Campveere Agreement 1676

Articles of Agreement for settling the Staple Port at Campheer
Ratified by the Convention. 9th July, and 12th October 1676

 

Parts of the 1676 Agreement

Dedication	Articles 1 - 6	Articles 7 - 13
Royal Commission	Articles 14 - 22	Articles 23 - 34
Commission by Royal Burghs and Veere	Articles 35 - 40	Confirmation

 

Articles 7 to 13

7. Sevintly. For the better preventing and eviteing of all perills and dangers that may be in the incoming to this porte, the magistratts are hereby oblidged to entertaine continually the marks, meiths, tuns and bowes at the entrie and within the channell leading to this toun in all places where it shall be fund requsite, and also that knowing and experienced pilots or pinks be appoynted to bring in and out the shipps belonging to the Scotts staple, at the charges of the employer, in stormie, mistie and dark wether; and als often as the saids pilots shall be employed and made use of, but no otherwayes in any sorte, their sallarie be regulated vpon all ordinar ocasions by the magistratts togither with the conservator or his deputie; and if throw tempest or storme of wether any shipps of the Scotts nation be in danger, and for their safftie the skipper be compelled or necessitate to promise to the pilots any exorbitant pilotage by them requyred for inbringing of the saids shipps in that case the skippers at thair saiff arriveall shall not be oblidged to pay all that they promised to them but the magistratts of this toun shall be holden to modifie according to equitie and right reasone.

8. Eightly. To the intent the shipps of the Scotts nation coming to the porte of this toun may be weel accommodate with a large and spatious haven and key of r the safe lying and unlivering of the saids ships and goods, the magistratts of this toun are hereby holden to appoynt the whole shoire wherewith the Scotts shipps have been served in tyme bygane from the bridge to the hous called Oliphant, and that the same be keeped free only for the use of the Scotts nation, provyded with key crans, good help and assistance with boatts, deckboatts, lighters, especiallie in tyme of frost when shipps cannot come to the haven, that there be appoynted a good number of sledds, waggons, and labourers for the tymely loading and unloading of the Scotts shipps and goods, which labourers hyre shall be regulate by the conservator and magistratts of this toun; and if it shall so happen that the haven so appoynted by the magistratts be not sufficient to conteine all the number of Scotts shipps that shall happen to come, in that case the magistratts shall caus accommodate them with so much more place as shall be neidfull by causing their haven master remove all other shipps from the shoire, to the end there may be no contraversie fall out betuixt the mariners of the Scotts nations and those of other nations, and the magistratts shall take such ordor in this point that these of the Scotts nation may have no caus to compleane; and the shoir masters shall by the magistatts be ordained to keep the saids haven and keyes voyd and cleare that the shipps of the Scotts nation may the more commodiously unload and reload without any hinderance or molestation. The haven master shall lykwayes have a caire that at all occasiones whren the Scotts shipps are comeing in and going out the haven shall be patent and open to them without any impediment; and if at any time the shoir master or any in his name shal maliciously cast louss or cutt any cable or any other rope upon the shoir of any of the Scotts shipps he shall be punished therefore by the magistratts at te sight of the conservator or his deputie, and if the magistratts or shoir master faill in any of this article the magistratts to be lyable for all caost, skaith, and damnage.

9. Nynthly. That the merchands of the Scotts nation coming to this toun in their negotiations may be weill served with pioners, labourers and workmen, with sellers, warehouses and lofts, at ane moderate and easie pryce to be payed by the saids persones; and in case any burgar or other inhabitant shall demand of the saids merchands unreasonable rates the magistratts of the city shall moderate the samen, and the hyre of the labourers and workmen shall be payed according to the rates that shall be agreed upon by the conservator and magistratts of this toun to be sett doun in ane table, to be made and published for that purpose, of the wages to be payed for the sledds, waggons, and workmen, as also of the scoutt boatts by watter goeing and coming from this toun to Midelburgh, that the labourers and workmen may be holden to observe and keep the same invoilable conforme to the tenor hereof, the master of the skoutt boatts to be lyable for any damnage susteaned betuixt Midelburgh and Campheer; and all merchandizing doods unlivered out of the Scotts ships shall be caried and transported off the shoir in the winter before threi hours in the aftirnoon, and in summer before sex hours at night; and if any of the saids labourers or workmen shall committ any incivility, be word or deed, to any merchands, faactors, skippers, mariners or other persones belonging to the Scotts staple, the magistratts shall furthwith caus such to be punished according to the demerite of the fact; and in case any of the goods and wairs belonging to the saids merchants comes to susteane any damnage or loss by the inadvertance, willfullness, and delay of the cran master, his substitute or his servants by him employed for the loadning and unloadning of shipps, the cran masters shall be oblidged to make good the said damnage and loss so occasioned, and in case of refuseall shall be thairto compelled by the magistratts; also the workmen and sladers shall be oblidged to make good all damnages and losses that shall happen to merchands goods throw thair default.

10.Tenthly. And for the better accomodation of the Scotts nation in this toun, the magistratts shall be holden to provyde a fair and large hous weell accommodate for ane conserjarie hous, which house shall be free from all excyse and impost upon wyne and beire, the yeirlie rent and constant repaire of the said hous to be at the charge of the toun, and if the said hous shall not be fund sufficient the magistratts are hereby halden by ane new addition to enlarge the same, or if it shall be fund necessary to have another house of interteanment the same to enjoy the lyke priviledges as is abovementioned, onlie the rent of the secound hous to be payed at the charge of the nation; and the master of the conserjarie hous is hereby halden to repaire such things as are willfullie spoyled or damnadged throw his default within the hous.

11. Eleventhly. That if it should happen (which God forbid) that any of the Scotts nation, or any belonging to the Scotts staple port, haueing dependance thereon, should in this toun or jurisdiction thairof committ such a cryme or fault for which he ought to be punished capatillie by the loss of his life or limb, in that case it is by this article agreed unto (notwithstanding of the forsaid cryme) that his goods shall not in any sorte be lyable to forfaulture or confiscation, but the same shall remaine free to his airs or executors, only the delinquent to pay ten punds Fleemish, and to be free as to his goods according to the priviledge granted to this toun by the Earle of Zealand; and in lyke maner all the goods and others that shall be fund in his custodie belonging to any other merchand, principall or freend, shall not be lyabke to any conmfiscation for any offence by him committed although it wer in crimine leso majestatis of whatsomevir kynd, bot the same goods shall be holden free and made furthcomand to the right owners and proprietars thairof, and also that no person who may be guiltless or innocent shall for the offence guilt or fault of any other be in anywayes arreisted or molested in his persone or goods except he shall be fund bund and oblidges either in his persone or goods for another.

12. Tueltly. That no person belonging to the Scotts staple shall or may be arreisted in hoe persone and goods (in the toun or jurisdiction thairof) for debt or any other civill action wherupon no sentenceis past, except there be fund just caus of supition that the pairtie is about to absent himself; and in case of a decliared sentence the magistratts are hereby holden not to give ordor for arreistment of any of the Scotts nation untill the same be first knowen to the lord conservator or his deputie being present in the toun that the pairtie may give caution, and upon knowledge of the matter the proces may be determined.

13. Threttently. That no native or stranger, burgers of this toun or indueller therein or jurisdiction thairof, shall have power or be permitted to trade, deal, or traffique in Scotland in any goods or merchandice which are already declared or shall heiraftir be declaired staple commodoties by bringing them over themselves or causing others to bring them, upon the penaltie of having the saids goods confiscated toties quoties by the magistratts of the toun, and if any persones of the Scotts nation shall be fund in their names to cover, conceal, and negotiat for the above said persones, they shall be punished by the conservator or his deputie according to the lawes of the staple court; and it is by this article furder agreed that no persone of the Scotts nation shall be made a free burgar of this toun withour knouledge and consent of the conservator or his deputie, and they who ar alredie burgars shall in no maner of way be favoured to trade in staple goods untill such tyme as they have quytted their right of burgership and thereafter be legallie admitted and declaired by the conservator or his deputie as members of the Scotts staple court, upon the penalties above exprest, nether shall any induellar in this toun be admitted under the Scotts staple court without the knowledge and consent of the magistratts.