[1633/6/99]¹

Act in favour of the burgh of Abirdeine

Oure soverane lord and estates of this present parliament ordaines ane ratificatioun to be maid thairin in favours of his hienes lovitts the proveist, baillies, counsall and commwnitie of the burgh of Abirdeine and thair successors, ratifiand, approveand and, for his hienes and his successors, perpetuallie confirmand the chartors maid and grantit be his majesties umquhile darrest father James, be the grace of God, king of Great Britane, France and Ireland, defendar of the faith etc., of eternall memorie, with advyse and consent of his hienes principall thesaurar, deputtie thesaurar and remanent lords of his hienes secreit counsall of Scotland, his hienes commissioners for the tyme, wnder the great seale, of the dait at Falkland, the sevinteine day of July, the yeir of God j^M vj^C and sevinteine yeirs, quhairby our said lait umquhile soverane lord of worthie memorie, with advyse and consent forsaid, for the causis thairin contenit, not onlie ratifiet, approvit and confirmit all and quhatsumever chartors, infeftments, precepts, instruments of sasing, confirmationes, actes, sentences, decreitts, donationes, exemptiones, richts, titles, secuirities, letters, wreatts and evidents speciall and generall mentionat in the said chartor, grants, liberties, commodities, immwnities and priveledges thairincontenit, maid, grantit or confirmit be his hienes said umquhile darrest father of worthie memorie and his majesties predicessors kings and queines of Scotland or be thair governors, regents or lords of sessioun for the tyme, to the said burgh of Abirdeine, proveist, eldermen, baillies, deane of gild, thesaurars, counsall, burgesis and commwnitie thairof, and to the kirkes, ministers and hospitalls of the said burgh and thair successors of quhatsumever forme or formes, content or contents, dait or daits the samyne respective be of, of and concerning the erectioun of the said burgh of Abirdeine in ane frie burgh royall with all richts, titles and priveledges belonging thairto be the lawes and consuetude of this realme, and of all lands, tenements, forrests, wods, mures, mosis, commwnitie watters, salmond fischings, mylnes, astrict multors, castells, medowes, loches, hills, greines, blokhousis, anchorages, small customes, bell customes and trone wechts, measures and uthers proffeitts, casualities and dewties quhatsumever quhilks of befor belangit to the said burgh of Abirdeine and quhilks they and thair predicessors or authors possest and usit at any tyme of befor, bot also his majesties umquhile darrest father of worthie memorie, with advyse and consent forsaid, of new gave, grantit, erectit and disponit to the saidis proveist, baillies, counsall, burgesis and commwnitie of the said burgh of Abirdeine and thair successors for ever; all and haill the said burgh of Abirdeine, with the precinct walles, fuissies, ports, wayes, streitts, passages and all and sundrie housis, biggings, yeards, tenements, crofts, aikers and ruides within the territorie and libertie of the said burgh; and siclyk all and sundrie commoun lands and uthers lands, watters, salmond fischings, speciallie and generallie mentionat in the said contract, inscheis, scheills and uthers liberties thairof, ferrieboattes, fies, dewties and commodities thairof, commoun mylnes of the said burgh, multors, sequells, castell hill, grein medow, suburbe callit Futtie, chapells thairof, boattes and quhyt fischings belonging thairto, bulwark, port and peir of Abirdeine, mylnedames and passages thairof and liberties and priveledges of the samyne and customes callit bell customes, small customes and toll customes of the said burgh, tronwechts of the said burgh, fies and dewties belonging thairto, uthers wechts, measures, liberties, priveledges and immwnities belonging to the said burgh in anywayes speciallie and generallie mentionat in the said chartor; and of all and sundrie anuelrents, fewfermes, yeirlie dewties, alterages, lands, fischings, teinds, housis, croftes and chaplanries quhilks pertenit of auld to the chaplanries of Sanct Nicolas, paroche kirk of Abirdeine, with all tenements, croftes, mansiones, daillsilver and anniversaries quhatsumever, quhilks pertenit of befor to quhatsumever chaplanries and alterages foundit in quhatsumever kirk, chappell or colledge within the libertie of the said burgh of Aberdeine be quhatsumever persones or patrones; all and haill the mansioun place, houses, biggings, yeards and kirk quhilks pertenit of befor to the gray friers of the said burgh; commoun loche, hills, greines and fields callit the linkes of the said burgh, tennents, tennandries, service of frie tennents of all and sundrie the saidis lands and fischings, pairts, pendicles and pertinents thairof; and with all and sundrie uthers liberties, immwnities, richts and priveledges quhatsumever belonging to the said burgh and quhairof the saidis proveist, baillies, counsall and commwnitie of the said burgh and thair predicessors hes beine in possessioun in any tyme bygaine, togider also with als ample and great priveledges and immwnities as hes beine givin, grantit and disponit be our said soverane lord of worthie memorie, or any of his antecessors, to the borrowes of Edinburgh, Pearth, Dundie or any uther burgh royall within this realme of Scotland at any tyme bygaine preceiding the dait of the said chartor, all unit, annexit and incorporat to and with the said burgh of Abirdeine, liberties and priveledges thairof; and to the lands, possessiones, fischings and uthers belonging thairto, speciallie and generallie mentionat in the said chartor, to be haldine be the saidis proveist, baillies, counsall and commwnitie of the said burgh of Abirdeine and thair successors, of oure soverane lord and his hienes successors, in fie heretage and frie burgage for ever, as the said chartor of the dait forsaid in it selff at mair lenth beirs, with the precept of sasing following thairupon under the testimonie of the great seale, of the samyne dait, and instrument of sasing following thairupon, of the daite the [...] day of [...] the yeir of God, j^M vj^C [...] yeirs, as als the act of dissolutioun maid in the parliament haldin at Edinburgh the tuentie aucht day of Junii, the said yeir of God j^M vj^C and sevinteine yeirs, quhair wnto the said chartor abonementionat is relative and quhairone the samyne proceids and followes in maner thairin contenit; as als the chartor maid be umquhile King Robert the First to the saidis burgeses and comwnitie of the said burgh of Abirdeine of all the liberties, consuetudes and immwnities, quhairine they wer infeft be his predicessors of befor in tyme bygaine and giving full power to the saidis burgeses and commwnitie of the said burgh to tak waird and punische all thes that sould come in armes within the said burgh againes the statuites of his majestie and borrowes of this realme in tyme coming, wnder the great seale of the dait at Gairuane in Carrik, the saxt day of Februar, and of his majesties reigne the tuentie thride yeir, in all and sundrie the heads, pointes, clauses, articles and conditiones thairin contenit, and eftir the formes and tennors thairof in all pointes. And oure said soverane lord and estates of parliament wills and grants and, for thame and thair successors, decernes and ordaines that this present ratificatioun of the said chartor, precept and sasing following thairupon and of the act of dissolutioun abonewrittine, quhairupon the samyne proceidit, and the uther chartor abonementionat maid be the said umquhile King Robert the First is, and sall be, als valide and sufficient and of als great force, strenth and effect to the saidis proveist, baillies, counsall and commwnitie of the said burgh of Abirdeine and thair successors for bruiking and joysing of the said burgh of Abirdeine and all and sundrie lands, heretages, forrests, mylnes, wodes, salmond fischings, casualities, liberties, priveledges, immwnities and uthers quhatsumever contenit in the saidis chartors and ather of thame and uther wayes belonging thairto as if the saidis tua chartors, precept, seasing and act of dissolutioun abonewrittine wer all at lenth insert, ingrost and contenit in this present ratificatioun, quhairanent and with all uther defects and imperfectiones quhilks may be proponit or alledgit againes the saidis tua chartors, precept, sasing and act of dissolutione, or any of thame and this ratificatioun thairof, oure said soverane lord and estates of parliament hes dispensit and be thir presents dispenses for ever; and that the said ratificatioun be farder extendit in the best forme with all clauses necessar.