Selections from the Judicial Records of Renfrewshire ... With notes ... and ... facsimiles of old documents

Front matter

(SECOND SER f ES) SELECTIONS FROM THE llllutrtrial {DHIr tores' of MtnftttoMitt. ILLUSTRATIVE of the administration of the laws in the county, and MANNERS AND CONDITION OF THE INHABITANTS, IN THE SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURIES. WITH NOTES INTRODUCTORY AND EXPLANATORY, FAC-SLMLLES OF OLD DOCUMENTS, AND PLAN OF PAISLEY— 1490 till about 1545. BY WILLIAM HECTOR, SHERIFF-CLERK. PAISLEY: J. & J. COOK, 3 MOSS STREET. 1878. J. AND J. COOK, STEAM PRINTERS, PAISLEY. Metrication. To Sir WILLIAM STIRLING MAXWELL, Bart., Of Keir and Pollok, M.P., LL.D., &c, Sec, Eminent as a Legislator and Author and for his valuable public services on several Royal Commissions of enquiry into matters affecting Education andother important National interests, and the Representative of the oldest and one of the most distinguished Families in Renfrewshire, this Volume is, by permission, respectfully dedicated. %* When this Volume was passing through the Press, Sir William Stirling Maxwell, to whom it is dedicated, died at Venice, on the 15th January last.

In one of a series of letters to the author, Sir AVilliam says, — " I have been reading your Judicial Records of Renfrewshire with very great pleasure, and now offer you my thanks for the instruction and amusement they have afforded me ;" and in another, " I will have much pleasure in the connection of my name with the second volume, in which you do me the honour of proposing to inscribe it." From the interest thus taken by Sir William Stirling Maxwell in the publication of the Renfrewshire Records, as well as for other personal reasons, the author has much cause deeply to deplore his loss. Sir William Stirling Maxwell's wise and liberal conduct and opinions as a statesman, secured to him much deserved influence in Parliament, where he long represented his native county of Perth. By his death, Scotland has lost its foremost literary man, a most munificent patron of art, and warm and most sincere advocate of the cause of education.

In his more private relations he was kind and always accessible, an excellent landlord, and an intelligent and successful agricul turalist. To all matters of local interest he was ever ready to give his personal attention and sound advice. He represented the two ancient and influential families of Keir and Pollok j and his public services, recognised and rewarded by his Sovereign, were by his countrymen and the Government highly estimated and gratefully acknowledged. The Author. March, 1878.

Preface

IN the Record Rooms of the various Counties in Scotland, for the reception of Judicial Records for preserva tion and reference, there is an unwrought mine of valuable and interesting documents, embracing the elements of National and Local History, which have been accumulating since 1748, when the Sheriffs of Counties came, by the Act of George II. abolishing Heritable Jurisdictions in Scotland, to be appointed directly by and made responsible to the Crown. By that Act, the whole Judicial Records of the Courts of the Heritable Sheriffs and Baillies of Barony thereby abolished were also directed to be transferred to the custody of the Sheriffs appointed under it, and in many cases this provision of the statute was fulfilled. From the absence of sufficient accommodation, however, or through want of due appreciation of their value, these older Records, as well as the Records of the Sheriff Courts since accumulated, have, in many Counties, been improperly and carelessly buried in holes and corners, from which their resurrection for. preservation and publication, so far as historically important, has become a matter of public interest well worthy the attention of the Government.

So lately as 1873, the Judicial Records of the County of Renfrew were found to be in great part huddled together in a confused heap on the damp stone floor of the Record Room at Paisley, where, without arrangement or inventories, VI

PREFACE.

. and covered with dust, they were fast going to decay from neglect and damp; many of the judicial proceedings and some of the Registers of Writs being already amissing, and the bindings of the Registers and Court Minute Books falling from them, and the whole contents of the place in a condition altogether unsatisfactory and discreditable. In that year, the author of this volume was appointed Sheriff-Clerk of the County; and, on entering upon the duties of the office, found it necessary to decline taking possession of the Records, or to be held responsible in any way regarding them, so long as they were allowed to remain in their then condition. But through the influence and active aid of Patrick Fraser, Esquire, Sheriff-Depute, and after considerable correspondence with the Lord-Clerk Register, the Commissioners of Supply, and the Court House Commissioners of the County, authority and funds were at length given to the Sheriff-Clerk to put the Record Room and its contents, so far as not amissing or destroyed, into proper condition.

In carrying out this important, and, to him, very congenial duty, the Sheriff-Clerk had occasion to examine and arrange a large mass of old documents throwing light on the litigation and administration of the law in the Courts of the Hereditary Sheriff and Baillies of Barony, and also on the manners and habits of the inhabitants ofthe County, and other matters of local and historical importance; and believing that these might interest the public, he selected, and annotated, and published portions of them in the public press weekly during the last three years. The period of time to which these publications mostly refer — 1680 to 1750 — was a most interesting one in Scottish history. The Country had long endured the tyranny and persecution of the Stuarts, but had secured, by the revolu tionary settlement, civil and religious freedom and the

PREFACE.

. VII enactment of just and merciful laws, and began to recover from a condition of great prostration and poverty in all its interests. The documents published in our first volume were such as to be likely to gratify the taste of the antiquary, and help the student of political and social science in his in vestigations into the history of that eventful period, as well as useful to the general public for reference. In 1875, a call was made for such of these papers being collected and published by subscription ; and a series of them accordingly appeared in the following year, and a large impression was disposed of. The publishers have been urged to print a second series; and the present volume being largely subscribed for, is now presented to the subscribers and the general public. The author gratefully acknowledges the assistance he has received in compiling both volumes from James Caldwell, Esq., Clerk of Supply ; David Semple, Esq., F.S.A.; Rev. James Mercer Dunlop, Pollokshaws; and John Cook, Esq., Editor of the Paisley and Renfrewshire Gazette, by loans of books and otherwise ; and he has been encouraged to per severe in his work by the favourable notice of the first volume by the Newspaper Press, and the commendations of many correspondents whose opinions he highly appre ciates.

The author is quite aware that a work, such as this, which offers few inducements of an amusing or popular description to the general reader, requires an apology for its publication ; and he can only plead that, finding much to amuse and interest himself in the documents passing, in the course of their arrangement, through his hands, he has presumed to think that many of his readers may find, in the selection he has made from these antiquarian and dry as-dust documents, and his hurriedly prepared annotations, an interest somewhat akin to his own. At all events, the

PREFACE.

. documents he has ventured to publish being neglected and hid from the public, he hopes to be excused in now present ing them, although unhappily, they may be held by the more critical to be rather " more curious than important." The contents of the volume, the author is aware, are not such as to attract the general reader, but those rather who are interested in antiquities. His chief object in the com pilations now completed has been to prompt others, who, like himself, have the opportunity as custodiers of public records, to follow his example, and "go and do likewise," feeling strongly, as he does, that this is a duty which they owe to the public of the various Counties in Scotland, and one which, on no account, they ought to shrink from — as well as the still greater and more important duty of calling on those bound to provide sufficient accommodation for the safe custody and careful preservation of County Records, to make such provision in the form of Fire Proof and well-ventilated Record Rooms, which his enquiries enable him to say are very generally needed. dgsotitattss.

Section I. COUNTY REPRESENTATION, FREEHOLDERS, &c. PACE Parliamentary Representatives of Renfrewshire : First Period, 1593 to 1707, 9 Second Period, 1707 to 1832, 12 Third Period, 1832 to 1874, 18 British Parliament — Election of Representative from the County, and Commissioner from the Burgh of Renfrew, 1727, 20 The County Election of 1734, 25 The Freeholders of Renfrewshire, 1747 to 1831, 31 Striking of the Fiars, 40 Renfrewshire Fiars, 1754 to 1875, 45 Section II. OLD COUNTY FAMILIES AND ESTATES. Napiers of Blackstone, 51 Walkinshaws of Walkinshaw, 55 Walkinshaw of "thatIlk's" Doctor's Bill, 1712-20, 58 Semples of Balgreen, 62 Hows of Damtoun and Penneld, 65 M'Dowalls of Castlesemple, 67 The Estate of Houston, 72 Section III. COUNTY COURTS. The Administration of the Law, 76 The Sheriffs'of Renfrewshire, 1680 to 1730 79 Remarkable Sentence by the Sheriff, 1685, 81 Oppressive Punishment for Common Assault, 1687, 84 Conflicting Heritable Jurisdictions and Consequent Oppression of the Lieges, X CONTENTS.

PACE Reprehensible Condonation of Crime by Law Officers, 1867, 90 Oppressive Prosecution and Sentence against the Multurer of Seedhill, 1693, 93 Scandalous Sentence for Petty Theft, 1709, 98 Iniquitous Prosecutions under the Game Laws, 1716 101 Continuance of the Prosecution in other Parishes, 105 Outrageous Penalty for the Rescuing of Recruits at Kilbarchan, 109 Prosecution for Brawl on the Highway, 1716, 112 Killing a Horse, Charged in Criminal Libel as Murder, 1721, ... 115 Vindictive Punishment of Three Paisley Weavers, 1749, 118 Court Procedure in Civil Cases, 121 Summary Process for Debt, 1745, 124 Moderation in a Lawyer's Bills, 1716 and 1747, 126 What Litigation became after Heritable Jurisdictions had been Abolished, 129 A Two Years' Plea regarding a Church Seat, 1748, 131 Protracted Litigation in a Case for Rent, 1750, 133 Section IV.

SOCIAL CONDITION AND MANNERS OF THE PEOPLE, 1680 TO 1770. Introductory Observations 136 Rough Manners at Kilbarchan Manse, 1685, 138 Liquors in Common Use, 1787, 141 Brutal Night Assault, 1687, 143 Retention of Strayed Cattle, 1687, 146 Sheep Stealing, 1689, 148 Slander and Evil Speaking, 1697, 151 Prevailing Poverty of the Population, 1698, 154 Domestic Expenditure, 1701, 158 Attempted Damming of a Stream and its Results, 1702, 160 Travelling in Scotland in 1703, 162 The Educational Condition of the County, 1688-1750, 165 Queer Bee Case in Pollokshaws, 1705, 168 Feued between the Tenants of Farms of Henderston, 1707, 171 Brawl at Paisley Fair, 1716, 173 Custom-House Officer Mobbed by Women, 1717, 175 Reprehensible Assaulting of a Dancing Master in Port-Glasgow, 1720, 178 Rowdyism in Port-Glasgow, 1720, 1S0 Outfit and Tocher of a Farmer's Daughter, 1724, 183 Clandestine Marriage — Its Penalties in 1731, 186 Rough Treatment of a Fellow Tradesman, 1745, 18S Infliction of Personal Chastisement by a Paisley Merchant, i 749, 190 Amenities of Agricultural Life in Kilmalcolm, 1750, 194 Trade Combinations in 1773 CONTENTS.

XI Section V. PRISONS AND PRISONERS. PAGE State of Prisons and Treatment of Criminals, 1747T01820, 205 Sale of Malt Liquors in Prisons, 210 Incarceration for Debt, Desertion from the Army, etc., 215 Irregularities in the Incarceration and Liberation of Prisoners, 218 Section VI. THE BURGH OF PAISLEY. The Situation of the Town, 223 Plan of Paisley — 1490-1545, 227 The Cart and its Tributaries, 229 Streets and Roads, 233 Names of Original Feuars, 235 Tenure by Booking in the Burgh of Paisley, 240 The Yett House of Paisley Abbey, 245 Section VII. MISCELLANEOUS. An Edict of the Protector, Oliver Cromwell, 1656, 251 The Voluntary Principle, 1659, 253 Scotch Coins — David II. to Queen Anne, 258 Section VIII. RENTS, PRICES, Etc, 1730 to 1750. Introductory, 261 Rents of Maillings or Farms in Lower, Middle, and Upper parts of Renfrewshire, 262 Houston Estate, Tenants and Rents, 1731, 265 Funeral Expenses of Sheriff Semple, 1726, 275 Valuation of Lands in Lochwinnoch Parish, 1731, 279 Plenishing of Castlesemple, i 748, 282 Rent Roll of the Blackstone Estate in 1749, 288 Furniture and Plenishing of Blackstone House, 1751, 291 Farm Stock, Produce, Etc, 1730 to 1750, 294 Price of Horses, 296 Dairy Stock, 1730 to 1750, 298 Servants' Wages, 1730 to 1750, 300 Prices of Articles for Personal or Domestic Use and Miscellaneous Articles, 1730 to 1750, ILLUSTRATIONS.

Plan of Paisley, 1590-1545, (From the Plan based on the Abbot's Chartulary), To face Title page. View of Yett House of Paisley Abbey, ,, p. 250 FAC-SI MILES. Sheriff's Precept for Summoning Freeholders to Elect Member for County, 1741, , p. 31 Signatures of Renfrewshire' Landowners, ,, p. 51 Sheriffs of Renfrewshire, „ p.

Section I

. COUNTY REPRESENTATION, FREEHOLDERS, &c Uepresentanucs of i*enfnu)sljire. jftrst $)mo&, 1593 to 1707. f]pf=|f| HE historians of that remarkable period of Scotch history «*(3 liDh ft°m close of the reign of James VI. to the Revolu- <§U Lg) tion in 16S8, tell us that so far from seeking to gratify r their ambition by a seat in the estates of Parliament, the Commissioners sent to represent the barons or freeholders were wont rather to regard this distinction as imposing on its possessors a grievous and unbearable burden. The rent rolls of the aristocracy were in those days limited in amount, and the opportunity of travelling to Edinburgh otherwise than on horseback with a retinue of servants and horses, was impossible in the absence of all public conveyances from any part of Scotland to the Metropolis ; whilst living in Edinburgh entailed an expenditure altogether disproportioned to their limited incomes, and considerably greater than in their country mansions.

Few of the landowners, therefore, other than those holding the largest territorial possessions, cared to attend the estates of Parliament, or to take part in the making of the laws found now in the statute book. It must be borne in mind, too, that the laws of that time were, as a rule, made to crush out the liberties, civil and religious, of the people of Scotland, by subjecting them to numerous and unprecedentedly cruel and oppressive penalties, including even that of death itself, for offences wholly disproportionate to the punishment inflicted ; while many of the proprietors of land in the West of Scotland sympathised with, and in some instances suffered, for covenanting principles. 1! against which the laws we refer to were chiefly enacted. It cannot be supposed therefore, that, independently of the inconvenience and cost of attendance in Parliament, they would be over desirous to attend, or to take any active part with the Crown, the nobles, and the dignitaries of the Church in making such laws ; and to this feeling probably, quite as much as to the mere matter of expense, their reluctance to go to Parliament as Commissioners may be attributed.

In beginning our Second Series of County Records, we have thought that a list of the Parliamentary Representatives of Renfrew shire, from 1593 downwards, would be exceedingly appropriate; and in the present paper we append the names of the Commissioners appointed by the barons and freeholders of the County of Renfrew to represent them in the estates of Parliament, and who were personally present in the various Parliamentary sessions from 1593 to 1707. On two occasions between these periods — 1640 and 1663 — we find the county was not represented; while, on others, the number of Commissioners varied from one to three. It may also be remarked in passing, that nearly all the representatives for Renfrewshire were from the same families as have, from those early days to the present time, given most ofthe county representatives to the Imperial Parliament ; and, further, that after the advent of William and Mary, at the Revolution, the representatives of the county were, for a number of Parliaments, chosen from families of covenanting principles, — the Maxwells of Pollok, Cunninghams of Craigends, and Caldwells of that Ilk.

LIST OF COMMISSIONERS From the County of Renfrew, sent by the barons and freeholders to the Scotch Es'tates of Parliament, from 1593 to 1707. fames VI. 1593. 10 July. — Lairds of Houstoun and Pollok. 161 7. 27 May. — Lairds of Pollok and Castlemilk. 1621. I June. — Laird of Foulewood (Fullwood). Charles T. l633- 18 June. — Sir Archibald Stewart of Blackhall, and Patrick Fleyming of Barochan. 1 639. 26 Aug. — Lairds of Houstoune and Newark. 1640. 19 Nov. — No Commissioner for County. Andrew Semple, for Burgh of Renfrew. 1643. 22 June. — Cunninghame of Craigane, and John Schaw of Greenock. 1644. 4 June. — John Brisbane of Bishoptoune and John Schaw of Greenock. 1645. 26 Nov. — Lairds of Houstoune and Caldwell. Charles II. 1661. I Jan. — Sir Archibald Stewart of Blackhall and the Laird of Houstoune, Younger. 1 662. 8 May. —Sir Archibald Stewart of Blackhall. i663. 18 June. — No Commissioner for this County, and Ayr and Bute also unrepresented in this Parliament. 1669. 19 Oct. — Sir Archibald Stewart of Castlemilk and John Schaw of Greenock. 1670. 29 July. — Sir Archibald Stewart of Castlemilk and John Schaw of Greenock. 1672. 22 June. — John Schaw of Greenock. 22 Nov. — Sir John Schaw, Greenock. 2S June. — William Hamilton of Orbiestown. '673 i68o. Sir John Shaw of Greenock.

James VIL 16S5. 1686. 23 April. — The Laird of Orbieston and the Laird of Houstoune, Younger. 29 April. — The Laird of Orbieston and the Laird of Houstoun, Younger. William and Mary. 1689. 5 June. — Sir John Maxwell of Pollok. William Cunninghame of Craigens. 1690. 1690. 15 April. — Sir John Maxwell and Cunninghame of Craigens. 3 Sept. — Sir John Maxwell of Pollok. William Cunningham of Craigens. John Caldwell of that Ilk. I693- 18 April. — Sir John Maxwell of Pollok. William Cunninghame of Craigens. John Caldwell of that Ilk. William. 1695. 19 May. — Sir John Maxwell of Pollok. William Cunningham of Craigens. John Caldwell of that Ilk. 8 Sept. —Sir John Maxwell of Pollok. John Caldwell of that Ilk. 19 July. — Sir John Maxwell of Pollok. John Caldwell of that Ilk. 21 May. —Robert Pollok of that Ilk. 29 Oct. — Robert Pollok of that Ilk. 1696. 1698. 1700. 1700.

Alexander Porterfield of that Ilk. John Stewart, Younger, of Blackhall. Anne. 9 June. —Robert Pollok of that Ilk. Alexander Porterfield of that Ilk. 1702. >7°3- 6 May. — Sir John Houstoune of that Ilk. John Stewart, Yr., of Blackhall. Robert Pollok of that Ilk. 6 July. — Sir John Houstoun of that Ilk. John Stewart, Yr., of Blackhall. Robert Pollok of that Ilk. 1704. 1705. 28 June. — Sir John Houstoun of that Ilk. Sir Robert Pollok of that Ilk. 1706. 3 Oct. — Sir John Houstoun of that Ilk. Sir Robert Pollok of that Ilk. The session of 1706 was the last of the Scots Estates of Parlia ment. In that year, union with England was sanctioned by an Act then passed and consummated ; and the representatives of the county, elected by the barons and freeholders, were thereafter sent to the Imperial Parliament.

In the paper immediately succeeding, we give the names ofthe county members, from the Union in 1707 to the passing of the Act for the representation of the people of Scot land in Parliament, in 1S32 ; and in that following, the representa tives of the County under the Act of 1868, for the amendment of the representation of the people of Scotland, and the Ballot Act of 1872. .Heoresentatiues of iJenfremsljire. Srconfl pcrioO, 1707 to 1832. LTHOUGH the freeholders or landowners of the county had been averse to take the position of Commissioners from the barons and freeholders to the Scottish Estates Y*k2 V^ 0f Parliament, there seems to have been no difficulty in finding one of the local aristocracy to consent to represent the county in the British Parliament, even when the inconvenience and cost of travelling, and residence in London, must have been much greater than was incurred in attending the Scotch Parliaments at Edinburgh.

The Government of the United Kingdom, and the Legislation of the British Parliament for half a century after the Union, would seem to have been in accordance with the political views of the freeholders of Renfrew shire, as, until 1768, there was no such party seeling among them as to lead to the representation of the county being contested. Politics, however, became more exciting in the latter half of the century; and in this year, 1768, the county was contested by Sir John Shaw Stewart of Greenock and William M'Dowall of Castle- ■3 semple, when the latter was returned by a plurality of the freeholders present at the election. The names or number of the Electors, how ever, are not given in the minutes. Mr. M'Dowall held the representation till 1774, when Mr. John Crawford of Auchenames was unanimously elected, and continued member till 1780, when John Shaw Stewart of Greenock was unanimously elected by 42 freeholders.

Mr. M'Dowall was again elected in 1783, and also in 1784. Party spirit was again keenly manifested at the election in 1786, when the meeting of freeholders was unusually large, and John Shaw Stewart was chosen by 64 votes, against 44 given for Mr. M'Dowall. This election brought out that intense party feeling which was almost continuously thereafter shown at every election ; and on the return of Mr. John Shaw Stewart a protest was taken by the freeholders who voted for M'Dowall, against the pro ceedings of a meeting of the freeholders held a few days previous to the election, on the alleged ground that many just claims for enrolment had been rejected, and objections to freeholders, impro perly retained on the roll, disregarded. In 1790, John Shaw Stewart was re-elected by 22 votes, against 21 given for Alexander Cunningham of Craigends.

In 1796, there was present at the election 20 freeholders, and Boyd Alexander of Southbar was unani mously elected. In 1802, Mr. M'Dowall was again unanimously elected by 25 freeholders present; and again unanimously in 1806, by the 24 freeholders who then attended ; and again, in 1807, Mr. M'Dowall was elected by 31 votes, against 17 for Mr. Archibald Speirs of Elderslie. Mr. M'Dowall, who had so often represented the county, died in 1807, and his services were gratefully and unanimously acknowledged by a Resolution of the Freeholders at their Head Court, and they were also commemorated by a monument to his memory, erected by the county in the Abbey Church at Paisley. From 1807, the Whig interest predominated in the county; and we therefore find that, in 1810, Archibald Spiers was elected by 31 votes, against 15 given to Boyd Alexander of Southbar, and 8 for Archibald Campbell of Blythswood.

In 1812, Mr. Spiers was again elected by 39 votes, against 17 for Mr. Boyd Alexander. In 1818, John Maxwell, Younger of Pollok, was unanimously elected by 49 ofthe freeholders present; and in 1820, Mr. Archibald Spiers was elected by 60 votes, against 52 for Sir William Milliken Napier of Milliken. In 1826, Mr. John Maxwell was again elected, there being 35 freeholders present. In 1830, Sir Michael Shaw Stewart of Ardgowan, Baronet, was unanimously elected ; and in 1 831, on the motion of Sir John Maxwell of Pollok, seconded by Alexander Spiers, Younger of Elderslie, 33 freeholders again elected Sir Michael Shaw Stewart of Ardgowan, Baronet, — this being the last time the freeholders exercised their right of election, they being superseded in 1832, by the passing of the Act for the representation of the people in Scotland.

The examination of the minutes of the meetings of the free holders of the county afford abundant evidence that, until 1770, they took little interest in the politics of the time, and merely discharged their statutory duty of sending a member to represent the county in the House of Commons. Even the drain of the national resources for wars in which the country was little inter ested, and the costs of which were grievously burdensome, failed to stir them into activity. In 1770, only one freeholder, and, in 1771, two, attended the Michaelmas Head Court, when the roll of freeholders was re vised ; and few, if any, claims for admission to the roll, or objections to names on the roll, were considered. It was otherwise, subse quently, when political feeling was roused by such events as the de claration of American Independence, — the French Revolution, — and the war with France, — when the great amount of political discontent in the country led for its suppression to Legislation of a character now held to have been alike oppressive and unjust.

By this time the freeholders of the county had become disunited in opinion, and party warfare was keenly and persistently waged in order to obtain political ascendency in the county and to secure its representation for party objects. As an example of how the freeholders, or rather the county, was influenced by the politics of the thirty years from 1770 to the end of the century, and the desire for political power among the aristocracy of the county, it may be stated that while, before 1770, few claims other than those of heirs of the barons and freeholders were made for admission to the freeholders' roll, or objections urged against those on the roll who had been denuded of their right, numerous claims and objections came to be re gularly brought under the consideration of the freeholders at their annual Michaelmas meetings ; and so far was this carried, that, to get names expunged, as many as a dozen actions in the Court of Session were at one time raised by the two political parties, and enormous sums expended by their leaders in the attempt to maintain, or if possible to secure, the much-envied power of electing the member for the county.

The following table will, to some extent, give an idea of the keenness of the struggle between the Whig and Tory parties, in the decade between 1770 and 1780, — Claims and objections considered by Freeholders — 7770 to 1780. A. D. 1771, None. — 1772, 1 — 1773. 9 — 1774, 23 — 1775. 2° — 1776- I2 - 1778, 6 — 1779, I2 — 1780, 33 It is unnecessary to multiply examples, but the keenness here ex hibited continued till near the time of the passing of the Reform Act, when the incurring of trouble and expense for adding to the number of freeholders began to be deemed useless, and was gradually given up. It must be kept in view, when looking at these figures, that the number of freeholders never at any time exceeded 162 ; and these annual additions to, and expurgations from, the roll, were therefore a large per centage of the total number, and had a most material influence in the elections till near the beginning of this century, when the Liberal interest finally predominated in the county.

It may be noticed at this point, that at the Michaelmas Head Court, in 1775, there was laid before the meeting a letter from the Lord Advocate, with copy of a bill intended to be brought before Parliament, entitled, "A Bill for altering and amending the laws " which regulate the qualifications of freeholders entitled to vote in " the election of members to serve for the Commons in Parliament " in that part of Great Britain called Scotland ; " and the meeting, after reasoning on the merits of the bill, and the alterations proposed thereby, resolved, by a majority of voices, "that the said bill pro- " posed was inadequate, and therefore they rejected the same, and " appointed their preses to acquaint the Lord Advocate of their " resolution." Thus the spirit evoked by the political events ofthe period and the prospective struggles for liberty, of which even then murmurs began to be heard over the kingdom, made the freeholders resist as insufficient the small modicum of reform presented to them by the Lord Advocate.

JUDICIAL RECORDS OF RENFREWSHIRE. The following is a tabulated list of the Representatives of the County of Renfrew in Parliament, with the dates of their election, from the Union in 1707 to the passing of the Act for the better representation of the people in Scotland in 1832 : — list of Elections, Representatives, and Candidates, — iyoy-iSji. 1707. 23 Oct. — Sir Robert Pollok of that Ilk, Unopposed. 1708. 8 July. — Sir John Schaw, Bart., of Greenock, do. I7IO. 25 Nov. — Sir Robert Pollok, Bart., do. 1 710. 12 Nov. — Sir Robert Pollok, Bart., do. i7i5 17 Mar. —Sir Robert Pollok, Bart., do. 1722. 10 May. — Major Thos. Cochran of Craigmuir, do. 1727. 28 Nov. — Sir John Schaw, Bart., do. '734- 13 June. — Alexander Cunningham of Craigends, do. 1741. 25 June. — Alexander Cunningham of Craigends, do.

(Mr. Cunningham died in 1742.) 1742. 28 Dec. — William Mure of Caldwell, do. 1747 24 July. — William Mure of Caldwell, do. 1751. 29 April. — William Mure of Caldwell, do. 1 761. 19 April. — Patrick Crawford of Auchinames, do. 1768. 7 April. — William M'Dowall of Castle Semple. (Elected by a majority over Sir John Shaw Stewart of Greenock. Numbers of votes not recorded.) 1774- 24 Oct. — John Crawford of Auchinames, Unopposed. 17S0. 30 Sept. — John Shaw Stewart of Greenock. do. No. of voters present, 42 I783- 21 May. — William M'Dowall of Garthland, do. 1784. 17 April.— William M'Dowall of Garthland, Unopposed. 17S6. 19 Oct. — John Shaw Stewart of Greenock, 64 William Macdowall, 44 Majority for John Shaw Stewart, ... 20 1790. 24 July. — John Shaw Stewart of Greenock, 22 Alexander Cunningham, Craigends, 21 Majority for Mr. Stewart, 1 1796. 13 June, — Boyd Alexander of Southbar, Unopposed.