[1661/1/50]¹

Burgh of Dumbarton

Anent the supplication given in to his majesty's commissioner and estates of parliament appointed for bills by the provost, bailies, council and community of the burgh of Dumbarton showing that the said burgh is situated between the rivers of Leven and Clyde, and Leven being a river of most strong current, not only is thereby the lands and burgh ruids thereof totally wasted and overflowed and the water works defaced, which were anciently built by the supply of his majesty's grandfather King James VI of blessed memory, who had a particular regard and respect to the said burgh for their constant loyalty and affection towards his majesty and knew well how much it imported to his majesty's service and peace of the kingdom to have the said burgh preserved from the impetuousness of the said river and to have a constant passage between the said burgh and the Highlands without boats, and that the said burgh, as it was not able to build the same work at first without the charity and assistance of his majesty, so it is now altogether unable to repair the same, being exceedingly impoverished by continual heavy taxes, plunderings, quarterings and other extraordinary and unsupportable burdens imposed upon them by the late usurpers, for their constant and well-known loyalty and affection to his majesty and his interests and, therefore, desiring the said estates of parliament to take the circumstances to consideration and to prevent, by some effectual course, the ruin of the said burgh and inhabitants thereof and that the said works may be repaired for the common good of the kingdom to allow to the said burgh the public assessment and excise of the same burgh for such a time as at the sight of judicious persons may be thought necessary for repairing of the said works and preventing the utter ruin of the said burgh. Which supplication, with the report of the commissioners appointed for bills and trade made thereupon, being heard, seen and fully considered by the lord commissioner's grace and the estates of parliament and they therewith being well and ripely advised, the said estates of parliament hereby appoints and ordains a contribution to be collected and gathered at all the parish churches both in burgh and landward on the south side of the water of Forth for the use above-written.