[1705/6/131]¹

Ratification in favour of Lord Charles Kerr, director of the chancellory

Our sovereign lady, with advice and consent of the estates of parliament, ratifies, approves and confirms a letter of gift and commission granted by her majesty under the great seal to and in favour of Lord Charles Kerr, therein designed second lawful son to the deceased Robert [Kerr], marquis of Lothian, dated at Bath, 4 September 1703, whereby her majesty, for the causes therein specified, did nominate, constitute and ordain the said Lord Charles Kerr sole and only director of her majesty's chancellory in this her ancient kingdom of Scotland, during all the days of his lifetime, and gave and granted to the said Lord Charles Kerr the said place and office during the space foresaid, with the whole privileges, fees, profits, casualties and emoluments whatsoever pertaining, or that are known to appertain thereto, with full power to him to exercise the said office during the space foresaid, and to nominate and appoint deputes and other servants under him for whom he shall be answerable, and to write, register and extract all brieves, retours, tutories, charters, gifts, patents, precepts and other writs of whatsoever nature pertaining to the said office, and to keep the testimony of the great seal and append the same to all precepts, commissions, tutories and other writs in use to be sealed therewith, according to the custom and privilege of the said office, and also to uplift, intromit with and receive the whole fees, salaries, casualties, profits and emoluments whatsoever pertaining or that are known to appertain thereto, and to possess and enjoy the whole dignities, liberties, privileges and profits of the same as fully and freely in every respect and condition as the deceased Sir William Kerr or Sir John Scott, or any other directors of the said office of chancellory possessed or in any time bygone could have possessed the same, and declared that the generality of the said gift and commission should be as valid and effectual, to all intents, as if every particular relating to the said office were therein inserted, as the said gift and commission of the date foresaid, containing therein her majesty's promise to ratify the same in parliament, fully bears, in the whole heads, articles, clauses, tenors and contents of the same. And her majesty, with consent of the said estates of parliament, does hereby declare, discern and ordain that this present general ratification shall be as valid, effectual and sufficient and of as great force, strength and effect to all intents and purposes to the said Lord Charles Kerr, during the space foresaid, as if the said letter of gift and commission were herein word by word inserted, with the which and with all faults, nullities and imperfections of the same her majesty and the said estates of parliament dispensed and by these words dispenses for ever. Extract.