[1663/6/37]¹

Act for repairing and upholding a bridge in Clydesdale

Forasmuch as the estates of parliament, understanding the necessity to have a stone bridge built over the River Clyde at Ramelwellcraigs near to the Cold Chapel, and another bridge over Duneaton Water which runs contiguous to the former, there being common high passages and market ways there, and in which diverse persons have at several times perished, that therefore, by their act of 8 March 1661, granted a general recommendation for a voluntary contribution to be collected on this side of the water of Forth for building of the said bridges, and entrusted the collecting thereof and of a small impost, with the building of the bridges, to William Baillie of Littlegill, on whose bounds one of the bridges is to be built, as the said act more fully purports. And the estates of parliament, having still renewed information to given them of the necessity of the said bridges, and that the course aforesaid formerly taken in the first session of this present parliament has altogether proved ineffectual, so that the said William Baillie has upon his own charges begun a good part of the work, which will certainly be useless unless some other more effectual course is taken; therefore, and for the said William Baillie's further encouragement in the building, keeping up and maintaining of the said two bridges, which he has found caution to do, the king's majesty, with advice and consent of his estates in parliament, has appointed that for the space of twenty-seven years after the date hereof the said William Baillie and his heirs shall have the collecting, ingathering and raising of the customs following, namely, of 12d Scots off every horse and load, of 8d Scots off every cow or horse, and 2d Scots off every sheep that shall pass along these two bridges above-written or either of them, or who shall pass that way through the said William Baillie's lands, whether they take the bridge or not, provided always that no single horseman pay anything unless they take the bridge and, if they shall take the same, that they pay 6d Scots conforming to the former act of parliament, and that over and above the voluntary contribution above-mentioned, which his majesty seriously recommends to all his good subjects on this side of the Forth. And to the effect that it may appear what the true expense of the building and holding up of these bridges will amount to, and to the end that the work is neither neglected nor the country unnecessarily overburdened, it is hereby appointed that the said William Baillie shall cause a survey to be taken of the foresaid works by his majesty's master of works or by John Milne, master mason, that an estimate being made by them of what the expense of the building and keeping up of these bridges will amount to; and the same being compared with the sum that shall accrue by this imposition, the lords of his majesty's privy council, after consideration of both, may either prorogue or diminish this imposition, as they shall think fit.