[1706/10/455]¹

Act in favour of [Cicilia Wedderburn], lady Littlegill and her son

Our sovereign lady and estates of parliament, considering that by an act of parliament dated 14 August 1663, the estates of parliament, understanding the necessity to have a stone bridge built over the river of Clyde at Rammwell Craige,² and another bridge over the water of Duneaton, there being common passages and market ways there, and in which diverse persons have at several times perished, did authorise the deceased William Baillie of Littlegill to build the said two bridges, and for his encouragement in the building and keeping up of the same did appoint that, for the space of twenty-seven years after the date of the said act, the said William Baillie and his heirs should have the collecting, ingathering and uplifting of the customs following, namely 12d Scots off every horse and load; 8d Scots off every cow and horse; 2d Scots off every sheep that shall pass along those two bridges or either of them, or who shall pass that way through the said William Baillie his lands, whether they take the bridges or not, and 6d Scots for each single horseman and 2d for each footman that shall pass along the said two bridges, or either of them, and that the said two bridges were accordingly built, and the customs in use to be uplifted by the said deceased William Baillie of Littlegill, and since his decease by Cicilia Wedderburn, his widow, by virtue of an assignation thereto from her husband in implementation of her contract of marriage, and that the upholding and repairing of the said bridges does require that the said customs be yet continued, her majesty, with advice and consent of the estates of parliament, grants order and warrant to the said Cicilia Wedderburn and to William Baillie, her eldest son, and his heirs in case of her decease, for their encouragement, to uphold and repair the said two bridges and to exact and uplift the foresaid customs payable at the said two bridges, excepting the carriages of the lead and lead ore belonging to [James Douglas], duke of Queensberry and [Charles Hope], earl of Hopetoun, and victual and materials for the use of the workmen and mines passing the said bridges and fords, which, with the carriages, carriers and servants, cart horses and others employed in the said carriages, shall have and enjoy free passages without payment of any of the said duties or any other impediment or molestation whatsoever, and that for the space of twenty-one years after the expiration of the said twenty-seven years, they always repairing and upholding the said two bridges in good condition at the sight of the duke of Queensberry, the earls [Archibald Douglas, earl] of Forfar, [John Carmichael, earl of] Hyndford, [Charles Hope, earl of] Hopetoun and [William Baillie], laird of Lamington, or any two of them.