1690 Vellum Document Instrumentum Sasina Saisin John Muir Of Maybole Ayr

I have here for sale a genuine antique VELLUM DOCUMENT being a SAISIN for JOHANNES MUIR  PRESENS PRAEPOSITIS BURGI DE AYRI - or for John Muir (Moore), present Provost of the Burg of Ayr. Written on sheep vellum.

The Moors (aka Mure, Muir) of Blairstoun (aka Middle Auchindrain) in Ayrshire, Scotland, were a branch of an extensive family which can trace its ancestry to Elizabeth Mure of Rowallan Castle who married Robert II, King of Scots. Their turbulent history in the late 16th century led them into a bloody feud with the all-powerful Kennedy clan of Cassillis and Culzean.

At the end of the 17th into the early 18th century the Moors dominated civic life in the Burgh of Ayr for about 40 years with father Robert, and his sons, Samuel and Robert, being in turns, Provost (mayor) of the Burgh as well as active merchants there. Robert Moor, senior, supported (against the wishes of his Council) the 1707 Act of Union with England. He was awarded £100 by the English Treasury but not long after was sacked as Collector of Customs at Ayr harbour due to his corrupt practices during an extended period of notorious smuggling activities from the Channel Islands to the Western Isles of Scotland. 

The document on offer here is part of a large collection of legal papers recording the Moor’s dealings with numerous neighbouring families such as Cathcart, Ferguson, Kennedy, Wallace, Chalmers and Cunningham. They are unique parts of fascinating family history from around 300 years ago.

For help in reading old documents see: http://www.scottishhandwriting.com/ (my thanks to my good friend James Brown for his help here and with my other legal documents)

In Scotland the General Register of Sasines - also known as the Sasine Register - is the oldest national land register in the world, dating back to 1617. Its name comes from the old French word 'seizer', which means 'take'. The Sasine Register is a chronological list of land deeds, which contain written descriptions of properties, names and details of the old and new owners and usually the price of the property. 

Early Scottish sasines are extremely rare and much sought after.