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Follow instructions
upon the foresaid cornmission.
“Charles R. 1. You
shall disarm all heritors who have not taken the test, and all the
commons, excepting the militia; and if any shall conceal arms, or refuse
to de-pone thereupon, when by you required, you shall fine the heritors in
one year’s rent, the tenants in one year’s rent of their respective farms;
the servants, and cottars, and tradesmen, are to be fined according to
their substance.
“2. You are to
follow such instructions as we or our privy council shall give you, as to
the value of horses, and the persons to whom they are to be allowed within
the districts.
“3. You shall seize
all preachers, chaplains, or such as exercise as chaplains, who are not
authorized by the bishops, and send them to our privy council to be
disposed of as they think fit and see cause.
“4. You shall
punish, according to law, all persons guilty of ecclesiastic disorders,
either men or women, and you shall put our proclamations, especially that
of the day of ,
in execution, against all who are guilty of conventicles, or concerned in
them, as concealers and not discoverers, negligent heritors, sheriffs,
bailies, and other magistrates or heritors of the place, where they are
kept, or otherwise concerned by our laws and proclamations, according to
the tenor thereof; and the husbands of such wives as are guiIty and have
not done their endeavours in terms of our letter, bearing date the
day of .
5. You shall give
account to our secret committee, of all persons who have fled from their
habitations, whether by retiring out of the kingdom, or removing to other
places to evite just sentences.
“6. You shall
examine the indulged ministers on their instructions, and remove such as
have transgressed, and imprison them till they find security not to preach
or exercise any pert of the ministerial office, or otherwise to remove
from our three kingdoms, under caution not to return without special
allowance from us or our privy council; and such as refuse to find caution
in manner foresaid, you shall send them in prisoners to our privy council,
or their committee at Edinburgh.
“7. You shall
diligently search for the heritors, inciters, promoters, or concurrers to
the late rebellions, the intercommuners with such, or resetters of them,
and others, not heritors, guilty of the said crimes, since July 1st, 1683.
“8. You shall stop
and secure all pedlars who have not passes, according to the tenor of our
last proclamation, and secure them till they find caution for their good
behaviour.
“9. You shall stop
all posts who carry letters, except such who are allowed by our
post-master general.
“10. You shall commune
with rebels, to bring them to obedience, upon their address for pardon,
and you shall acquaint our secret committee with their proposals, and what
passes betwixt you and them; and in order thereunto, you are allowed to
give them safe conducts.
“11. You shall command
the forces assigned to you by our privy council, according to the
necessity of our service.
“12. You shall turn
out all the wives and children of the forfeited persons and fugitives,
from their habitations, if it shall appear that they have conversed with
their parents or husbands, or if they shall refuse to vindicate themselves
by their oaths.
– 13. You shall
inquire what quarters are unpaid by the soldiers in your several
districts, and take care payment be made for bygones, and in time to come.
14. You are to examine
what money has been collected by any body within your districts, and not
counted for.
15. You shall take
care, that decreets for fines, for ecclesiastic disorders, be put in
execution, as shall be prescribed by our privy council.
• 16. You shall be
assisting to our regular clergy, in bringing people to obedience, in
settling church-sessions; and if any corn-plaint be made of any of the
regular clergy, you are to recommend the punishment and censure thereof,
to our bishops, or judge. competent.
– 17. If you find any
part of the country stubborn or contumacious, you shall impose such fines
upon them as the law will allow; and in case of not payment thereof, and
that you think it fit, you are immediately to quarter our forces on the
stubborn and contumacious, until the fines imposed shall be exhausted by
them.
“18. You are to keep
good and constant correspondence among yourselves; and if it shall happen
that any man shall flee from one district to another, when you are
advertised thereof, you shall immediately cause the fugitive to be
apprehended, and you shall send him to the district from whence be fled,
to be judged by the commissioners there, or else sent by them to
Edinburgh, as they shall think fit.
19. You shall acquaint
any of the neighbouring jurisdictions to which any of the rebels shall
flee, to the end they may assist to apprehend them; and if, in pursuit of
those, it shall be convenient for you to go out of your district, or to
send parties out of the same, the magistrates are hereby required to obey
and assist you, as they will be answerable.
“20. You shall suffer
no man to travel with arms, excepting gentlemen of known loyalty, who have
taken the test; and no yeoman to travel three miles from his own house,
without a pass from his minister, or a commissioner of the excise.
“21.You are to call
for all or any part of the heritors, as often and where you shall find it
needful for our service, who are hereby ordered to obey, under the pains
of being punlshed as absents from our host.
“92. You shall put in
execution the power of justiciary to be granted unto you by our privy
council, with all rigour, by using fire and sword, as in usual in such
cases; and we do empower our privy council to insert an indemnity to you,
or any employed by you, for what shall be done in the execution thereof.
“23. You are
hereby empowered to give the oath of allegiance to such persons with in
your districts, as you shall have reason to suspect; and in case of
refusal, you shall banish them to the plantations, whether men or women.
“24. If you
shall be informed, that any within your district shall deny our authority,
or their bond of allegiance to us, you shall inquire therein, apprehend
the persons, and either judge them upon the place, or send them into
Edinburgh, as you find most expedient.
“25. You
shall call for, and dispose of the militia, as you find most fit for our
service.
26.
You shall inquire how the ordinary magistrates have carried in our
service, and inform the privy council thereof.
“27. You
shall report to the secret committee of our privy council, such
propositions as the shires within your district shall make to you for our
service.
“28. You are
to obey such orders as you shall receive from us, or our privy council, or
secret committee thereof, from time to time; and you are also hereby
authorized to forbear the execution of any of the articles of these
instructions, if you shall see cause for the same.
“For doing of which
these presents shall be to you, and all others who may be respectively
concerned, a sufficient warrant Given under our royal hand and signet, at
our court at Windsor castle, the 26th day of August 1684, and of our reign
the thirty sixth year.”
By his majesty’s
command,
18/07/2011
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