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 Tidbits from History


10th day of February, 1315: Robert I granted to Sir Colin Campbell, son of "Neil Cambel", the lands of Louchaw and Ardscodyrthe in Argyll. In return, Colin promised to provide a ship of fourty oars and menin perpetuity. This charter was witnessed by Bernard, Abbot of Arbroath.


27th of April, 1315: Edward Bruce, the brother to Robert was recognized as the successor to the crown. If Robert should die without heir and should Marjory consent, "Edward de Brus, brother of the said king, as a vigorous man and as most highly skilled in warfare foe thr defence of the right and liberty of the realm of Scotland, and the heairs male to be lawfully begotten of his body, shall succeed the said lord king in the realm."
Should Edward fail to have male heirs, the succession of the kingdom should revert to Marjory.
If the king should die, leaving as an heir a minor, the noble Lord Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray shall have guardianship of the heir and the realm until shuch time the heir is able to undertake the rule of the realm.


- Unfortunately, by 1318 both Edward and Marjory were dead so it was necessary to again be concern with succession:
3rd of December, 1318: it was agreed that Robert, the son of Lady Marjory, in good memory, lawfully begotten of the noble Lord Walter, Steward of Scotland, her husband, shall fully succeed the king as the nearest lawful heir. The guardianship of Robert, together with the custody of the whole kingdom shall be given to Sir Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray. If he should chance to die, the noble Sir James of Douglas should undertake the care of Robert and the realm.


17th of March, 1327: the English recognized Scotland's independence with
the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton. The treaty created perpetual peace between the two kingdoms with the following conditions:
David, the eldest son of the Robert, King of Scotland, should be contracted to marry Joan, sister of Edward, King of England.
The King of Scotland should give £2000 of land and rent per year.
Should Joan not live to marry David, another nearest kin should be accepted as his bride with suitable rents.
Should David not live to marry Joan, the next male heir to the crown will marry Joan.
Should Ireland attack England, Scotland will not assist Ireland.
Should any attack Scotland, Isle of Mann or any other isle of Scotland, England will not assist the enemy.
All writs and obligations of Scotland to England shall be annulled and voided.
England should assist Scotland with the Pope and Rome.
Scotland shall pay England £20,000 for 3 years.


Treaty of Berwick - 1354
David II was captured at Neville's Cross. On the 3rd of October 1354 the Treaty of Berwick was signed granted liberty to the King.
That is to say for one hundred thousand merks sterling to be paid during the ten years next following the making of this agreement by these installments, that is to say the ten thousand merks fo the first payment at the Feast of the Nativity of St John the Baptist next to come (24 June), and other ten thousand merks on the Feast of the Nativity of St John the Baptist thereafter next following, and so from year to year then thousand merks on the same Feast until the said sum of one hundred thousand merks shall have been full paid...

A truce shall be confirmed and observed by sufficient surety of letters and others between the king of England and all his good people in England and in Scotland, and also the Isle of man, and the king of Scotland and all the other people of Scotland and their adherents, by land and by sea, in all parts and places, without fraud or guild, until the said sum shall have been fully paid. And the Edward Balliol and John of the Isles shall be included in the said truce...

In case of default of payment at any of the said terms, the said king of Scotland, without other request of delay, shall come to England and give himself up as a prisoner of the king of England in the castle of Newcastle on Tyne within the three weeks next following the said term at which payment is in default, to remain a prisoner until payment of the arrears be made.


In the parliament held at Scone on the 4th of March, 1364, the nobles assembled were in no matter willing to accept, nor in any wise willing to assent to any matters sought by the king of England.


On the 4th of April, 1373, King Robert II held parliament at Scone. The right of succession of John, Earl of Carrick and Steward of Scotland (Robert III). This act secured John against the descendants of his father's second marriage to Euphemia Ross.


Robert III was not considered an effective king so, on the 27th of January 1399 a gerneal council at Perth passed this act:
Where it is delivered that the misgovernance of the realm and the default of the keeping of the common law should be input to the king and his officers: and therefore we give our lord the king excuse of his defaults, he may at his liking call his officers to which he has given commission and accuse them in presence of his council: and their answers heard , the council shall be ready to judge their faults, since no man ought to be condemned until he been called and accused.

Item: since it is well seen and understood that our lord the king for sakes of his person may not travail to govern the realm nor restraing trespassors and rebellions, it is seen to the council most expedient that the Duke of Rothesay be the kings lieutenant for the term of three years, having ful power and commission of the king to govern the land in all things as the king should do in her person as if her were present: that is to say to punish trespassers, to retrain trespasses and to treat and remit with the conditions following the council of wise men and leal, Duke of Albany, Lord of Brechen, Bishops of Andriston, Glasgow and Aberdeen, the Earls of Douglas, Ross, Moray and Crawford, the lord of Dalkeith, sir Thomas of Hay, constable Sir William of Keith, Marshall, Sir Thomas of Erskine, Sir Patrick of Graham, Sir John of Livingston, Sir William Stewart . . .


Treaty of London - 1423
Inpremis that the said lord James, King of Scots, or his heirs or successors, shall well and faithfully pay to the foresaid lord Henry, King of England and France, or his heairs or successsors, or thei deputes, in the Chrusch of St Paul, London, for the maintenance and expense of the same lord king James during the time he has been in the kingdom of England and elsewhere in the company of the kings of England and the time he shall be in England until the day on which he shall have entered the kingdom of Scotland, or on which he shall be deemed to have entered, forty thousand pounds of good and legal money of England, to wit in the foresaid chruch, then thousand merks of the foresaid money within six months reckoned from the first day of his entry into Scotland; and each year thereafter following . . . until the said forty thousand pounds shall have been fully paid.


1424 King James I tried to create order in the realm by passing a number of statutes. One such stature forbid anyone to play football. Another required all men to equipment themselves with bows and arrows and to practice at archery for better defense of the realm.
However, not all these laws were frivolous. It was ordained that no person should beg in a town or lands adjoining between the ages of 14 to 70. Should they be charged with begging, they should be branded on the cheek and banished.


1426 James I tried to create a central court out of the three estates. This would eventually develop into the Court of Session.


1428: James I created representatives to parliament for the small barons and free tenants rather than requiring these people to appear in person.


1433: Parliament introduced Sumptuary Laws regulating the manner in which persons of all orders should live; and in particular, prohibiting the use of pies and other baked meant to all under the rank of baron.


Treaty of Westminster/Ardtornish - 1461 On the 13th of February, 1461, John, Earl of Ross, Donald Balagh and his son John signed the Treaty of Westminster for the division of Scotland. These men agreed to become leigemen or subjects to King Edward IV of England. They also promised to arrest any in Scotland or Ireland who were enemies against the King of England.
In exchange, they were promised 100 merks sterling of English money and in times of war, 200 merks sterling. Should Scotland be conquered, the three would have all of Scotland beyond the Firth of Forth.
This was ratified by Edward on the 17th of March.


Treaty of Copenhagen - 1468
In the Treaty of Perth, 1266, Scotland was to pay Norway 100 merks annually for the Western Isles. How much was actually paid is unknown, however the payments were nullified by the Treaty of Copenhagen on the 8th of September, 1468. This treaty arranged the marriage between James II to Margaret, daughter of King Christian of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. King Christian also pledged Orkeny for an additional 50,000 florins of the 60,000 florins dowry for his daughter. He was unable to raise more than 2000 florins so on the 20th of May, 1469 he pledged Shetland for the balance due.


1472: on the 13th of August, Pope Sixtus IV erected the Archbishopric of St Andrews. Patrick, bishop of St Andrews was elevated to Archbishop as was St Andrews elevated as a metropolitan.


1483: Sir Andrew Wood received a grant of the lands of Largo from James III. This was confirmed by James IV in 1488 and 1497.


Pope Innocent VIII accepted the wishes of the Scottish kings for recommendations of church appointments. In 1487 he made this official by promising to take into account the king's recommendation. From this point on, the king's recommendations were usually final so that by 1526 Scottish parliament formally claimed the king had the right of nomination, and in 1535 the pope accepted this.


1494: Robert, Archbishop of Glasgow and 30 other persons were charged with adhering to the following Articles of Lollards of Kyle:
1 - Images were not to be had, nor worshipped.
2 - Relics of saints were not to be worshipped.
3 - Laws vary from time to time without the authority of the Pope.
4 - It is not lawful to fight or defend the faith.
5 - Christ gave power to Peter alone and not to his successors.
6 - Christ ordained no priests to consecrate.
7 - After the consecration of Mass, bread remains bread and not the body of Christ.
8 - Tithes ought not to be given to ecclesiastical men.
9 - Christs coming took away the power of kings to judge.
10-every faithful man and woman is a priest.
11-The unction of kings ceased at the coming of Christ.
12-The Pope is not the successor of Peter, but where he said, "Go behind me, Satan."
13-Pope deceives people with Bulls and Indulgences.
14-Mass profiteth not the souls in purgatory.
15-Pope and bishops deceive people with pardons.
16-Indulgences ought not be granted to fight against Saracens.
17-Pope exalts himself against God and above God.
18-Pope can not remit the pains of purgatory.
19-Blessings of the bishops are of no value.
20-Excommunication of the Kirk is not to be feared.
21-In no case is it lawful to swear.
22-Priests might have wives, according to the constitution of the law.
23-True Christians receive the body of Christ every day.
24-Matrimony may not be divorced.
25-excommunication binds not.
26-The Pope can not forgive sins, only God.
27-Faith should not be given to miracles.
28-We should not pray to the Virgin Mary, but to God only.
29-We are no more bound to pray in the Kirk than in other places.
30-We are not bound to believe all that the doctors of the kirk have written.
31-Worshipping the Sacrament of the Kirk is to commit idolatry.
32-The Pope is the head of the Kirk of the Antichrist.
33-The Pope and his ministers are murderers.
34-The principals in the Kirk are thieves and robbers.


1496: James IV created the Education Act to "ordain through all the realm that all barons and free holders that are of subtance put their oldest sons and heirs to the schools for those that be 8 or 9 years of age and to remain at the grammer school which that be competently found and have perfect latin and there to remain three years at the scholls fo art and law so that they may have knowledge and understanding of the laws."


1576: Alexander Innes of that ilk met a man at the Cross of Edinburgh, where words passed between them. Innes killed the man with a blow from his dagger, but rather than running he remained for some time until the regent sent a guard to arrest him. He was imprisoned and soon after executed.


1596: 23 persons lost their lives in Aberdeen for the crime of Witchcraft.


2nd January, 1667 William Pentlaw, martyr for his adhering to the word of God, and appearing for Christ's kingly government in his house, and the covenanted work of reformation, against perjury and prelacy.


19th January, 1673 Annie of Fyvie died of a broken heart. She was one of the daughters of the miller of Tiftie, and is said to have been very beautiful. Her relations violently opposed her union with her lover, Andrew Lammie, a being beneath her. When he went away with his master, he promised on his return to marry her; but she told him that before that time she "would be laid in the green kirkyard of Fyvie."


5 December, 1701: Alexander Stewart sentenced to death for theft, at Perth and gifted by the Justiciars, as a perpetual servant, to Sir John Erskine of Alva."


1727: The udal is a peculiar tenure for some of the crown lands. The property of the udal lands is transferred from one person to another simply by delivery and possession; the only formality requisite to render the transaction valid being the insertion of the transfer into the rental of the superior, which is done without fee or reward. The udal rights were renewed by George II and confirmed by the Court of Session.


November, 1740: A dreadful storm of hail, rain and thunder attacked the Tolbooth steeple of Edinburgh which destroyed the clock. The strong door of the prison was burst open and one person killed.