[1641/8/360]¹

Ratificatione to the chirurgianes in Edinburghe

Our soverane lord, with advyse and consent of the estates of parliament now presentlie convenit, ratifies and approves and, for his hienes and his successoures, perpetuallie confirmes, all and whatsomevir priviledges, liberties and immunities made, givine and granted be the proveist, baillies, counsell and commontie of Edinburghe, wnder ther commoune seale of cause, of the dait at Edinburgh the first day of Julii the yeer of God j^M vj^C and fyve yeeres, to and in favoures of the chirurgianes and barboures of the said burghe, quhilkis all and sindrie priviledges, freedomes, liberties and immunities at lenth specified in the said seale of cause, the kirke maister and bretherine of the said craft for the tyme be ther supplicatione cravit to be granted to them be the saidis proveist, baillies and counsel, wherwith they being weell and rypplie advysit thought the samene conform to reasone, and therfor the saidis proveist, baillies and counsell consented and granted the saidis priviledges, liberties and immunities to the saidis chirurgianes and barboures and ther successoures and ratified the samene, as the said lettir of ratificatione and approbatione wnder the commoune seale of cause of the said burghe more fullie proportes; and sicklyke ratifies and approves the lettir of ratificatione and approbatioune made and granted be King James the Fourt of most worthie memorie wnder his hienes privie seale, of the dait the thertene day of October, the yeere of God j^M v^C and sex yeeres, ratifieand, approveand, authoreizand and confirmeand the saidis reules, statutes, priviledges contenit in the said lettir, wnder the said commoune seale of cause of the said burghe of Edinburghe, as in the said other lettir of ratificatione wnder his hienes privie seale of the daite abovewrittin at mair lenth is conteent; and in lykmaner ratifies and approves the lettir of confirmatione and approbatione made and granted be King James the Sext of blissed memorie, his majesties darrest father, wnder his hienes privie seale, off the dait at Greenwitch, the sext day of Junii j^M vj^C and thertene yeeres, quhairby his majesties umquhill darrest father willis and grantes, and for his hienes and his successoures, ordeanes and declaires the said lettir givine wnder the commoune seale of cause of the said burghe of Edinburghe be the proveist, baillies and counsell therof, lettir of ratificatione mad be the said umquhill King James the Fourt of most worthie memorie, to be good, valied and effectuall to the saidis chirurgianes and barboures in all tymecomeing, as the said confirmatione of the dait foirsaid at mor lenth beeres; togidder also with ane last act, daited the tent of September j^M vj^C fourtie ane yeeres, quhairby the proveist, baillies and counsell of the said burghe of Edinburgh, considering that it is expedient for the good of his majesties leidges who reseides without the burghe of Edinburgh and within the liberties perteaneing to the said burghe that in the mater belonging to the airt of chirurgarie they be provydit with skillfull and honest men and not lefte to the arbitrament and impostor of weomene and ignorantes, and therfor they dischairged and inhibite all and sindrie persones whatsomevir not being freemen of the chirurgianes within the said burgh and hes not givine sufficient proofe of ther qualificatione and knowledge in the said airt of chirurgerie, to use and exerce any point of the said airt within the boundis and priviledges of the said burgh, and appoynted the magistrates to be judges in all contraversies quhilke shall aryse betuixe the inhabitantes of the saids boundis and bretherine of the said crafte, as the act at mair lenth beeres. And farder his majestie and estates foirsaidis, considdering the daylie evillis and inconvenientes that aryse be reasone of ane nomber of men and weomen who at ther owne hand, without libertie and never being bred in the airt of chirurgerie, take wpoun them to exerce the dueties and poyntes of that airt within the suburbes and about the said burgh of Edinburgh, to the hazard and lose of the lyfes of many good subjectes, and to the great hurt of the bretherine of the said crafte, whose burdings are great in his majesties service and commoune effaires of the said burghe, therfore his majestie, with advyse foirsaid, dischairges all and whatsomevir persones, except they be free men of the said crafte in Edinburgh, to use and exerce any poynt of the airt of chyrurgerie within the said burghe of Edinburgh or any suburbes about the samene or belonging to ther jurisdictione thereof, with power to the deacone and maisteres of the said airt present and to come at all tymes convenient to pas, searche, seeke, take and apprehend all suche persones exercing the said airt within the said burghe, suburbes and jurisdictione [...] therof foirsaid, not being free men of the said airt within the said burghe, and to cause them set catione to desist intymecomeing, and if they failyie, to unlawe theme in the soume of tuentie pund Scottis money toties quoties, and this to be done with conconrse of the magistrates of the said burghe, and the wnlawes to be devydit equallie betuixt the saidis magistrates for the use and releeffe of there poore and the maisteres of the said trade for the commoune use of there crafte, and the saidis magistrates to be judges in all contraversies shall aryse heeranent betuixe them and ony within the saidis boundis, and ordeanes the saidis magistrates to concurre with them to the effect foirsaid.