Chapter XVI: Monastic Economics
“Also, that he purchase no lordship to speak or to plead against his Lord the Abbot, nor against his neighbours, under the penalty aforesaid.
“Also, whosoever he be that receives not the Abbot's servants when on his service shall be fined in forty shillings, and unforgiven for his default.
“Also, that he shall be no man's man, but only the Abbot's, and that he take service with no man without special leave of the Abbot, or whom the Abbot deputes, or gives him liberty to serve with—under the penalty aforesaid.
“Also, that he shall set no crop land to anyone without leave of the Abbot, under the penalty of forfeiting his holding.
“Also, that no man purchase lordship against the Abbot in any way to his hurt or that of the common profit of the house, or slander him or his monks in word or deed, under penalty of one hundred shillings, and forfeiture of his holding, and removal from it without mercy, as it is before written.
“Also, he that dirties his land with guld and does not clean it by Lammas shall pay a merk without mercy, and if the land be afterwards found dirty all his goods shall be escheated.
“Also, whoever he be that makes wrongous landmers, or consels them, or suffers men to occupy them, shall certify the Abbot and the Convent within sufficient time—that is to say, within the space of six months following from the time that he has knowledge thereof—under the penalty before written.
“Also, whosoever has goods to be sold,—whether marts, wedders, or fed swine,—shall offer their goods at usual and compatable price to the Abbot's officers before they go to any market, under the penalty aforesaid.
“Also, that no man be found by an inquest a common brawler, or an unlawful neighbour ; but each tenant act towards the other neighbourly, under pain of law.
“Also, that each tenant be ready, without obstacle or debate, to compear at Court, or at Whitsunday, when they are warned by the sergeant on the day before, to come on the morrow, as lawful day and lawful warning, under pain of fine by the Court.
“Also, that no man go with their corn or their multure from the Abbot's mill, under the penalty of forfeiting his holding, and a punishment of an hundred shillings.
“Also, whatsoever tenant belonging to the sukin of the Mill of Dalmulin, or to the sukin of any other mill of the Abbot and Convent, wherever it be within the Abbot's land, who upholds not his part of the dam sufficiently, or does not come when he is warned by the farmer to mend and repair, if anything be in need, for the first fault he shall pay five shillings, and the second ten shillings, and the third time shall suffer forfeiture of his holding without mercy.
“Also, that no man be found by an inquest a common destroyer of the Abbot's wood, under the pain of forfeiting his holding and the fine, namely, . . .
“Also, that no tenant, man or woman, be found an adulterer by an inquest of their neighbours, under pain of forfeiting their holding without mercy.
“Also, whatever tenant or farmer that pays not his rent and farm with service forfeits his holding, and shall not presume to occupy it in time to come.
“Also, that whenever they are charged with their bwnys in harvest and other times of the year in the service which they owe, if they come not on the day on which they chance to be summoned, the sergeant shall take from each defaultour a wedder, and the second time two wedders, and the third time an ox or a cow, for the Abbot's behoof, without remission.
“Also, that no one be found an unlawful neighbour, or brawler with the Abbot's servants of his house, or of his retinue, nor strike them or any of his tenants, under penalty of five pounds and forfeiture of his holding.
“Also, that any tenant on the Abbot's land, in the lands of Kilpatrick in the Lennox, who, without the Abbot's leave specially asked and obtained, shall haldin nychburis and plow to his neighbour after the old stent, as use and custom requires, shall forfeit his holding.
“Also, the other payments of the defaulters of the aforesaid points, is one hundred shillings to the Abbot, unrecoverable, to be raised, and the holdings of the defaulters to be in the Abbot's—(sic)
“Also, in addition to these, all other statutes and styles, use and wont, anent greenwood, guld and swine, and other matters of neighbourship, shall be held binding as required by law.
“Also, it is ordered that each tenant dwelling within the Abbot's lands of the Lennox, or any other lands of the Abbot's, shall help and assist each other to pound strange cattle and goods that intrude to destroy or occupy the Abbot's land, and he that does not come to help his neighbour when he is warned, and does not assist him to pound strange cattle, his holding shall be in the Abbot's hand.
It will be seen from these regulations that the tenants of the Monastery were strictly looked after.