[1641/8/328]¹

Ratification in favour of Master Peter Hewitt

Our sovereign lord, with consent of the estates of parliament, considering the great losses, hurt and prejudices sustained by Master Peter Hewitt, sometime one of the ordinary ministers at Edinburgh, by the violence of the time in depriving him of his ministry at Edinburgh and of the means and maintenance for sustaining of himself and his family, and that continuously since the year of God 1617 by the space of 24 years or thereabouts, and that now he is become so aged and infirm that he is not able to serve ordinarily and actually the cure of any kirk, whereby his family and children may be maintained or provision made for the better help of his said children; and that his majesty, in consideration thereof, being graciously pleased and disposed to extend his royal compassion to the said Master Peter, and conceiving that the fittest and readiest way to refund and repair him in part of his said losses and thereby to provide some help for his children (without any sensible prejudice to his majesty) would be to continue him and them in the possession of the fruits and rents of Crossraguel presently held and possessed by them, with which he was formerly provided, has thereupon granted to the said Master Peter, his heirs and assignees, a signature for a tack and assedation to them of all and whole the fruits, rents and other duties whatsoever belonging of old or of late to the said benefice of Crossraguel and presently possessed by the said Master Peter out of whatsoever lands or teinds belonging thereto, together with the manor place, houses, buildings, yards, parts, pendicles and all their pertinents, lying within the bailiary of Carrick and sheriffdom of Ayr, and that for all the days, years and terms of the said Master Peter's lifetime, and after his decease for the space of nineteen years next and immediately thereafter following, for the yearly payment of the sum of 5 merks Scots, as in the said signature, dated at Holyroodhouse, 27 October, at more length is contained. Therefore his majesty, with consent of the estates of parliament, has ratified, approved and confirmed and, by the tenor hereof, ratifies, approves and confirms the foresaid tack and assedation in the whole heads, tenors and contents and circumstances whatsoever mentioned and set down therein after the form and tenor thereof, and finds and declares that the said tack shall be a valid and sufficient title and right to the said Master Peter and his foresaids for possessing of the fruits and rents of Crossraguel during the space foresaid contained therein according to the tenor thereof. And further, our said sovereign lord, with consent foresaid, repeals, rescinds and retreats all former acts, statutes, constitutions and other deeds whatsoever, if any be, which may derogate in any sort to this present ratification of the tack above-written.