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Act anent murdering of children

Our soveraigne lord and lady the king and queen's majesties, considering the frequent murthers that have or may be committed upon innocent infants, whose mothers doe conceale their being with childe and doe not call for necessar assistance in the birth, whereby the new borne childe may be easily stifled or being left exposed in the condition it comes to the world it must quicklie perish; for preventing whereof, their majesties, with advyce and consent of the estates of parliament, doe statute, enact and declare that if any woman shall conceale her being with child dureing the whole space and shall not call for and make use of help and assistance in the birth, the child being found dead or amissing, the mother shall be holden and repute the murderer of her own childe, and ordaines all criminall judges to sustaine such processes, and the lybell being remitted to the knowledge of ane inqueist, it shall be sufficient ground for them to returne their verdict finding the lybell proven and the mother guiltie of murder, tho there be noe appearance of wound or bruise upon the body of the childe, and ordaines this act to be printed and published at the mercat cross of the head burghs of the severall shyres and to be read in all the paroch churches be the reader of the parish.