Minstrelsy of the Scottish border - National Library of Scotland

116 MINSTRELSY 01'
" el UbcrUdis Biirgi noslri anlcdict. dcslruccionem et pre-
"judicium ac ingens 7iobis dampnum penes nostras CusUi-
" mas etjirmas burgalcs et eodem nobis debit, si subitum
" in eisdem remedium 7ninime habitum Jtierit NOS igitur
" pietati et jusiicia moti ac pro poUcia et edijiciis infra
" regmtm nostrum liahcnd. de novo infeodamus," Sfc. The
charter proceeds, in common form, to erect anew the
town of Selkirk into a royal burgh, with all the privi-
leges annexed to such corporations. This mark of royal
favour was confirmed bj- a second charter, executed by
the same monarch, after he had attained the age of ma-
jority, and dated April S, 1538. This deed of confirma-
tion first narrates the charter, v/hich has been already
quoted, and then proceeds to mention other grants,which
had been conferred upon the burgh, during the minority
of James V., and which are thus expressed " : We
" for the gude trew and thankful service done and to
" be done to ws be owre lovittis the baillies burgesses
" and communite of our burgh of Selku-k and for cer-
" tain otheris reasonable causis and considerationis mo-
" ving ws be the tennor hereof grantis and gevis license
" to thame and thair successors to ryfe out breke and
" teil yeirlie ane thousand* acres oftheir common landis
" of our said burgh in what part thairof thea pleas for
" It is probable that Mr Robertson had not seen this deed, when he
wrote his Statistical Account of the Parish of Selkirk ; for it appears,
that, instead of a grant of lands, the privilege granted to the commu-
nity was a right of tilUng one thousand acres of those which already
belonged to the burgh. Hence it follows, that, previous to the field of
Flodden, the town must have been possessed of a spacious domain, to