[A1639/8/4]¹

[Act discharging the exportation of goat hides]

Act discharging the exportation of buck and goat skins²

Our sovereign lord, with advice and consent of the estates of this present parliament, considering that his majesty's late father of happy memory, in his 12th parliament held in June 1592, with advice of the estates, inhibited and discharged all merchants, traffickers and others whatsoever of all transporting and carrying out of this realm of calf skins, heifer and kid skins, packing and peeling thereof, under the pain of confiscation thereof; as also by another act made in July 1593, wherein the said former act is ratified, understanding how profitable the sheep skins are for the particular use of his majesty's lieges, the same are also prohibited to be transported under the like pain of confiscation and other pains mentioned in the said act. And now his majesty and estates of this present parliament, understanding how profitable and necessary the buck and goat skins are within this realm for the use of boots and shoes and other diverse necessary uses and how the transporting and carrying of the same out of this realm has made an exorbitant dearth of goatskin leather that neither the shoemakers, goatskin makers nor dressers of the said buck and goat skins can have wherewithal to work, nor his majesty's lieges cannot be served except upon great and extraordinary prices, whereby all his majesty's lieges are greatly hurt and prejudiced; and specially considering that the transporting and taking away of the said buck and goat skins has been the cause which moved the shoemakers and goatskin dressers to send to Denmark and Sweden and other parts to bring home undressed skins to them upon great prices to serve the lieges, which might be supplied by the not transporting of the said buck and goat skins whereby the lieges would be served and no money to pass out of the country for such commodities; for remedy whereof, his majesty and estates of this present parliament statute and ordain that no merchant, craftsman or other person or persons carry or transport out of this realm any of the said buck or goat skins in any time coming, under the pain of confiscation of the same and further punishment of the person contraveners of this present act at³ the privy council their pleasure. And ordain this draft to be a sufficient warrant for making of an act in this present parliament given.

4 October 1639

Read in articles and delivered to the burghs.

On the same day in the afternoon

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