes and actions which in time coming, either by sea or land, shall occur within the bounds and limits foresaid, concerning as well the inhabitants of the said burgh as strangers, with ample power and privilege of buying and selling of all sort of merchandise, staple goods, fairs, markets and other liberties and privileges at length specified and set down in the said charter, to be held by the said provost, bailies, council and community of the said burgh of Burntisland and their successors, of our said sovereign lord and his highness's successive kings of Scotland, in free burgage and free burgh royal for ever, as the said charter of the date 19 February 1632 at more length purports, with the precept of sasine following thereupon under the testimony of his highness's great seal of the same date, and the instrument of sasine following thereupon of the date 27 July 1632, under the sign and subscription of Master Andrew Wilson, notary public, in all and sundry the heads, points, clauses, articles, circumstances and conditions therein contained and after the forms and tenors thereof in all points. And our said sovereign lord and estates of parliament will and grant and, for his highness and his successors, perpetually decree and ordain that this present ratification of the said infeftment, charter, precept and sasine following thereupon is and shall be as effectual and sufficient and of as great strength, force and effect to the said provost, bailies, council and community of the said burgh of Burntisland and their successors for possessing of the said burgh lands, tenements, burgh ruids, commonties, tolls, customs, fees, bolls, port, harbour, office of water bailiary, markets, fairs and whole other privileges and liberties therein contained and pertaining to a free burgh royal, as if the said charter, precept and sasine were all at length word for word engrossed, inserted and contained in the said ratification, notwithstanding the same shall not be so done; concerning which, and with all other defects and imperfections of the said ratification, our said sovereign lord and estates of parliament shall dispense and, by this ratification, dispense for ever, and that the said ratification be further extended in the best form with all clauses necessary.

  1. NAS, PA2/21, f.84r-85r.