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Act of maintenance for the month of July

6 August 1649

The estates of parliament, having considered the dangers which threaten this kingdom, both in respect of internal and foreign enemies, and being informed that many of those who have been most active in the late Engagement against England are still upon designs and attempts to involve this kingdom in new troubles, withal having certain intelligence of imminent dangers to the cause and covenant and this kingdom from abroad, and being obliged in discharge of the trust committed to them to take care of the safety of the kingdom as they resolve for themselves to use all lawful means and peaceable ways to prevent these dangers, so they have thought fit to keep up such a number of forces as may prevent these dangers, and for maintaining of the same, to prorogate and continue the monthly maintenance for the month of July last, as the same was imposed upon the valued rents of this kingdom for the months immediately preceding February last, and therefore statute and ordain that each burgh and shire within this kingdom are and shall be liable and obliged in payment of the particular sums of money underwritten for the said month of July, and that between now and 15 August instant, and ordain the same to be paid to Sir James Stewart of Kirkfield [and Coltness], provost of Edinburgh, treasurer of the army and collector general of the said maintenance, or his deputies or subcollectors, and that the sums to be paid by the several shires and burghs for the said month of July be as follows, namely: Orkney of monthly maintenance pays, £1,143; Inverness, £4,176; Caithness, £945; Cromarty, £99; Sutherland, £423; Nairn, £315; Elgin, £1,890; Aberdeen, £6,543; Banff, £1,431; Kincardine, £1,566; Forfar, £5,004; Perth, £8,001; Fife, £6,642; Stirling, £2,538; Kinross, £144; Clackmannan, £522; Edinburgh, £4,167; Linlithgow, £1,746; Haddington, £3,384; Berwick, £3,555; Roxburgh, £5,778; Selkirk, £1,278; Peebles, £1,638; Lanark, £5,382; Ayr, £6,066; Wigtown and stewartry of Kirkcudbright, £4,374; Dumfries, £4,446; Renfrew, £2,205; Dunbarton, £1,233; Argyll, £2,907; Bute, £459. Follows the sums payable by the burghs for the said month of July, according to their tax rolls, namely: Edinburgh, £5,175; Perth, £810; Dundee, £1,200; Aberdeen, £1,512; Stirling, £240; Linlithgow, £324; St Andrews, £780; Glasgow, £1,530; Ayr, £342; Haddington, £324; Dysart, £270; Kirkcaldy, £600; Montrose, £324; Cupar, £216; Anstruther Easter, £180; Dumfries, £270; Inverness, £450; Brechin, £120; Irvine, £252; Elgin, £135; Jedburgh, £126; Kirkcudbright, £80; Wigtown, £135; Pittenweem, £120; Dunfermline, £162; Dumbarton, £162; Renfrew, £90; Lanark, £162; Arbroath, £81; Burntisland, £216; Peebles, £108; Crail, £216, Kinghorn, £108; Tain, £90; Selkirk, £126; Anstruther Wester, £54; Culross, £90; Dunbar, £180; Banff, £72; Whithorn, £45; Forfar, £27; Rothesay, £60; Forres, £54; Rutherglen, £45; North Berwick, £36; Cullen, £27; Nairn, £36; Lauder, £45; Inverkeithing, £90; Kilrenny, £27; Annan, £30; Lochmaben, £18; Sanquhar, £27; Galloway, £9; Dingwall, £18; Queensferry, £108; Dornock, £10. And for the better collecting thereof, the said estates of parliament allow to the collector of maintenance and clerk of collection appointed by him the same allowance they had formerly, and likewise to all collector deputes and clerks, one or more in each shire, to be nominated by the committee of war thereof, between the [...] day of [...] instant, such fees as the committees of shires shall allow not exceeding the former allowance, which collector deputes shall find caution to the general collector; wherein if the committees of war shall fail, the general collector after the day aforesaid to appoint his own subcollector in the shires, and that the said subcollectors shall be accountable to the committees of war of their intromission with all public dues to be uplifted by them, and how the same are given out and employed without prejudice of their making account and payment to the general collector of the maintenance due by the shires, the burghs being always free of the said fees. And the said estates ordain that the letters and charges to follow upon this act for payment of the said month of July last shall be raised and directed at the instance of the said Sir James Stewart against the subcollectors of shires, magistrates of burghs and at the instance of the collectors of shires and magistrates of burghs respectively against the subcollectors of parishes, heritors, feuars, liferenters and others indebted in payment of their several proportions of the said months' maintenance now imposed. And with power to the said Sir James Stewart that if any shire or burgh be deficient in payment of their parts of the said month of July, to employ any forces that shall happen to be upon the bounds for the time or in the next neighbouring bounds adjacent thereto for uplifting the maintenance of the said month of July last from the deficient shires, burghs and parishes, which troops are to receive their subsistence from the deficients at the ordinary rates besides the payment of their maintenance; and the said troops or parties shall not be employed to quarter upon the deficients until first there be six days' warning given to the deficients or at the parish kirks where their lands liable for the said maintenance lie. And it is hereby ordained that the committees of war in the several shires shall be aiding and assisting to the said general collector herein for collecting the said months' maintenance. And in regard of the prorogating of the aforesaid maintenance on the shires and burghs for the said month of July, it is statute and ordained by the estates of parliament that every debtor shall have retention from the creditor of one and a half per cent of one year's annualrent proportionally for the said month of July last, so that the debtor shall be liable in payment of 6 merks 6s 8d of annualrent of each 100 merks of stock proportionally according to the said month. And in regard of the present distressed condition of the sheriffdoms of Argyll and Bute, the estates do liberate the whole sheriffdom of Argyll from payment of the said month's maintenance of July last, except the lands of Morven, Ardgour, Kingairloch and the isles of Mull, Tiree, Coll, Iona, Muck and Rum, the maintenance whereof is assigned to Hector MacLean of Torloisk for keeping the strength and garrison of Barneboil. As also liberate the sheriffdom of Bute from all payment of the equal half of the said month's maintenance, and ordain the said shire of Bute to be only liable in payment of the other half of the said month's maintenance, and to be proportionally paid by the heritors and others liable in payment thereof through the said whole shire of Bute. As also the estates declare this present act to be without prejudice of the act granted in favour of the town of Inverness of 5 January 1647, that any taxations or impositions to be laid on that town be allowed to them in part payment of their losses according to the tenor of the said act. And lastly, it is ordained that no suspension be granted but upon consignation, and that all heritors within burghs, pendicles and liberties thereof, shall contribute with them for payment of the maintenance as is contained in the act of 27 February 1645. And the estates ordain that the lands and teinds shall pay the aforesaid maintenance as they lie locally in shires and burghs, according to the former acts of maintenance.