[1633/6/178]¹

Act in favour of Sir Patrick Hamilton of Little Preston

Our sovereign lord, with advice of the three estates of this present parliament, has ratified and approved and, by ths act, ratifies and approves the letter of tack and assedation set, made and granted by a reverend father in God, John [Spottiswood], archbishop of St Andrews, with consent of the chapter of the metropolitan kirk thereof, to the late Sir William Hart of Preston, knight, justice depute of this realm for the time, Dame Margaret Cairncross, his spouse, and to John Hart, their son and then apparent heir, and to the said John, his nearest and lawful heir succeeding to him, and after that heir's decease to the same heir's heir during all the space, years and terms of all their lifetimes respectively and successively after others, and to the said last heir, his heirs and assignees for all the days and terms of 19 years next following the same last heir's decease, and after the termination of the said 19 years, for the space of another 19 years, and after the termination and expiring of the said last 19 years, for the space of another 19 years, of all and sundry the teind sheaves of the town and lands of Little Preston, with parts, pendicles and pertinents thereof, lying within the parish of Preston and sheriffdom of Edinburgh, of the date 19 January 1616, together with the letters of assignation and disposition made by the said Dame Margaret Cairncross to his highness's beloved Sir Patrick Hamilton, now of Preston, knight, heritable proprietor of the said lands, his heirs and assignees, of her liferent of the said tack and right of the said teinds of the lands above-specified contained in the contract and appointment made between the said Sir Patrick Hamilton, therein designed Master Patrick Hamilton, brother-german to his highness's right trusty cousin, Thomas [Hamilton], earl of Haddington, lord Binning and Byres etc., on the one part, and the said Dame Margaret, with consent of certain persons specified therein, on the other part, of the date 18 June 1619; together also with the letters of assignation made by the said John Hart, sometime of Little Preston, son and heir of the said late Sir William Hart, to the said Sir Patrick Hamilton and his foresaids, of the foresaid tack and assedation set, made and granted by the said reverend father in God, with consent above-specified, to the said late Sir William Hart and his said spouse and son and their foresaids, of the said teind sheaves of the said town and lands of Little Preston, with their foresaids, and of all other tacks, rights and titles of the said teinds set, made and granted to the said John and his said late father, and to William Hart, his brother, or any of them, of the said teinds, which assignation is dated 7 December 1621; together likewise with the letters of ratification made and granted by Sir James MacGill of Cranstoun-Riddel, knight, one of the senators of the college of justice, of the tack and assedation above-specified of the teind sheaves foresaid, and assignation and disposition of the same respectively above-mentioned, made and conceived in favour of the said Sir Patrick Hamilton and his foresaids, and assignation made by the said Sir James MacGill to the said Sir Patrick Hamilton and his foresaids of the tacks and rights of the teinds of the said lands of Little Preston contained in the contract and appointment made between the said Sir James MacGill, therein designed Master James MacGill of Cranstoun-Riddel, with consent of Hugh MacGill, one of the prebendaries of the college kirk of Corstorphine, on the one part, and the said Sir Patrick Hamilton, on the other part, of the date 28 August 1622, registered in the books of council upon the same day and year, in all and sundry heads, clauses, articles and conditions contained in the said tack, assignations, dispositions and ratification thereof foresaid, after the forms and tenors of the same in all points. And his majesty, with consent foresaid, wills and grants and, for his highness and his successors, decrees and declares that the foresaid tack and assedation and assignations, dispositions and ratification thereof respectively above-specified are good and valid rights to the said Sir Patrick Hamilton, his heirs and assignees for possessing and enjoying of the said teind sheaves of the town and lands of Little Preston, with their foresaids, in all time coming, ordaining this ratification to be a sufficient warrant to the clerk register and his deputes for extending of an act of parliament hereupon in due and competent form.