[1633/6/186]¹

Act in favour of Sir George Hamilton

Our sovereign lord, with advice and consent of the estates of this realm convened together in parliament, ordains an act of ratification to be made in this present parliament in favour of his majesty's well-beloved Sir George Hamilton of Blackburn, knight, ratifying, approving and confirming, likewise his majesty, by this act and tenor of the said act, ratifies, approves and with consent foresaid confirms a charter of confirmation granted under his majesty's great seal, of the date 28 March 1622, whereby his majesty's late dearest father, of eternal memory, ratified and approved the charter, alienation and disposition made, given and granted by his majesty's trusty cousin William [Sinclair], lord Sinclair of Berriedale, to the said Sir George Hamilton, his heirs and assignees whatsoever heritably and irredeemably, of all and sundry lands, baronies, annualrents of the earldom of Caithness, with castles, towers, fortalices, mills, multures, woods, fishings, tenants, tenancies, service of free tenants thereof, with advocation, donation and right of patronage of the hospital of St Magnus in Caithness and of all other benefices, kirks, chaplainries, altarages of the said earldom, and particularly of the arch-deanery of Caithness and two kirks of Bower and Watten pertaining thereto, parsonage and vicarage thereof, and of the lands and baronies of Clyth and Greenland, with all and sundry their parts, pendicles, mills, multures, tenants, tenancies, service of free tenants, outsets and all their pertinents whatsoever lying within the bishopric of Caithness, held of our said sovereign lord in manner mentioned in the said charter, as in the same at length is contained, together also with the charters and rights whereupon the said charter of confirmation proceeded and infeftments following thereupon in the whole heads, articles, clauses, circumstances and conditions thereof, and by this act our said sovereign lord, with advice and consent of the said estates, decrees and declares that the charters and infeftments above-written shall be sufficient grounds, rights and titles whereby the said Sir George Hamilton, his heirs and assignees, may hold, enjoy and possess the lands, baronies, annualrents, advocation, donation and right of patronage of the said hospital of St Magnus, and of the several and particular kirks above-contained, likewise, as freely and in the same manner as any earl of Caithness has, or might have, possessed or enjoyed the said lands, baronies, annualrents and patronages above-specified in any time bygone; and ordains this ratification to be sufficient warrant for making an act in the said parliament in manner above-written.