1815 - 1817 Scroll Book - Nine Incorporated Trades of Dundee

The Clerk of the committee paid before the meeting an extract of the Minutes of a meeting of
the Toun Council which had been put into his hands this day by Mr Thomas Davidson Depute
Toun Clerk as follows:
“At Dundee the 30 th Day of March in the year 1816 which day the Provost Magistrates and
remanent members of the Toun council of Dundee being met and convened in council
consulting about the ordinary affairs of the Burgh Mr David Blair, a merchant councillor,
moved that the Minute of the Council dated the 9 th day of August last, be read by the Clerk
which motion being seconded by Mr Isaac Watt also a Merchant Councillor. The minutes were
read accordingly. After which the said Mr David Blair represented, That it appeared to him
that these minutes made certain admissions and concessions in favour of the Guildry which
were quite unwarrantable, and referred to certain chartered rights that the Guildry were
supposed to possess which were not before Council, and which either never had any existence
or had gone entirely into desuetude and been departed from, for much more than a century be
past. That in his opinion the tendency of the resolutions contained in these minutes was to
unhinge the constitution of this Burgh, and throw every thing established by legal authority
and long tried expediency into anarchy and confusion and that the Councils agreeing to
concur with the Guildry or their Committee in adopting the measures mentioned in these
minutes was extremely unguarded and contrary to Law. That the opinion of Lawyers had been
obtained, on a memorial and queries for the Toun Council and Guildry in which were fully set
forth the chartered rights above alluded to; but the Lawyers did not consider these rights to be
entitled to any sort of regard or that any claim whatever could now be founded by the Guildry
upon them, the said Mr David Blair therefore farther moved; That the said Minutes of
Council, date the ninth day of August last be rescinded in toto; which motion being seconded
and voted in Council was carried and approved of unanimously, with the exception of Bailie
Crichton who declined voting; and the Council therefore rescinded the said acts of the 9 th
August last in toto accordingly. The council direct an extract of this minute to be transmitted
this day to the persons calling themselves the Guildry Committee and authorised the Toun
Clerk to give out the Extract accordingly.
Extracted upon this and the two preceding pages furth of the records of Council by
(signed) Thomas Davidson D.C.
The Committee resolved to call a general meeting of the Guildry for Wednesday the 27 th
current in the Exchange Coffee room at 12 o’clock noon – and in the meantime they directed
the Clerk to insert in the Dundee Newspaper the minutes of Council of the 9 th August last as
well as the Minute of this date.
The Committee directed Mr David Jobson Councillor to the dean to demand from the Toun
Council the Petition by the Guildry which had been presented by him to the Toun Council on
the 1 st day of January last with or without deliverance.
The Committee directed the Clerk to apply to the Convener of the Nine Trades for a perusal of
the Memorial which the Trades had laid before council (Counsel?) regarding the dilapidations
by the Magistrates and Council and the opinion obtained thereon.
The Committee directed the Clerk to send a printed Circular to each member of the Guildry
inviting them to attend the meeting on Wednesday next.
Dundee 26 March 1816
Present
Robert Jobson, William Lindsay, John Peter, William Bisset, Thomas Ivory, David Blair jun.,
John Sturrock, Henry Blyth, Thomas Watt, Thomas Smart, Arch. Crichton, James Saunders.
Robert Jobson in the Chair
The meeting unanimously agreed that certain resolutions shall be moved as the Resolutions of
the Committee at the general meeting tomorrow and a scroll of these having been considered
they appended thereof and appointed Mr Jobson to be the mover thereof:
The following transcription in italics follows, but has had a line through the whole pages concerned
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