[1649/5/307]¹

Procedure: commission for the visitation of the university of Aberdeen

Commission for visitation of the university of Aberdeen²

The estates of parliament, considering the necessity of the visitation of the university of Aberdeen, do therefore give hereby full power and commission to Mr Robert Douglas, minister at Edinburgh, Mr James Guthrie, minister at Lauder, Mr John Neve, minister at Newmilne, Mr Patrick Gillespie, minister at Glasgow, Mr Samuel Rutherford, minister and professor of divinity at St Andrews, Mr James Wood, professor of divinity there, Mr David Forret, minister at Kilconquhar, Mr John Moncrieff, minister at Kinghorn, Mr John Robeson, minister at Dundee, Mr George Pitcullo, minister at Newtyle, Mr Andrew Cant, minister at Aberdeen, Mr John Row, minister there, Mr John Menzies, minister there, Mr Andrew Strachan, minister at Kintore, Mr Andrew Abercrombie, minister at Fintry, Mr John Paterson, minister at Foveran, Mr Robert Keith, minister at Old Deer, Mr Duncan Forbes, minister at Pitsligo, Mr Alexander Cant, minister at Banchory, Mr John Young, minister at Kigg, Mr Alexander Lesk, minister at Maryculter, Mr Gilbert Anderson, minister at Cruden, Mr Andrew MacKenzie, minister at Elgin, Mr John Annan, minister at Inverness, Mr William Falconer, minister at Dyke, Mr Joseph Brodie, minister at Forres, for the ministry; and Mr Thomas Gray, provost of Aberdeen, George Cullen, bailie there, [Robert Arbuthnott], viscount of Arbuthnott, Alexander Jaffray, bailie at Aberdeen, Sir James Melville of Halhill, [...] Wemyss of Fingask, [...] Forbes, tutor of Pitsligo, [...] Forbes of Echt, Alexander Brodie of that ilk, [...] Kennedy of Kermuckes, [...] Forbes of Waterton, [...] Forbes, younger, of Leslie, Mr Alexander Skene, burgess of Aberdeen, Mr Andrew Skene in Dyce, John Baillie, late bailie in Aberdeen, and [...] Burnett, laird of Leys, 11 of the aforesaid number of ministers to be a quorum, to meet the first Wednesday of April at Aberdeen, to visit the said university thereof and colleges of the same and thereafter upon any other day they please. Authorising them with full power to convene all the masters and members of the said university before them and to try and examine their qualities if they be correspondent to the order of erection; to try the rents and revenues of the said university and all mortifications and donations pertaining thereto and how the same are employed; to order the course of the studies of the youth and public professions and to rectify what is amiss; and to do everything for the training of youth in piety and letters and for advancement and preservation of religion, learning, discipline, policy and good order in the said university which any former commissioners of parliament might or have done at any time before. And this commission shall endure until the same be discharged by the parliament or convention of estates.

[1649/5/308]³

Commission for visitation of the college of Edinburgh⁴

The estates of parliament, considering the necessity of visiting the college of Edinburgh, do therefore give hereby full power and commission to Mr Robert Douglas, minister at Edinburgh, Mr Mungo Law, minister there, Mr Patrick Gillespie, minister at Glasgow, Mr John Smith, minister at Edinburgh, Mr George Hutcheson, minister there, Mr George Leslie, minister at Holyroodhouse, Mr John Weir, minister at Leith, Mr David Calderwood, minister at Pencaitland, Mr John Sinclair, minister at Ormiston, Mr James Guthrie, minister at Lauder, Mr William Jamieson, minister at [...], Mr John Livingstone, minister at Ancrum, Mr John Moncrieff, minister at Kinghorn, Mr Walter Greg, minister at Balmerino, Mr David Forret, minister at Balmeny, Mr Robert Baillie, minister at Glasgow, Mr James Wood, professor of divinity at St Andrews, Mr Robert Blair, minister there, Mr Samuel Rutherford, professor of divinity there, Mr Ephraime Melville, minister at Queensferry, Mr Thomas Vassie, minister at Torphichen, Mr James Naismith, minister at Hamilton, Mr James Durham, minister at Glasgow, Mr Robert Kerr, minister at Haddington, Mr William Dagleish, minister at Cramond, Mr James Hamilton, minister at Edinburgh, Mr Hugh MacColl, minister there, John [Campbell], earl of Loudoun, high chancellor of Scotland, Archibald [Campbell], marquis of Argyll, John [Kennedy], earl of Cassilis, William [Kerr], earl of Lothian, Alexander [Montgomery], earl of Eglinton, Francis [Scott], earl of Buccleuch, Sir Archibald Johnston of Wariston, knight, clerk register, Mr George Winram of Liberton, Mr Alexander Pearson of Southhall, senators of the college of justice, John Hepburn of Waughton, Sir John Wauchope of Niddrie-[Marischal], Arthur Erskine of Scotscraig, [...] Inglis of Ingliston, Sir [...] Dundas of that ilk and Mr Alexander Colville [and Blair], justice depute, (or any 13 of them as a quorum, there being 9 of them in ministers and 4 of the other persons above-named who are not ministers), with full power and commission to them to visit the said college of Edinburgh and to that effect to meet at Edinburgh upon the [...] day of [...] next and thereafter upon any other day they please; authorising them with full power to convene all the masters and members of the said college before them and to try and examine their qualities if they be correspondent to the order of erection; to try the rents and revenues of the said college and all mortifications and donations thereto and how the same are employed; to order the course of the studies of the youth and public professions and to rectify what is amiss; and to do everything necessary for the training of youth in piety and letters and for advancement and preservation of religion, learning, discipline, policy and good order in the said college which any former commissioners of parliament in similar cases have or might have done at any time before. And this commission shall endure until the same be discharged by the parliament or convention of estates.