[1705/6/145]¹

Ratification in favors of Sir William Maxwell of Monreith

Our sovereign lady, with the special advice and consent of the estates of parliament, ratifies, approves and perpetually confirms an charter under her majesties' great seal of the date at Saint James's, the thirtieth day of November, j^M vij^C and three years, granted by her majesty, with consent of the lords and others commissioners of her thesaury and exchequer for the time, and proceeding upon the several resignations, decreet of sale and other conveyances therein mentioned, to and in favors of Sir William Maxwell of Monreith, knight and baronet, and his heirs male and of tailyie and other heirs and assigneyes therein specified, with and under the provisions, conditions, restrictions, limitations and irritances therein expressed, heretably and irredeemably, of all and haill the lands and barony of Monreith, the lands, barony and tenandry of Aplebie, the lands and barony of Myretoun, the barony of Mochrumloch, the lands and barony of Longcastle, fourty merk lands of the barony of Ardwell and Killaster, and the said barony of Killaster, comprehending therein respective the several lands, mills, castles, touers, mannour places, houses, biggings, yeards, orchyeards, lochs, fishings, teinds, rights of patronage and others therein mentioned, and of the five pound land of Gairngairy and several other lands therein expressed. Which charter contains a confirmation of several rights and infeftments of the foresaid lands and others therein mentioned, with a new gift and disposition thereof and an union of the said haill lands, baronies and others therein specified, extending to a three hundred and thirty four merk land of old extent, with all and sundry their houses, biggings, yeards, orchyeards, tofts, crofts, annexis, connexis, woods, lochs, fishings, parts, pendicles and all their pertinents, all lying within the sherifdom of Wigtoun, in an haill and free barony and forrestrie to be called, in all time comeing, the said three hundred and thirty four merk land of old extent and barony and forrestry of Monreith, ordaining the mannor place of Monreith to be the principal messuage of the said barony and giveing to the said Sir William, and his foresaids, all the liberties, priviledges, emoluments, jurisdictions and casualities belonging to a free barony and forrestry, ordaining also one seasine to be taken at the said mannour place of Monreith, by deliverance of earth and stone, without the necessity of any other symboll, to be sufficient for the haill lands, mills, woods, fishings, patronadges, office of forrestrie and others particularly mentioned in the said charter, and erected, as said is, in the said barony of Monreith, to be holden of her majesty for her self and as come in place of the bishops respective and of her royall successors for payment of the few duties of victual and capons, or prices thereof mentioned in the said charter, and of the other few, blench and taxt ward duties specified therein, whereby also the duties of ward, nonentry, relief and marriage payable for several of the said lands and others are taxed to the several sums therein expressed. And it is declared lawful to the heirs male, of line, assigneyes, successors and others foresaid of the said Sir William, to obtain themselves infeft and seased in the lands, teinds, fishings and others mentioned in the said charter, notwithstanding of their minorities. And sicklike, the several few charters therein specified granted to the said Sir William and his foresaids and to his authors by Sir James Dunbar of Mochrum of the lands of Arrialand, Chang, Glentriploch and Barochane, lying in the said sherifdom, with the conveyances and the several adjudications and appriseings thereof, are confirmed in manner fully expressed in the foresaid charter together with the precept of seasine therein contained and instrument of seasine following thereon, in all and sundry heads, articles, clauses, provisions and contents of the same with all that has followed or may follow thereupon. And her majesty, with consent of the said estates of parliament, wills and grants and, for her and her royal successors, statutes and ordains, that the foresaid charter and infeftment thereon shall be good, valid and sufficient rights, conform to the tenors of the same, to the said Sir William Maxwell and his heirs male and of tailyie and other heirs and assigneyes therein specified, for possessing and enjoying of the said haill lands, mills, woods, fishings, teinds, patronage, office of forrestry and others therein expressed united, as said is, without stop or impediment, and that the same shall never be quarrelled by her majesty or her successors, and also that this present general ratification is and shall be as effectual and sufficient to the said Sir William Maxwell and his foresaids as if the said charter, with the instrument of seasine following thereon, were word by word insert herein, with the not inserting whereof and with all other objections that may be proponed against the validity of this present ratification or rights hereby ratified, her majesty, with consent foresaid, dispensed and hereby dispenses for ever. Extract.