[1706/10/338]¹

Procedure: recommendation

Recommendation of parliament in favour of the six clerks of session

At Edinburgh, 10 March 1707, anent the representation given in and presented to her majesty's high commissioner and the estates of parliament by Sir James Dalrymple, Mr John MacKenzie, Alexander Gibson, Sir James Justice, Mr Robert Alexander and James Hamilton, the six clerks of session, humbly showing that a remuneration be granted to the said clerks of session for their extraordinary pains and attendance, in frequent and long sessions of parliament since the year 1690, which have commonly been held during the sitting of session, whereby the profitable part of their employment has been considerably diminished, or sometime totally superseded when the summer session was adjourned in the years 1693 and 1695, and by partial adjournments thereof in the year 1698 and 1704, and by the adjournments of the winter session for three months from 1 November 1700 and now for three months during the present session of parliament, which long sessions of parliament and adjournments of session was an emergent damage for the public service, which never happened to them nor their predecessors in office in former times when by the sitting of the parliament the session was not adjourned. It was, therefore, humbly conceived that £200 sterling for each of the said clerks was a moderate remuneration, and it was hoped his grace and their lordships would ordain payment thereof out of such funds, as they should think proper, as the said representation bears. Which her majesty's high commissioner and the said estates, having heard and considered on 12 February last, they granted to each of the said clerks the sum of £200 sterling as a remuneration for their bygone services in attending the parliament and losses sustained by them through the frequent interruptions of the sitting of the session, and declared that, before ending this session of parliament, they would determine the manner of payment thereof. And her majesty's commissioner and the said estates of parliament, having accordingly again on this day considered that by the foresaid deliverance on the above-mentioned representation made to them by the six clerks of session, they did give to each of them the sum of £200 sterling as a remuneration for their bygone services in parliament and the losses they have sustained by the frequent interruptions of the sitting of the session, and declared, that before ending of this session of parliament, they would determine the manner of payment thereof, and having also considered that they cannot determine a fund for present payment of the said sum, but being resolved that the same shall be effectually secured and paid, did therefore declare, and do by these words declare, the said sum of £200 sterling to each of the said six clerks of session to be a public debt and recommended and hereby recommend them to her majesty or the lords commissioners of treasury and exchequer or other managers of the public revenue for payment thereof out of what effectual fund her majesty shall think fit.