[A1567/12/9]¹

Concerning thirds of benefices, granted in the month of December 1561, for sustaining of the ministers and other affairs of the prince

Item, because the ministers have been long defrauded of their stipends, so that they are come in great poverty and necessity, and notwithstanding have continued in their vocation without payment of their stipends by a great space, through which they are, and shall be, constrained to leave their vocation unless remedy be provided; therefore, our sovereign lord, with advice of [James Stewart, earl of Moray], my lord regent, and three estates of this present parliament, has statute and ordained that the whole thirds of the whole benefices of this realm shall now instantly, and in all times to come, first be paid to the ministers of the evangel of Jesus Christ and their successors; and ordains the lords of the session to grant and give letters charging all and sundry intromitters, or those that are indebted in payment of the same, to answer and obey to the said ministers and their collectors to be nominated by the said ministers, with advice of my lord regent, in the appropriate form, notwithstanding any discharge given by [Mary], our sovereign lord's mother, to whatsoever person or persons of the said thirds, or any part thereof, until the kirk comes to the full possession of their proper patrimony, which is the teinds; providing always that the collectors of the said ministers make yearly account in the exchequer of their intromission, so that the ministers may be first answered of their stipends appertaining to every one of them, and the rest and surplus to be applied to our sovereign lord's use.