Extracts from the records: 1641

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.