13 May 1641.
Mortification by Mr. Thomas Hutchesoune to the College.
To all and sindrie to quhoes knawledge thir presentis sall cum, be it
knowin, me, Mr. Thomas Huchesoune of Lambhill, considdering how conducable
it is to the advancement of the gospell and the guid of the commoun welth
that the colledges and vniversities be weill provydit and appointit, laying also
to heart my particular interest in the vniversitie and colledge of Glasgow,
being most willing to contribute my help and supplie thervnto, for the better
appointing quhairof thair appeiris two thingis most convenient quhilkis ar
now wanting thairvnto, the one that, for ordouring, preserving and enlairging
of the commoun bibliotheck of the said vniversitie, thair be foundit the office
of ane bibliothecare with rent appertinent thairvnto, to remaine and contenow
in all tyme cuming in constant office within the vniversitie and colledge of
Glasgow; the wther that the south quarter of the building of the said Colledge,
quhilk is presentlie ruinous, be buildit and maid sutable to the rest of the
fabrick; thairfoir, to supplie in pairt the saidis twa defectis, first, to haif doittit,
mortifiet and assignit, to the vse and behove of the vniversitie and colledge
of Glasgow, [two thousand merks, to the effect the] annualrent or yeirlie rent
may be bestowit be thame for the mentinence of ane qualifiet student, being
ane maister of airtis and ane burges sone, of the name of Huchesoune or
Harbertsone, quhilkis failyeing ane burges sone of ony wther name, quhilkis
also failyeand ony wther qualifiet young student, being ane maister of airtis,
quho salbe receavit bibliothecarnis of the vniversitie and sall haif intrusted to
him the keiping and ordouring of the bibliotheck and bookis therin, quhilk
salbe inventarit and inrollit in catolloges and delyverit, signit and subscryvit
to him, quhairby at his removeall he may be ordourlie exonerit of his charge;
and quho sall attend the bibliotheck in his gowne as it becumes the scholeris,
office beireris within that hous, and that daylie ilk work day betuix ten
and tuelf houris befoir noone, and betuix twa and four houres efter noone,
and oftiner, as the principall, professoures, regentis and studentis of theologie
within the said Colledge sall requyre him, haifing necessar wse of any bookis
therof. Quho also, at his admissioun and receptioun to that office, salbe
obligit to commemorat the present fundatioun in thaise wordis following,
includit in the forme of ane aith:—Ego, A. B., sancte polliceor et juro me
bibliothecarij munus in Collegio Glasguensi opibus et liberalitate Georgij et
Magistri Thomæ Huchesonorum, fratrum, a Lamhill, fundatum, integre et
fideliter administraturum. To be presentit to the said office and rent thairto
appertening be me the said Mr. Thomas Huchesoune during all the dayis of
my lyftyme, and efter my deceis be the counsall of the burgh of Glasgow,
quho salbe ansuerabill for the fidelitie and trust. To remaine in the said
office the spaice of four yeiris onlie, being alwayes fund apt and qualifiet be
the rector, principall, deane of facultie and regentis of the said Colledge, to
quhom the presentatioun salbe direct, that efter thair condigne tryell of the
qualificatioun and aptitude of the said student to that charge he may be
admittit be thame thairto during the spaice foirsaid. As also to haif dottit
and mortifiet to the said Colledge of Glasgow the soume of ane thowsand
pundis money. . . . quhilk thowsand pundis money I ordaine and
appointt to be impendit be the saidis principall and regentis and thair
successours in office for the reedifying of the south quarter of the building
of the Colledge. And becaus the expenssis of the said reedificatioun will
extend to ane far gritter soume than the soume foirsaid mortified and assignit
be me, quhilk is the first and onlie soume as yit dottit for that effect, thairfoir
vntill the reedifeing of the said south quarter begyn, quhilk probablie will be
suspendit for certane yeiris to cum, I ordaine the said ane thowsand pundis to
be lent out be thame for annualrent and proffeitt, to the end the excressing
proffeittis thairof,. vntill the building be begune, may accress to the said
principall soume, quhairby baith principall soume and bygaine annualrentis
may be totallie convertit to the wse of that building and na wther wse
quhatsumeuer, and that be the sight of the counsall of the burgh of Glasgow.
[Subscribed at Glasgow, 13 May 1641.]
28 April and 28 May 1641.
Mortification by Margaret Grhame or Boyd.
To all and sundrie to whose handis thir presents shall come, be it known
that whereas it hath pleased God to move the heart of Margaret Grhame,
relict of vmquhill Johne Boyd of Kirkdyk, in Kilmarnock, to dedicate in
her own lyftime twa thowsand and fyve hundereth merkis to be bestowed
vpon the most spiritwall and best vses whereby God may be best honored,
as master David Dickson, preacher of Gods word at Glasgow, and John
Stewart, late proveist of Air, should think expedient; we, master David
Dickson and John Stewart, considering what became ws, being intrusted with
the dispensation of the forsaid summ, according to the will of the defunct,
haue thoght expedient to mortifie the said summ for the yeirlie increasing
of the Librarie of the Colledge of Glasgow and yeirlie rewarding of a student
of theologie for pains to be taken by him in collecting and registrating,
be the advice of the professoris of divinitie of the said Colledge, of the most
rare and remarkable passagis of Gods providence which haue fallen furth in
our time or that fall furth in any time coming within the kingdome of
Scotland, as the most spiritwall and best vse whereby we judge God may be
most honoured, and that in manner following, to wit:—We, be thir presentis,
appoints that the money being delivered to Mr. John Herbertson, collector to
the Colledge of Glasgow, and lent or laid wpon land be him, with advice of
the proveist and bailies of Glasgow, wpon sufficient securitie, for anuelrent, as
the law of the cuntrey appoints, the rent of a thowsand pounds may be
yeirlie imployed in buying so many as the rent may reach unto of the
choysest bookis which the Colledge had not befor, and these being bought
that the said Margaret Grhams name, or the two first letters thereof, be yeirlie
stamped wpon the covering of everie book in gold letters, and vpon som clean
parte of the first page of the book thir words be wryten: Anno . . .
emptus est hic liber pretio . . . et additus Bibliothecæ Collegij Glasguensis ex annuo reditu pecuniæ dedicatæ in optimos vsus a Margareta
Grhame, vidua Joannis Boyd, Kilmarnocensis; by which words account may
be had how the money is bestowed and how the bookis ar keeped to the
fore from yeir to yeir. And as for the rent of the thowsand merkis to be
given to the student of theologie, we appoint it to be given to him vpon the
conditions following, to wit, that he, be the assistance and help of the ministers
of Glasgow for the time, and ther moyen which they may have with other
brethren and presbyteries farr and neir, collect the rarest passagis of Gods
providence, justice and mercie, fallen furth in the memorie of famous persons
liveing, and witnesed be them in the fairest way which may evidence the
treuth of the matter, which passagis of Gods providence being gathered
by him and revised by the professors of divinitie, so much as is found worthie
to remain in the publick register of the Colledge shall be wryten in a fair
paper book by the said student of divinitie, if he have a fair hand, or otherwise caused to be wryten vpon his charges if his hand be not worthie of such
a publick and permanent register, and the yeirlie reward to be delivered
vnto him, halfe in the entrie of the yeir and half at the fair of Glasgow, after
he hes perfyted so much as the professors of divinitie have appointed vnto
him for that yeirs work. And we appoint the cair and oversight of the right
imployment of the whole money as forsaid is, with the presentation of the
student of divinitie forsaid, to belong vnto and to be at the disposing of the
proveist and bailies of Glasgow, with the expresse consent of the said Mr.
David Dickson and John Stewart, during there lyfetym, and after them with
the expresse consent and advice of the principall and other professors of
divinitie in the Colledge. And if it shall happen that, through the negligence
of the town and colledge of Glasgow, the anuelrent of the said moneys be not
carefullie adverted vnto and put vnto the forsaid vse in the maner forsaid,
that in that case the brethren of the presbyterie of Glasgow shall have power
to call for that yeirs anuelrent, ane or two, not so imployed as is appointed,
and to bestow the sam for som pious vse as they shall sie fitt. And if, for
thrie yeirs together, the towne, the colledge and the presbyterie of Glasgow,
shall neglect to sie this mortification imployed as said is, then and in that
case the town and colledge of Edinburgh to haue the disposition and benefite
of the moneys vpon the sam tearms, and the presbyterie of Edinburgh to be
the last disposers of the anuelrent in all time coming for such pious and public
vses. In testimonie, [etc. Subscribed by David Dickson, at Glasgow, 28
April, and by John Stewart, at Air, 28 May, 1641.]
16 November 1641.
Act of Parliament empowering the burgh of Glasgow to elect its magistrates.
Oure Soverane Lord and Estates of Parliament, considering that the
burghe of Glasgowe did heirtofore in the electione of ther magistrates
demand the assent and approbatione of the Archbeshope to the same, and,
dureing such tyme as Episcopacy wes not allowed of this churche, of vmquhill
Lodwicke Duke of Lennox and Richmond, who was heritablie infefte in the
said Archbeshoprike, with the priviledges belonging thereto, and specially
the nominatione of the Magistrates of the toune of Glasgow, and now the
said burghe being one of the best peopled and pryme burghes within the
kingdome, it is most agreeable to reassone that they should have free liberty
to elect and choyse suche persones as should be most fit both to serve the
Prince and governe the burghe it selfe, as other burghes of this kingdome:
Therefore our Soverane Lord, with the advyse of the estates and of the
speciall consent of James, now Duke of Lennox and Richmond (who hes the
lyke heritable right of the said Archbeshoprike of Glasgow and priviledges
therof granted to him as the said vmquhill Lodowike Duke of Lennox and
Richmond his vncle had), statutes and ordeanes that the burghe of Glasgow in
all tyme comeing, shall have alse free libertie in the electione and choosing of
there magistrates yeirly, at the accustomed tymes, as any other burghe within
this kingdome of Scotland; with this speciall provisione and conditione, that
the proveist, baillies, and counsell of the burghe, and ther successoures shall
present yeirlie in all tyme comeing ane leit of three persones to be proveist
of the said burght to the said James Duke of Lennox and Richmond and his
successoures foirsaid, off the whilke nomber the said James Duke of Lennox,
and his successoures foirsaid, shall nominat one to be proveist for the yeir
falloweing whom they shall be obleist to receave and admit to be ther
proveist the same yeir, and authoreize him with all commissioun necessar
to that effect; provyding the said Duke of Lennox and his foirsaidis be
themselves or ther commissioner be present yeerlie within the said burghe
at the castle which belonges to the Duke and his successoures, the tyme of
the electione of ther Magistrates, and in case of ther absence, in that caise it
shall be laufull to them to goe one in the electione of ther proveist for that
yeir of ther absence allenerly.