History of the family of Seton during eight centuries > Volume 1

414
RENTAL ROLL OF 1600
From a rental roll of the Marquis of Huntly, dated May 1600, and
extending over fifty-nine pages of print in small quarto, we gain some
notion of the worldly means of that potent lord. It embraces particulars
of the money and produce due from each of his extensive estates in the
lordships of Huntly, Enzie, and Badenoch, the barony of Fochabers, and
the lands of Mar, Cabrach, and Lochaber. The sum of 'silver mail,' or
money rent, is ^3819, besides ^636 of teind silver. The 'ferm victual
payable to the Earl was upwards of 4500 bolls, besides vast numbers
of cattle, sheep, pigs, capons, geese, chickens, eggs, etc., all duly
enumerated.' 1
On the 2nd of April 1603 a remission under the Great Seal was
granted to Huntly and his friends for going in open war at Auldquhenachan
and Glenlivet against the King's Lieutenant, the Earl of Argyll, in
October 1594; and a few days later (8th April) James vi. writes to the
Marquis from Berwick, on his way to London, requesting him to attend
his 'dearest bedfellow the Queen, as one in special for her convoy to the
metropolis.' 2
The period of three years between the Gowrie Conspiracy and the
Union of the Crowns in 1603 was marked by the reconciliation of the two
1 Chambers's Domestic Annals of Scotland,
i. 315.
2 Richmond and Gordon Writs.