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Act of maintenance for the months of August, September and October

6 August 1649

The estates of parliament, having considered the dangers which threatens this kingdom, both in respect of internal and foreign enemies, and being informed that many of these 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 forces, to prorogate and continue the monthly maintenance for the months of August instant, September and October following, to be paid according to the valuations of the respective shires approved by the parliament, according to their act of the date 27 July last, and appointed to be the rule for payment of the monthly maintenance until new valuations shall be brought in and compared according to the rules prescribed by the parliament; and the sums to be paid monthly by the several shires for the aforesaid three month are as follows, namely: the sheriffdom of Orkney and Shetland of monthly pay, £1,624 8s 3d; Inverness and Ross, £4,136 2s; Caithness, £724 17s 11d; Cromarty, £85 14s; Sutherland, £439 4s 5d; Nairn, £413 2d; Elgin, £1,610 8s 11d; Aberdeen, £5,588 7s 1d; Banff, £1,669 8s 1d; Kincardine, £1,339 2s;. Forfar, £4,749 4s 8d; Perth, £6,856 8d; Fife, £8,493 5s 6d; Kinross, £218 10s 8d; Stirling, £2,696 1d; Clackmannan, £853 9s; Linlithgow, £1,976 16s 3d; Edinburgh, £5,391 12s 5d; Haddington, £4,904 10s 11d; Berwick, £5,012 1s 1d; Roxburgh, £5,702 12s 7d; Selkirk, £1,430 3s 4d; Peebles, £1,464 1s 6d; Lanark, £3,503 14s; Ayr, £5,195 12s; Dumfries, £4,388 18s 7d; Wigtown and stewartry of Kirkcudbright, £4,142 2s 6d; Renfrew, £882 11s; Argyll, £2,383 11s 9d; Bute, £392 16s.

Follows the sums payable for the said three months of August instant, September and October following by the burghs, according to the tax roll, namely: Edinburgh, £6,480; Perth, £720; Dundee, £1,260; Stirling, £198; Linlithgow, £324; St Andrews, £600; Glasgow, £1,170; Ayr, £252; Haddington, £324; Dysart, £252; Kirkcaldy, £432; Cupar, £198; Montrose, £360; Anstruther Easter, £144; Dumfries, £300; Inverness, £450; Burntisland, £198; Inverkeithing, £90; Kinghorn, £81; Brechin, £108; Irvine, £180; Jedburgh, £162; Kirkcudbright, £144; Wigtown, £126; Pittenweem, £120; Dunfermline, £153; Anstruther Wester, £54; Selkirk, £120; Dumbarton, £108; Renfrew, £72; Dunbar, £198; Lanark, £108; Arbroath, £81; Elgin, £120; Peebles, £90; Crail, £198; Tain, £90; Culross, £81; Banff, £60; Whithorn, £36; Forfar, £36; Rothesay, £54; Nairn, £36; Forres, £54; Rutherglen, £36; North Berwick, £36; Cullen, £27; Lauder, £63; Kilrenny, £18; Lochmaben, £18; Galloway, £9; Dingwall, £18; Queensferry, £81; Dornoch, £27. For the better collecting thereof, the said estates of parliament do allow to the collector of the 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, with such fees as the committees of war in the several shires shall allow, not exceeding the former allowance, which collector deputes shall find sufficient 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 those shires who shall fail to nominate and find surety between now and the aforesaid day, and that the said subcollectors 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 aforesaid fees. And the said estates ordain that the letters and charges to follow upon this act for payment of the aforesaid three months' maintenance shall be raised and directed at the instance of the said Sir James Stewart [of Kirkfield and Coltness] 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 three 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 aforesaid three months' maintenance, 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 said three months' maintenance 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 of the several shires shall be aiding and assisting to the said general collector herein for collecting the said three months' maintenance. And lastly, it is ordained that no suspension be granted without 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 said 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. And it is hereby declared that this act is to be without prejudice of the lords of session, according to the former acts of maintenance.