Series 4 > Knights of St John of Jerusalem in Scotland

lx
THE KNIGHTS OF ST JOHN
entered into a bond in favour of John Ballingall of that ilk. From
this it is learned that John had got possession in return for a sum of
money given to John of that ilk and, while in theory it was his in
perpetuity, in terms of the bond John of that ilk could recover the
property by handing over in the kirk of Dunbog at any time
within the next five years twenty two pounds Scots along with a
lease of the ground for five years from the date of repayment to
John of Dunbog. In the event of the property not being redeemed
within the five years, John of Dunbog undertook to discharge John
of that ilk of the debt, on condition of occupying the land and for a
further five years at a rent agreed on in the bond; after which he
and his heirs undertook to quit Colliston, presumably in favour of
John of that ilk. It is not clear whether the latter was in need of
money, or whether his kinsman wished to enlarge his holding, but
the time limit in the bond appears to favour the first interpretation.
It would appear that the debt was not repaid within the five years;
but John and his heirs did not quit in 1518, for in 1522 his daughter
Margaret, who may have received Colliston as a marriage portion,
with consent of her husband John Murray resigned it into the hands
of George Dundas who granted a charter to William Ballingall and
his wife Alison Gourlay. Four years later William resigned in favour
of his son William, with a clause reserving to his wife her terce if
she survived her husband.1
Yet another economic crisis reflected in the collected documents
is of sixteenth century provenance. In the summer of 1529, William
Fullarton, who held Logyardo from the order, was compelled to
sell the family home to one William Murray, probably as a result of
inflation which was raging at the time; but he did so with a right of
reversion reserved to himself, his heirs and assignees, and brother
George Dundas ratified the bargain by a letter of regress granted to
Fullarton on 11 August 1529. For ten years the Fullartons must have
toiled, dreamed and hoped; William died with the dream un¬
fulfilled, but in 1541 his widow and son paid the money and
recovered the heritage in a charter granted by brother Walter
Lindsay. In these and all such cases financial necessity was relieved at
the cost of losing or risking the permanent loss of a family heritage;
1 See documents 30-32, 40, below, pp.96-102, 105-7