vost of the town, and comptroller to the Queen. The citizens at the A.D. 1550. same time resolved, not only to support the Regent in his authority, but to oppose all those who might attempt to conspire against him.* On the 24th of November, this year, he made his first visit to the town, and was received by the magistrates with the greatest marks of respect and attention. They presented to him a propine, in wine, wax, and spiceries, to the value of 100 merks. In the month of May, this year, he made another visit, along with Mary, queen dow- 1552. ager, accompanied with many of the nobility, on the occasion of the justice court. They were received with the usual ceremonies, and had presented to them, by the magistrates, suitable propines.‡ While they remained in the town, nothing was neglected, on the part of the citizens, which could contribute to their amusement, as was customary in these times. In the month of August, this year, 1556. the queen dowager, now Regent of the kingdom, visited the town at the time of holding the justice court. She was accompanied by Monsieur D'Oysel, the commander of the French troops in Scotland; and the magistrates, on this occasion, made them liberal presents in wine, wax, and spiceries. § These means of propitiation, however, did not prevent the queen from exacting 320 merks|| from the community, as a composition for by-past slight offences, for small oppressions, and in order to win her favour. In those times, compositions or mitigations from the people, for pretended offences, or to obtain acts of grace at the hands of the prince, were not uncommon; and, under the terror of the justice court, the regular payment of such fines as the sovereign power, for the time, thought proper to impose, was rigorously enforced. The Regent's propine consisted of three tons of wine, and two lasts of beer, with spiceries.The Queen received two tons of wine; with wax and spiceries, to the value of 20 merks.-The Lords Componitors received a ton of wine, and half a last of beer.-[Council Register, vol. xxi. p. 160.] § She received wine, spice, and wax, to the value of 263 merks, about L.48 10s. 10d. sterling; Monsieur D'Oysel, half a ton of wine, a dozen of torches, two dozens of boists of scorchets; the Lords Componitors, one ton of wine; and the Lord Justice Clerk, one puncheon of wine.-[Council Register, vol. xxii. p. 325. 397.] About L.56 6s. sterling money. Council Register, vol. xxii. p. 425. 1401 MISCELLANEOUS OCCURRENCES, &c. IN ABERDEEN, The pestilence in Aberdeen. 1408 Fifty pounds borrowed by the Baillies, for the use of the town, from five citizens; to be repaid in five years, at the rate of 32 merks yearly. The Alderman, or Chief Magistrate, assumed the title of Provost. 1439 The Earl of Mar admitted burgess of guild, on payment of 5s. in a white purse. 1441 Two hundred and twenty pounds, due by the town to the Earl of Huntly, ordered to be paid from the rents of the salmon fishings. 1442 A ship belonging to Aberdeen, called the Holy Cross, taken by the English, and reprisals made by detaining an English ship in the harbour. Contribution of L.SO made by the town for King James II.'s daughter, Elizabeth, in Brittany. 1477 The Quire of St. Nicholas Church begun to be erected. 1479 Alex. Couts appointed public Scavenger, and allowed one penny annually from each fire house, for repairing the streets, and keeping them clean. 1484 The citizens march to the siege of Berwick. 14981 1506 } Pestilence raged in the town during these respective years. 1507 Commissioners sent from the town to the staple at Middleburgh. 1509 One hundred and fifty-three common Brewers, at this time, in the town. 1510 There being a great scarcity of corn in the country, the following quantities of grain were imported, by the magistrates, at the after-mentioned prices:-83 bolls of rye, at 10s. per boll, L.41 10s.; 11 bolls of mashlaw, at L.6; one boll of rye meal, 12s. 1514 The pestilence raging in the town. 1518 The Earl of Huntly received from the town three pieces of the best artillery, with stores, lead, and ammunition, for the siege of Dunrobin Castle. 1513 The Provost and Sir John Rutherford repair, as Commissioners, to Parliament, with ten horses in their train, and allowed 40 merks for their expences. 1515 The town's public seal sent to Edinburgh, to seal the doom of forfeiture of Alex. Lord Home. 1522 The Quire of Saint Nicholas consecrated by the Bishop of Aberdeen. 1529 The lodging belonging to Gilbert Menzies, provost, burnt to the ground by an accidental fire. 1530 The pestilence raging in the town. 1531 Thomas Menzies allowed to officiate as Provost, in absence of his father, Gilbert Menzies, 1538 The pestilence raged in the town. 1539 The infection of the Botch broke out among the inhabitants. The artillery belonging to the town lent to Patrick, Earl of Bothwell. 1541 Ship belonging to Thomas Brechin lost at Scarborough, on the coast of England, with 28 persons on board, citizens of Aberdeen, all of whom perished. 1544 The artillery belonging to the town, consisting of a falcon, kilis piece, bollis piece, and three serpentines, with ten chambers, and wheel carriages, lent to the Earl of Huntly, Lord Lieutenant of the North. 1546 The pestilence raged in the town during these respective years. 1549f 1557 The Magistrates purchased the following pieces of artillery for the defence of the town:Two ringed dogs, two great yeatlings, the great falcon of the Laird of Drum, an English half slung, five cut-throats, for the sum of L.100; six half slungs, with twelve chambers, at L.120; four half slungs, and one keel piece, having two chambers. CHAPTER CHAPTER III. SECTION II. Civil government of the Borough-Ancient Elections of the Magistrates and Town Council—Ancient Patrimony-Lands of Old Cruives annexed-Municipal Laws-Commerce-Coinage-Customs—Miracle Plays-Secular Amusements, conducted by the Abbot and Prior of Bon-Accord-Religious and Secular Plays, by the ArtificersReligious Ceremonies-Minstrels-Games-Town's Clocks-the Plague, and other diseases-Weaponshaw-Dress, Armour, and Furniture-Sirnames-Population-Tables of Contributions to the State-Rental of Lands, &c.-Prices of Provisions. FROM A. D. 1398 тo A. D. 1552. BEFORE proceeding further in the narrative of public events, it may not be improper to make a pause, in order to trace the progress of the political government of Aberdeen; to take a retrospective view of those matters which are strictly local; and to offer some sketches of the customs and manners of the people, during this æra, which may be regarded as not the least important parts of a work of this kind. We have already had occasion to observe, that the administration of the public affairs of the town had, from a remote period, been vested in a definite number of magistrates, namely the alderman, and four baillies, who were annually elected. The earliest records of the proceedings of the magistrates and town council commence in the year 1398. From these it appears, that on the first Monday posterior to Michaelmas, of this year, the election of the magistrates took place, in the court of the baillies, "with the consent and assent of the whole community of the borough." In the subsequent year a similar elec tion * Council Register, vol. i. p. 1. tion was conducted on the same day; and in the minutes of sederunt, twenty citizens are mentioned as having been chosen members of the common council. On the same occasion certain committees were also appointed, for regulating the market of flesh, of wine, and of ale, and for the other municipal affairs of the town. The same day was annually appropriated for the election, and continued to be so until the latter end of the sixteenth century, when it was changed to Wednesday immediately preceding Michaelmas, which is the day observed at the present time. In the year 1469 an act of parliament was passed, ordaining the old council annually to choose the new, and both together to elect the alderman, baillies, dean of guild, and other office-bearers; but, as the annual election continued still to be conducted with the consent and assent of the community, it does not appear that this statute was much regarded. At Michaelmas, 1479, however, in consequence of a letter from the king, addressed to the magistrates, the old council proceeded to the annual election, in conformity to the statute, by nominating the new council, and both councils, jointly, elected the office-bearers, as had been enjoined by the king.* This form of rule continued to be strictly observed in all future elections, although there is nothing mentioned in the minutes of the subsequent elections to distinguish the latter mode from the former; the strain of the minutes of sederunt being, in both cases, pretty much the same.† The provost and baillies had not only a minis * Council Register, vol. vi. p. 603. + In the year 1783 a question began to be agitated by the burgesses of the royal boroughs of Scotland, concerning the administration of the funds of their respective corporations, and the mode of electing the magistrates and town councils. The burgesses complained loudly of the political constitution being corrupt, and requiring reformation. The system was represented by them as a bad one, inconsistent with the liberty and the true interests of the community, in so far as it afforded a plenitude of power, which, in a small number, independent of the body of the people, was, from the nature of man, liable to abuse. This became the subject of a parliamentary enquiry, which depended for several years; but as parliament in its wisdom did not see the propriety of changing or altering the system, matters were allowed to drop. In the course of this popular question, it appears to have been strongly urged, on the part of the burgesses, that the uniform practice of Aberdeen, from 1398 down to the year 1592, had been, that the provost, baillies, common serjeants, and town council, were elected annually by the suffrages of The letters of Civis and Zeno, on this topic, were wrote with much spirit and elegance. ministerial duty to perform, but they also sat and administered justice in the courts of the borough. They heard and decided all con all the burgesses, assembled in their head court. In order to ascertain this point, which appears to have been the subject of much controversy between the burgesses and their adversaries, at the time, we have been at considerable pains, in the course of our researches, to investigate the records from the earliest period; but we have been unable to discover any thing having a resemblance to a popular election, or an election by the suffrages of the burgesses. It is not, however, our province to become a controvertist on either side. We shall merely state the facts and circumstances which occurred in the course of our enquiry, leaving it to those more immediately interested to draw the inference. In a former part of this work we have already traced the origin of the constitution of the borough from a remote period. The earliest election of the magistrates and office-bearers occurs in the year 1398,* but it is not so complete as that in the subsequent year. In the year 1405 the THE ACT OF ELECTION, 1598. "Processus curiarum Ballivorum isti sunt qui incipiunt die lune proximo post festum beati Michaelis Archangeli, anno 1398. Quo die Willielmus de Camera pater, cum consensu et assensu totius communitatis dicti burgi, electus est in officium Aldermanni, Et Robertus filius Davidis, Simon de Benyn, Johannes Scherar, ac Magister Willielmus Dicson, electi sunt in officium Ballivorum. Ac Mauricius filius Roberti, Johannes filius Bricii, Walterus Rede, et Simon de Camera, electi sunt in officium Serjandorum. "Liber Communitatis burgi de Aberdene est iste qui incipit die lune proximo post festnm beati Michaelis Archangeli, anno domini 1399. Quo die electus fuit Adam de Benyn, cum consensu et assensu totius communitatis dicti burgi in officium Aldermanni, Et Willielmus Blynsele, Simon de Benyn, Johannes Wormot, et Johannes filius Thome, electi sunt in officium Ballivorum. Et Mauricius filius Roberti, Donaldus Ka, Fergusius filius Adame, et Johannes de Lucris, electi sunt in officium Serjandorum. Eodem die electi sunt in communes consiliarios dicti burgi : Willielmus de Camera, pater Willielmus de Camera, filius Alexander Bannerman Thomas Spryng Johannes Andree Johannes de Ledale Robertus, filius Davidis Johannes Rutherford Willielmus de Crag Ricardus de Lunan Willielmus Borthwyk Johannes Strang Ricardus Fichet Lineatores. |