[1633/6/185]¹

Act regarding the parish kirk of Strichen

Our sovereign lord, with advice and consent of the three estates of this present parliament, by this act ratifies and approves the act of the diocesan synod of Aberdeen, of the date 1 May 1622, whereby and for the causes onerous contained therein Patrick [Forbes], bishop of Aberdeen, and whole assembly foresaid, with consent of Sir Alexander Fraser of Fraserburgh, knight, patron of the parishes of Rathen and Fraserburgh, and of [Simon Fraser], lord [Fraser of] Lovat in whose person the comprising thereof was devolved, and Thomas Fraser of Strichen, their procurator, and Master William Davidson, minister at the said kirk of Rathen, and Master William Forbes, minister at the said kirk of Fraserburgh, agreed to the disjoining of the 35 ploughlands and five mills lying within the said parish of Rathen therein mentioned, with the teind and vicarage thereof, from the said parish kirk and parish of Rathen, and of the six ploughlands of Faithlie specified therein, with the teinds and vicarage thereof, from the said parish of Fraserburgh, and that the same should be erected in a new parish, and that the said lands and ploughlands should be annexed to the kirk of Strichen and the teind sheaves and vicarage thereof resigned in favour of the said Thomas Fraser of Strichen and his heirs for erecting of a new parish kirk of Strichen and giving a competent provision thereto under the provision mentioned in the said act of assembly. And also another act of the said diocesan synod or assembly of Aberdeen, of the date 19 April 1626, whereby the said Patrick, bishop of Aberdeen and assembly foresaid ratified the bond made by the said Master William Davidson, minister at Rathen, to Alexander Fraser, younger, of Philorth, and the late Simon, lord Fraser of Lovat, in favour of the said Thomas Fraser of Strichen regarding the erection and provision of the said kirk of Strichen, and dismembering of the said parish of Rathen in manner and for the causes contained in the said bond, which is of the date 22 October 1625, under the provisions mentioned in the said last act, in all points, articles and clauses contained in the said two acts of the said diocesan synods or assemblies in so far as the same two acts have ordained the erection of the foresaid kirk of Strichen and dismembering of the lands and others foresaid from the said parishes of Rathen and Philorth. And likewise by this act ratifies and approves the contract and appointment passed between the said Alexander Fraser, younger, of Philorth, patron of the said parish kirks of Rathen and Philorth, and the said Thomas Fraser, elder, of Strichen, and Thomas Fraser, younger, of Strichen, his eldest lawful son, on the one and other parts, of the date at Aberdeen, 25 May 1630, inserted and registered in the books of council and session upon 22 August 1631, regarding the establishing of the right of patronage of the said parish kirk of Strichen in the person of the said Thomas Fraser, elder, of Strichen, and his said son, together with the procuratory of resignation therein contained and instrument of resignation following thereupon, and the signature superscribed by his majesty's hand and composed and passed in his highness's exchequer granted in favour of the said Thomas Fraser, elder, of Strichen and his said son of the lands and barony of Strichen, and of the patronage of the kirk of Strichen, and of sundry other lands and others therein mentioned, in all and sundry points, articles and clauses therein contained after the forms and tenors thereof; and declares, statutes and ordains this present ratification to be as good and sufficient in all respects as if the two acts foresaid of the said assemblies, with the foresaid contract, instrument of resignation and signature above-mentioned, were at length and word by word inserted and engrossed herein, dispensing hereby with the not inserting thereof in this present ratification. And furthermore his majesty, with advice and consent foresaid, of new dismembers and disjoins the lands and others particularly above-written from the said parish kirks and parishes of Rathen and Philorth, and of new unites and erects the same in the said parish of Strichen, and statutes and ordains the said parish kirk and parish of Strichen to be in all time coming a separate and distinct parish kirk and parish apart from the said parish kirks and parishes of Rathen and Philorth. And in like manner finds, declares, statutes and ordains this present act, together with the charter and infeftment to be completed upon the said signature, to be a sufficient, valid and undoubted right and security to the said Thomas Fraser, elder, and his said son, their heirs and assignees mentioned in the said signature, for the peaceable possessing and enjoying in all time coming of the right of patronage of the said kirk and parish of Strichen, parsonage and vicarage thereof, and ordains 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, with provision always that this present ratification nor no part thereof shall be hurtful or prejudicial to [Patrick Leslie], lord Lindores, his rights, privileges and infeftments of the same, but that the said rights shall remain with him and his successors as of before, notwithstanding of the said ratification.