Procedure

Prayers said.

Procedure: commission to the duke of Argyll

Her majesty's commission to John [Campbell], duke of Argyll for representing her royal person in this session of parliament, read by the lord clerk register and ordered to be recorded, whereof the tenor follows.

Commission to John, duke of Argyll for representing her majesty in this session of parliament

Anne, by the grace of God, queen of Great Britain, France and Ireland, and defender of the faith, to all honest men to whom our present letters shall have come, greetings. In as much as we decided earlier, for reasons of great importance, that the third session of our current parliament of this our ancient kingdom of Scotland shall meet [in Edinburgh] on 3 May next to come, and because we cannot be present at the said session of our parliament, since our affairs of necessity call us away, therefore we have decreed that our commission be granted to someone of the highest rank, utmost trustworthiness and imbued with brilliant talents, who will represent our royal person and authority in the same, and since we have very many evidences of the unblemished loyalty, extraordinary talents and integrity of our most loyal and well-beloved kinsman and councillor John, duke of Argyll, whose extraordinary talents make him in every way suitable and fitted to carry out in proper fashion that high appointment of good faith, and to forward our pious, royal intentions in promoting the welfare and interest of our said ancient kingdom both in church and state, and our service; know therefore that we have given and granted, and by the tenor of this commission do give and grant to our foresaid most loyal and well-beloved kinsman and councillor John, duke of Argyll etc., our fullest power and commission to represent our sacred person and exercise our royal authority as our high commissioner in the said next session of our foresaid parliament of2 kingdom, and in any other matter when and wheresoever regarding the strengthening of the church, the preservation and cultivation of the peace and governance of our said kingdom, and the promotion of our affairs, in every administrative function of the same. Moreover, by the tenor of this commission we distinguish by our royal authority this same John, duke of Argyll, with the title of our commissioner, and we grant him full power to do each and every thing regarding the appointment and authority of commissioner as fully and freely in every respect and condition as anyone else of the same high appointment and distinguishing mark had ever done or had ever been able to do during the reigns of any of our predecessors. We do and shall consider binding and permanent each and every thing he may do in the exercise of this said commission, and we straitly enjoin and command each and every one of our officers of state, those who give us privy counsel, the judges, the generals and officers of our troops in this kingdom, and all our other subjects whomsoever to acknowledge the foresaid John, duke of Argyll as our high commissioner representing our sacred person and exercising our royal authority, and offer him respect and obedience to the effect and according to the pattern laid down in this our commission. (This commission will begin on the date of these letters and will remain in force during the said next session of parliament and until the same shall be revoked by us). We declare that this our commission shall be without prejudice to the foresaid John, duke of Argyll, in the case of any other letter of appointment or commission concerning any other appointment we have entrusted to him, but that it continues in full force during this our commission and even after its expiry, during our good pleasure, according to the manner contained in each letter of appointment and commission granted to him. In witness whereof, we have instructed that our great seal be appended to this commission. At our palace of St James's, 6 March in the year of our Lord 1705, and in the third year of our reign. Signed by the hand manual of our supreme lady the queen.

Written to the great seal and registered 13 March 1705. Signed thus: Charles Kerr.

Sealed at Edinburgh, 16 March 1705, in absence of Sir Alexander Ogilvie of Forglen. Signed: John Stewart, depute.

Rolls called.

  1. NAS. PA2/39, f.3-3v.
  2. 'our' inserted in APS.