[A1573/4/6]¹

Concerning the annualrents to be paid of burnt and demolished houses and tenements within the burgh of Edinburgh, Canongate and other suburbs thereabouts the time of these late troubles

Item, forasmuch as it is considered the heavy damage and hurt sustained by the neighbours of Edinburgh, Canongate and others, the suburbs thereabouts, who left their lands and heritages and goods for acknowledging our sovereign lord's most just authority, by the which their lands and heritages were demolished, wrecked and burned by his highness's declared traitors and rebels, being within the castle and burgh of Edinburgh, and their assisters, the said lands being in debt for sundry annualrents; which persons, heritors of the said annualrents, are now pursuing the said lands for the arrears on them, notwithstanding they are demolished and burned as said is; therefore our sovereign lord, with advice and consent of [James Douglas, earl of Morton], my lord regent's grace, the three estates and whole body of this present parliament, declares the said lands burned and demolished as said is, not to be obliged to make complete payment of the annualrents owning forth thereof, but the same to be defaulted according to the acts made of before concerning the payment of the annualrents owned forth of the lands lying within the said burgh, burned of before by the power of England, then enemies to this realm, and the parties, owners of the said annualrents, not to have further action except according to the act of parliament made concerning the payment of annualrents owned forth of the said burned lands, seeing the demolition aforesaid is done by our sovereign lord's declared traitors, which is alike to the persons damaged as if the same had been done by foreign enemies; providing this act extend to none but to such as assisted and took part with our sovereign lord during the time of these late troubles and continues therein.