[1578/7/22]¹

The ratification of the infeftment made to [James Cunningham], master of Glencairn of the lands of Boghall and Milton

Our sovereign lord, having respect to the good, true and thankful service done by James, master of Glencairn and his friends to his highness continuously since his coronation, with advice of his three estates in parliament, ratifies, approves and confirms the infeftment made by his highness of before to the said James and his heirs of all and the whole of the ten pound land of Boghall, with the pertinents, lying within the sheriffdom of Renfrew, and five pound land of Milton, with the pertinents, lying within the sheriffdom of Lanark, as coming in his highness's hands through decreet and sentence of forfeiture orderly led and deduced against John Fleming, sometime of Boghall, for certain crimes of treason committed by him, of which he was convicted in parliament, as at more length is contained in the said infeftment, of which the tenor follows:

James, by the grace of God, king of Scots, gives greetings to all good men throughout the land, both clergy and laymen. Let it be known that we, with the advice and consent of our dear grandfather Matthew [Stewart], earl of Lennox, lord Darnley, our lawful tutor and regent of the realm, and our lieges have given, granted and by this present charter of ours confirmed to our beloved James Cunningham, son of William Cunningham, master of Glencairn, and to his heirs heritably, together and individually, the ten pound land of Boghall, with the tower and fortalice thereof, lying within our sheriffdom of Renfrew, and in addition the five pound land of Milton, together with their pertinents, lying within the sheriffdom of Kilbride and our sheriffdom of Lanark. These lands, with their pertinents, formerly and heritably belonged to John Fleming, formerly of Boghall, and now belong to us, and came into our hand by reason of escheat on account of forfeiture duly brought against the said John Fleming for certain crimes of treason, treachery and lese-majesty committed by him, of which he stood convicted in our parliament, just as is set out more fully in the process and sentence duly brought against him; all and every part of the said lands of Boghall, with their tower and fortalice, and the lands of Milton, with their pertinents, are to be held and had by the said James Cunningham and his heirs, from us and our successors in fee and heritage in perpetuity, throughout all their correct ancient boundaries and divisions, just as they lie in longitude and latitude, with woods, plains, muirs, marshes, roads, paths, waters, ponds, streams, meadows, pastures and grazings, mills and multures and their accompaniments, fowling, hunting, fishing, peat mosses, turf gathering, coal mines, workings of timber, stones, stone and lime, breweries and brewhouses, with whins, and courts and their issues, inheritance tax and marriage tax, with furca et fossa, soke and sak, toll and theame, infangthief, outfangthief, pit and gallows, with common pasture, free entry and exit, with each and every advantage and freedom, profit and easement, and whatever just pertinents, whether specified or not, under ground as well as overground, near and far, relating to the foresaid lands, with their tower, fortalice and their pertinents, or in future considered to relate to them, as freely, peacefully, fully, wholly, honourably, well and in peace in and through everything, just as the said John or his predecessors held or possessed the said lands, with their pertinents, before the aforesaid forfeiture. In return, annually the said James Cunningham and his heirs [are to give] to us and our successors, for the forementioned lands, with their pertinents, the dues and services which were customarily owed before the said forfeiture. In witness of this, we have instructed our great seal to be attached to this charter. Witnesses were the reverend father in Christ Alexander [Gordon], bishop of Whithorn and of our chapel of Stirling, our beloved kinsmen James [Douglas], earl of Morton, lord of Dalkeith, our chancellor, and William [Keith], earl Marischal, lord of Keith, our beloved household councillors Master James MacGill of Nether Rankeilour, clerk of the rolls of king and council, Sir John Bellenden of Auchnoull, clerk of our justiciary, and Master George Buchanan, pensioner of Crossraguel, warden of our privy seal, at Glasgow on 16 March in the year of the Lord 1570, and in the fourth year of our reign.