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Bond for regularity, signed by the shire of
Stirling, October, 1684.
[Extract from The History of the
Sufferings of the Church of Scotland from the Restoration to the
Revolution. Robert Wodrow, Ed R Burns. Glasgow, Blackie & Son, (1835)
Volume 4, p 133-134. ]
We undersubscribers,
noblemen, heritors, and others, within the shire of Stirling, for
testifying our deep sense of duty to our most sacred sovereign the king’s
most excellent majesty, and from our abhorrence of rebellion, and
rebellious principles, irregularities and disorders, and to evidence our
firm and constant resolutions to adhere to his majesty, his heirs and
lawful successors their interests, and to contribute our utmost endeavours
to employ our lives and fortune, for his security, and the peace of the
government, and the extirpation of every thing that may tend to the
disturbing thereof, bind and oblige us, and ilk one of us, for ourselves,
our families, tenants, subtenants, cottars, and servants, that we and they
shall live regularly and orderly, according to the act of parliament, and
shall not connive at any disorder, but, to the utmost of our power, shall
repress the same, by taking and delivering the offenders to justice, if in
our power, and shall give timely notice to the next magistrate or officer
of his majesty’s forces, and shall assist and concur with them, for
taking, apprehending any fugitive, vagrant preachers, or such as reset,
assist, or maintain any such; and that we shall not harbour, reset, or
maintain any rebels, fugitives, or intercommuned persons, nor suffer any
such to be upon our grounds or estates. And further, we, and ilk one of
us, bind and oblige for ourselves, our families, tenants, subtenant, and
cottars, duly and orderly, and ilk Sunday to frequent our own parish
churches, unless we have a reasonable excuse to impede us therefrom; and
shall partake of the holy sacrament of the Lord’s supper, whenever the
occasion offers, unless we be able to give satisfaction to our ministers,
of our present unfitness to partake of that holy ordinance. And such of
our tenants, cottars, and servants, as live upon our lands and heritages,
as shall refuse to partake of that holy sacrament, without a reasonable
excuse to satisfy their minister, as said is, and shall be complained of
to us by our ministers, we shall deliver up their persons to the ordinary
magistrates, to be punished according to law, if in our power, or shall
remove them from off our lands and heritages; and that we shall not
baptize or marry but with our own parish minister, without their
allowance: and we bind and oblige us, and ilk one of us, to perform the
premises, and every part thereof, under the pains and penalties due to
such crimes as we shall connive at. And we shall behave ourselves as loyal
and faithful subjects, by declaring and discovering what may tend to the
disquiet of the kingdom, or disturbance of the peace thereof, any manner
of way; and that we shall not rise in arms against his majesty or his
authority, or his heirs and lawful successors, but shall defend the same
with our live, and fortunes. And as a further evidence of our loyalty and
sincerity in the premises, we hereby bind and oblige ourselves, our heirs
and successors, to pay into his majesty’s treasury, or any who shall be
appointed to receive the same, for his majesty’s use, three months’ cess
yearly, over and above the cess imposed by the current parliament and that
for two years, payable at two terms in the year, Martinmas and Whitsunday,
by equal portions, beginning the first term’s payment, being a month and a
half month’s cost, at the term of Martinmas next, and so forth to be
continued termly, aye and while the expiration of the said two year. And
we are content and consent, that all diligence pass against us, for
inbringing thereof, as may pass against us for the cess imposed by the
said parliament In testimony whereof, &c.
18/07/2011
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