The Records of the Parliaments of Scotland to 1707, K.M. Brown et al eds (St Andrews, 2007-2025), date accessed: 15 February 2025
[1706/10/105]1
Procedure: reports of unlawful gatherings and debate thereon
Then the lord chancellor acquainted the parliament that the secret council, at their last meeting, had under their consideration several accounts of irregular and tumultuary meetings by some people of the common and meanest degree in arms, and of abuses committed by them at Glasgow, stewartry of Kirkcudbright and Dumfries and several places of Lanarkshire, and that there were papers distributed inviting people to take up arms and to provide ammunition and provisions in order to their marching to disturb the parliament, all which he was directed by the right honourable the lords of her majesty's secret council to lay before the parliament to the effect proper methods might be resolved upon for preventing the evil consequences of such practices; and thereafter presented a letter from the magistrates of Dumfries to her majesty's advocate bearing an account of the abuses and tumultuary meeting in that place, with a declaration emitted by those who met which was affixed on the market cross of Dumfries, and both were read.
Whereupon a draft of a proclamation to be emitted by the parliament, against all tumultuary and irregular meetings and convocation of the lieges, was presented and read and, after some discourse thereupon, it being objected that it did not appear that there was a particular information of any tumultuary meetings or irregular convocations in any other part of the shire of Lanark than at Glasgow, her majesty's high commissioner was thereupon pleased to notify to the parliament that he had information not only from Glasgow and Dumfries but also from several places in Lanarkshire of tumultuary and irregular meetings of men under arms, and of their giving out and publishing their design of marching to disturb the parliament.
- NAS. PA6/36, f.29/178-178v (note parallel folio system).