Act, 29 December 1692, Edinburgh

Att Edinburgh the Sixteinth day off September J^aj vj^c nynty tuo years Eodem Die Post Meridiem

A1692/9/34

A1692/9/34¹

Proclamation

Proclamatione anent souldiers deserting or Marryeing without Certificats

The following proclamatione being read votted and approven wes signed and ordered to be recorded whereof the tenor followes William and Mary be the Grace of God King and Queen of Great Brittain France and Ireland defenders of the faith To […] macers of our privie Councill or Messengers at armes Conjunctlie and severallie speciallie Constitute Greeting Forasmuchas albeit all souldiers Listed and Engadged in our service ought to be Intirely reserved for that use and nowayes Intyced or seduced to desert the same yet of Late severall of our Leedges aither throw Ignorance or dissaffectione to our service have given too great encouradgement to the souldiers under our pay to desert by Intyceing and seduceing them thereto or by resetting Concealling and entertaining them when they have deserted and relinquished our Service As also severall ministers haveing of Late taken upon them to Joyne in marriadge persones Imployed in our service as souldiers without Certaine knowledge of there being single persones and not marryed to ane other woman at the tyme wherethrow not only great prejudice and discouradgement is done to our officers under whom they serve But also great occasione of scandall is given And dishonour done to God and disgrace to the protestant religion For remeid of all which wee with advyce of the Lords of our privie Councill perremptorily prohibite and discharge all and sundrie our subjects within this Kingdome to Intyce or Seduce any of the souldiers in our service and under our pay to desert or Leave there said service or to shalter conceall harbour or entertaine any souldier who deserts or Leaves the same without haveing a pass sealled and signed by the Captain and Command officer for the tyme of the regiment In which the said souldier or souldiers Last served Certifyeing all our Leedges who shall hereafter come in the contrair hereof and againest whom it shall be made appear and proven that any souldier resett concealled or entertained by them hath deserted our service And that it wes knowen at the tyme to the resetter of the said souldier or souldiers or Intycer of them to desert That they were not dismissed from our service by a Lawfull pass signed and sealled In maner forsaid They and each one of them shall be Lyable in the soume of Ten pound Sterling money to the Company under whom any of these souldiers serve To be decerned to them by the ordinar magistrat of the place where the said resetter concealler or Intycer Lives And that by and attour the souldiers being Lyable to any militarie punishment Conforme to the articles of warr And also wee with advyce forsaid doe strictly prohibite and discharge all ministers and others within this our ancient Kingdome to Joyne in marriadge any souldier under our pay and service with any woman whatsomever without first proclamatione of there bannes on three severall² sundayes at the paroch Churches where the woman Lives and the souldiers quarters for the tyme And that no proclamation of bannes shall be granted to any souldier for marriadge without a testificat subscryved and sealled by the Captain and Comanding officer of the regiment wherein the said souldier serves for the tyme be first delyvered to the ministers of the Churches where the proclamatione is to be made and recorded in the sessione books thereof bearing that the said souldier to be proclamed is a single persone with Certificatione to any minister or others who shall contraveen the premises That they shall be Committed to prisone for the space of Three moneths and be otherwayes punished Conforme to the Lawes of the Land as the merite and Circumstance of there transgressione shall deserve Our Will is Herefore and wee Charge yow Strictly and Comand That Incontinent thir our Letters seen ye pass to the mercat croce of Edinburgh and to the mercat croces of the head burghes of the severall shyres and stewartries within this Kingdome and there in our name and authoritie make publicatione hereof That none pretend Ignorance And ordaines our sollicitor to send printed Coppies hereof to the shirreffs of the severall shyres and stewartries whom wee ordaine to see the samen published at the mercat crosses and also at the severall paroch churches and meeting houses within there respective Jurisdictiones upon the Lords day Imediatly after divyne service As they will be ansuerable And ordaines these presents to be published and printed Given under our signet at Edinburgh the sixteent day of september and of our reigne the fourth year J^aj vj^c nyntie tuo years sic subscribitur Tweeddale cancel: Drumlangrig Linlithgow Lothiane Forfar Kintore Breadalbaine Tarbat Balhaven Polwarth William Anstruther Francis Montgomerie