Spottiswoode Society > History of the affairs of the Church and State of Scotland from the beginning of the reformation to the year 1568 > Volume 1

RIGHT REVEREND BISHOP KEITH. 1
XIX
Knight, Lieutenant of the Tower of London, George Don-
ning, and Nathaniel Taylor, Esquires, 1 '' were added to the
Committee appointed on the 23d of July. At a meeting of
the " Council of State 11 on the loth of September, at which
Cromwell presided, a report was read from Johnston of
Warriston, Barkstead, Taylor, and Beck, stating that they
had " severed and set apart 11 all the private Records, which
they enumerated, " being the prime judicature of all civil
causes 11 in Scotland ; and that they had caused an inventory
and duplicate to be made, that the same may be attested as
the " Council of State 11 may think proper, that " so one of
them may be kept here [London], and the other be sent into
Scotland, to be kept with the said Books of Entry, in case
the Council shall approve thereof, and shall order the said
books to be sent thither. 1 ' His " Highness the Lord Protec-
tor and the Council 11 were pleased to order that the specified
Books, " so severed and set apart 11 by the Committee, be sent
into Scotland, and delivered to the proper officer at the
castle of Edinburgh appointed for keeping the Records —
that Johnston of Warriston was to sign the duplicate, which
was to remain in the Tower, and the other duplicate, after
signature by three of the English referees, " together with
the said Books before specified, the said William Riley is
hereby authorized and required to deliver into the hands of
the said Sir Archibald Johnston, to be sent into Scotland
in such ship as the Commissioners for the Admiralty and
Navy shall appoint to carry the same, to be safely delivered
into the castle of Edinburgh, according to the said Order. 11
The nature of the documents thus ordered to be returned
will be ascertained from the " Inventory 11 of the Records,
which consisted as follows : —
1. Contracts, 486 volumes ; the first volume beginning
28th January 1560, and ending 25th October 1651, and the
last from 1st June 1649 to the 22d June 1650.
2. Decreet Books, 505 volumes, from 19th June 1492
to 19th February 1650.
3. Lawburrows, 26 volumes, from 6th September 1591
to 23d November 1649.