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Ratification in favour of the burgh of Linlithgow

Our sovereign lord and estates of parliament ratify, approve and confirm to and in favour of the provost, bailies, council, burgesses and community of the burgh of Linlithgow and their successors, the charters, infeftments and other gifts and rights after-mentioned, namely: a charter made and granted by the late King James V, of worthy memory, in his majority to the provost, bailies, council and community of the said burgh of Linlithgow then present and that should happen to be for the time, giving them full power, liberty and commission and special licence to elect, have and hold yearly within the said burgh in all time coming a provost, and making the provost and bailies of the said burgh and their successors sheriffs of Linlithgow within the said burgh, liberty and territory of the same perpetually in all time coming with ample powers and liberties to the said provost and bailies of Linlithgow and their successors regarding the said office of sheriffship, using and exercising thereof within the bounds foresaid, to be held of his majesty and his highness's successors in fee and heritage in manner specified in the said charter, of the date at Falkland, 31 August 1540. Item, another charter made, given and granted by our sovereign lord's dearest father the late King James VI, of worthy memory, with advice of the lords of his highness's secret council and comptrollers for the time, to the provost, bailies, council, community, burgesses and inhabitants of the said burgh of Linlithgow and their successors of all and sundry his highness's small customs of whatsoever markets or fairs erected or to be erected by his highness or his successors within the bounds of the sheriffdom of Linlithgow, as well of lands lying therein and annexed to other sheriffdoms and regalities as unannexed, to be held of our sovereign lord and his highness's successors forever for yearly payment of the sum of 5s sterling money only to be paid yearly thereafter in his highness's exchequer accounts with the burgh mails of the said burgh in manner specified in the said charter under the great seal, of the date at Holyroodhouse, 1 December 1601. Item, a third charter made, given and granted by his majesty's said late dearest father King James VI of worthy memory to the said provost, bailies, council and community of the said burgh of Linlithgow and their successors of all and sundry lands, tenements, houses, fruits, rents, emoluments and duties whatsoever, of all altarages, chaplainries and prebendaries endowed and founded by whatsoever persons as well within the said burgh as without the same wherever the same lie within this realm, and specially the annualrents and duties whatsoever endowed and founded to the altarages after-specified within the parish kirk of Linlithgow, namely: an annualrent or light duty of St Michael, an annualrent of the altar of the holy cross, an annualrent of the altar of the blessed virgin Mary, an annualrent of the altar of St John the Baptist, an annualrent of the first altar founded by the late Robert Beiges in honour of the blessed virgin Mary, an annualrent of the second altar of St Anne founded by the said late Robert, the annualrent of the third altar of St Bride founded by the said late Robert, an annualrent of the altar of All Saints, an annualrent of the altar of St Catherine, an annualrent of the altar of St Peter, an annualrent of the altar of St Andrew, an annualrent of the altar of the body of Christ, an annualrent of the altar of St Ninian, an annualrent of the altar of the holy trinity, and all other altarages, chaplainries or prebendaries whatsoever, as well within the said burgh as without the same, endowed and founded with full power to the said provost, bailies, council and community and their successors to receive and take up all and sundry the said rents, emoluments, profits and duties whatsoever pertaining and belonging to the said lands, tenements, houses, altarages, chaplainries or prebendaries, and which were usually paid to the chaplains or prebendaries thereof at any time bygone, as well within the said burgh as outwith the same, and to apply and convert the said annualrents, rents, profits and duties to a necessary use and sustentation of the reader at the said kirk of Linlithgow, and for the help of the poor of the hospital of the said burgh, to the which use the same is granted by the said charter to be held of our sovereign lord and his highness's successors in manner specified in the said charter under the great seal of the date 8 May 1591. Item, a fourth charter made, given and granted by our sovereign lord the king's majesty that now reigns, with advice and consent of his highness's treasurers, comptrollers and collectors principal and depute, and of the other lords of exchequer, his highness's commissioners within this kingdom, to the provost, bailies, council and community of the said burgh of Linlithgow and their successors of the like and the same power, liberty and jurisdiction as they have within the burgh of Linlithgow and that within all his highness's public ways, gates and passages outwith the west port of the said burgh to the bridge of Avon westward, and also round about the said burgh everywhere, by all other parts within the said public gates and ways by the space of a mile, and of the full and absolute jurisdiction of all fairs and markets to be held in all parts and places outwith and about the said burgh and within the bounds foresaid, with ample power to the said provost, bailies, council and community of the said burgh and their foresaids regarding the said power, liberty and jurisdiction, using and exercising thereof in manner mentioned in the said charter, to be held of our sovereign lord and his highness's successors for yearly payment of the sum of 6s 8d Scots money in name of burgh mail, and making account thereof yearly in his highness's exchequer, as they shall be required in manner specified in the said charter under the great seal, of the date 11 July 1633. Together likewise with a charter of confirmation granted by the king's late dearest father of worthy memory, dated 24 May 1593, to and in favour of the provost, bailies, council, burgesses and community of the said burgh of Linlithgow, confirming a charter granted to them by Robert, king of Scots, of the date 23 October, and of his reign 38² years of the said burgh and of the port of Blackness, small customs, tolls and others contained in the said charter, with another charter, dated 11 January 1451, granted by [James II], the king's majesty for the time, to the said burgh, making them free of all customs of salt, schorling³ and others specified in the said charter. Item, a disposition granted by Ludovic [Stewart], duke of Lennox, with consent of his friends and councillors to the said burgh of Linlithgow, of the annuals, mails and duties pertaining to the priory of St Andrews and due to them out of the tenements and lands within the said burgh held of the said priory, containing also a bailiary, therein dated 28 December 1595, and another disposition granted in favour of the said provost, bailies, council and community of Linlithgow and their successors by James [Sandilands], lord Torphichen and Robert Hamilton of Bathgate, with consent of James Tennant of Lenhouse and Master Robert Williamson, writer of the temple lands and temple tenements mentioned in the said disposition, containing a bailiary therein, which disposition is dated 4 June 1604, as the foresaid whole charter, dispositions and rights respectively above-mentioned more fully purport, together also with the precepts and instruments of sasine following upon the foresaid charters, with the whole other rights and securities granted to the said burgh of Linlithgow, with liberties, privileges and others specified therein in all and sundry the heads, points, clauses, articles, circumstances and conditions mentioned and contained in the foresaid charters, dispositions and other rights respectively, generally and particularly before rehearsed, 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, decree and ordain that this present ratification is and shall be as valid and sufficient and of as great strength, force and effect to the said provosts, bailies, council, burgesses, inhabitants and community of the said burgh of Linlithgow and their successors for possessing of the said office of sheriffship, small customs, lands, tenements, houses, annualrents, fruits, rents, emoluments and duties whatsoever specially and generally above-written of the altarages, chaplainries and prebendaries foresaid and the said power, liberty and jurisdiction of his highness's said public ways and gates outwith and about the said burgh of Linlithgow, and within the bounds foresaid and liberties thereof, and others contained in the said charters and other rights foresaid, as if the same and every one of them were at length specially engrossed and inserted word for word in this present ratification, notwithstanding that the same be not so done; concerning which, and with all other defects, imperfections and objections whatsoever which may be proposed or alleged against the said charters and other rights foresaid and validity of the same, or this present ratification thereof, our said sovereign lord and estates of parliament have dispensed and, by this ratification, dispense for now and ever.