CVII: Disposition to the College of the Blackfriars Kirk with adjacent lands (1635)

CVII. Disposition by the Principal and Regents of the College, with consent therein mentioned, to the Burgh of Glasgow, of the Blackfriars Kirk, with kirkyard and ground adjacent. Glasgow, 4 June 1635.

Be it kend till all men be thir present lettres: We, Doctor Johne Strang, principall; Maisteris George Young, Johne Rae, Williame Wilkie, and James Forsythe, regentis of the College of Glasgow, with expres advys, consent, and assent of our reverend Father in God, Patrik, Archbischope of Glasgow, chancellar of the said college; Maister Johne Bell, ane of the ordinar ministeris of the said brught, rector thairof, and Doctor James Eleot, ane vther of the ordinar ministeris of the samynn brught, dean of facultie of the samynn college; and we all with ane consent and assent: Forsamikle as the Blackfreir Kirk, callit the College Kirk, within the said brught, hes bein grait chairgis to the said college in vpholding the samynn thir many yeiris bygane, and now is becum so ruinous that it most be repairit, the quhilk will be grait chairgis and expenssis to the said college, so that na small detriment will incure thairto and rentis thairof; and now seing the provest, bailleis, and counsall of the said brught hes not onlie wndertaken to repair the said kirk vpoun thair awin expenssis, bot lykwayis hes gevin to ws twa thowsand markis money for supple of the building of the new wark of the said college and librarie thairof; Thairfoir wit ye ws the saidis principall and regentis, with expres advys and consent of the foirsaidis persouns, chanceler, rector, and deane of facultie, and we all with ane consent and assent, for ws and our successouris in officis, to haif renuncit, resignit, disponit and overgevin, as we be the tennour heirof, renunce, resigne, dispone, and frilie and simpliciter forever overgive fra ws and our successouris in office, to and in favouris of the saidis provest, bailleis, and counsall of the said brught, and thair successouris in office for the townes vse vndermentionat, all and haill the forrsaid Blakfreir Kirk, with frie ische and entrie thairvnto in the ordinar place; togidder with the kirkyaird of the samynn west fra the gavill of the said kirk to the meill mercat; togidder with allevin ellis of breadth alonges both the south and northe sydwallis of the said kirk within the yaird callit the Blakfreir yaird, to build and inlarge the samyn at thair pleasour within the saidis boundis, and that as the samynn is alreddie stobit, meithit, and merchit, with all our consentis, so sone as they sall begin to inlarge the samynn, togidder with all right, heretabill titill of right, cleam, entress, kyndness, propertie, possessioun, actioun, persut and instance, quhilkis we had, have, or can pretend to have thairto forever, and bindis and obleissis ws and our successouris in office to mak, seall, and delyver to thame vpoun thair awin expenssis, all maner of rightis can be devysit for denuding of the said College thairof, and securing of tham thairintill: Reserving allwayis to the said College, rectour, deane of facultie, principall, and regentis thairof, present, and haill scholleris and studentis thairin, and all the memberis of the said college and thair successouris, ane most commodious place and seat in the said kirk nixt best after the counsall seat, and the vse of the said kirk yeirlie at the making of the maisteris, and at all vther occasiouns when they pleas, but prejudice of the publict meiting for devyne service, ecclesiastical exercissis, and discipline: Provyding allwayis that this present dispositioun and renunciatioun of the said kirk sall naways prejudge the said College and memberis thairof foirsaidis of the haill landis, tenementis, annualrents, dewteis, rentis, and casualities whatsumever, giftit, dottit, mortifeid, or ony vther way whatsumever, pertenyng and belonging to the said kirk, or of old to the Blakfreiris, and now to the said college, be reasoun thairof, so that the said kirk to be inlargit the space foirsaid and kirkyaird nixt to the Meil Mercat allone sall belong to the said brughe in tyme cuming, with provisioun in favouris of the said College as is abone specifeit, and with expres provisioun that we and our successouris sall be bund to na farder warrandice in the premissis bot for owr awin proper fact and deid allanerlie, that is to say, that we nather have done nor sall doe anything in the contrary thairof. Quhilkis provisiouns sall be speciallie ingrossit in the rightis and securiteis to be maid be ws to thame thairof, lyk as the saidis provest, bailleis, and counsall of the said brught and thair successouris sall be heirby expreslie bundin and obleist to freithe and releif the said college, principall, regentis, and remanent memberis thairof, and our successouris in office, of the reparatioun and vpholding of the said kirk so long as they may bruik and posses the samynn to the tounes vse, conforme to the dispositioun abone writtin: And farder, for the caus abone specifeit, we bind and obleissis ws and our successoures in office to give to the burgesis sones of the said burgh, actuall studentis in the said college, four of the laiche chalmberis laitlie buldit vpoun the north quarter of the said college, or vther rowmes convenient effeiring thairvnto, yeirlie and perpetuallie in all tyme cuming; provyding alwayis that in cais thair be not so many burgessis sones actuall studentis in the said college as proportionallie is requisit to occupay the saidis chalmberis or rowmes, than and in that cais it sall be leasome to ws and our successouris to place vther scholleris in the saidis chalmberis or rowmes; provyding also thir presentis sall nawayis be prejudiciall to the said Archibischope nor his successours, anent any of thair rentis, leivingis, or dewteis belonging to thame as Archibischopis of Glasgow, or to thair personage and vicarage teithes in ony sort. And for the mair securitie, we ar content and consentis thir presentis be actit and registrat in the buikis of counsall and sessioun or commissaris buik of Glasgow, ather of the judges thairof, thair decreitis and auctoriteis to be interpoint thairto, that lettres and executoriallis may be direct thairvpoun in forme as effeiris, and to that effect constitutis . . . owr procuratouris, conjunctlie and seuerallie, etc. In Witnes Quhairof thir presents ar writtin be William Yair, notar in Glasgow, we haif subscryvit as followis, att Glasgow, the fourt day of Junij the yeir of God j^m vj^c threttie fyve yeiris, befoir thir witnessis, Williame Andersone, portionar of Newtoun; Robert Drew, notar in Glasgow; James Semple, George Campbell, Alexander Dinlope, James Hutchesone, studentis in the said college. (Signed) Jo. Strang, principal; Geo. Young, Jo. Rae, Wil. Wilkie, Ja. Forsithe, Ro. Maine; Glasgow, as cancellour, consentis; Mr John Bell, rector: Ja. Eliot, dec. facult.; William Andersoune, witnes to my loird of Glasgow his subscriptioune, R. Drew, witnes also thairto; James Sempill, witnesse; George Campbell, witnes; Alexander Dunlop, witnes; Jacobus Hutchesone, witnes.