The Copie of the Complaynt quhilk was givin in befoir the Regentis Grace, be Arthour Sinclair of Ayth, contrair the Laird of Cultemalindie.
“My Lord Regent. Unto your Grace and Lordis of Secreit Counsale, humlie meins and lamentablie schewis I zour servitour, Arthour Sinclair of Ayth, for myself, and in nam and behalf of the remanent Gentilmen and Commonis and Inhabitantis of Zetland, That quhair that efter the cuming of Lord Robert Stewart, feware of Orkney and Zetland, to the dominioun of the saidis cuntreis, Laurence Bruce of Colpmalindy obtenit of him the office of Fowdrie of Zetland. And schortlie efter the said Laurence enterit to the possession of the said office, he himself, his servandis and complices in his name, of his causing, vsit sic divers wrangis and extortionis upoun us, contrair the lawis and auld custume of the said cuntrie; and specialie, it was the auld use and custume of Zetland, observit in all tymes bygane, that thair was ane discreit man of ilk parroche, by the rest, callit the Lawrichtman, quha meisourit our dewitie, callit Wadmaill, and weyit our dewitie of butter. And now the said Laurence hes causit ane of his awin chesing to do the same, contrair our lawis, to our grite hurt, in samekill that the said Laurence hes continewalie, sen his entrie thairto in the month of May or thairby, the zeir of God IM Vc lxxi zeiris, uptaking land maill and dewitie, callit Wadmaill, with ane wrang messour, swa that for ilk thre scoir Cuttell quhilk we aucht to haif pait, he hes compellit us to pay four scoir cuttell wadmaill, and swa hes augmentit us the fourt part of our dewitie.
“Secundlie, The said Laurence hes compellit us to pay the dewitie of our butter, on his wecht callit the Bismar for ilk tuelff lespound butter quilk was pait of auld, fyvetene lespund, swa that we are compellit to pay the fyvt part of our dewitie of butter mair nor ever was pait of befoir.
“Thirdlie, The said Laurence hes, sen his entrie foirsaid, compellit us to pay our restis and dettis, and deliver him siluer zoupindaillis for twa gudlingis, quhair as the same hes common courss in tymes by gane, and was ressauit for thre gudlingis be all fouldis preceding this twa hundreth zeiris bygane.
“Fourtlie, The said Laurence hes compellit the Duchemen and otheris strangearis resortand to the cuntrie of Zetland, be quhome the haill trafique of the said cuntrie consistis, to pay him alsmikle dewitie, be way of brybrie and extraordinar impostis, as they wer wont to pay of befoir to our Souerane Lord and his Fowldis, for his Hienes toll and custume. Quhairthrow the said straingearis qua furnissit us all victuallis, clayth, irne, hemp and vtheris necessars, are appeirand to absteine fra trafique in our said cuntrie, lyik as the principall men of thame hes els done, and that for the oppressioun committit upoun thame, to our grite scayth, without remeid be maid in tyme:
“Fyiftlie, In his accustomed maner, efter his arryvaill in Zetland, with fyfteine or sexteine armit men, cummis to the housses of us the Inhabitantis of the said cuntrie, and remanis thairintill quhill our victualis and provisiounis be speindit, compelling us to furneis him and his company, for feir of grittar oppressiouns; and swa depairtis but paiment of any expenssis and chargis maid be him and his dependaris to us or ony of us, and that in maner of sorning and skafrie, to our wrak and heirschip, we beand for the maist pairt all lawbouraris and fischaris.
“Sextlie, The said Laurence, contrair the custume of our said cuntrie, and lawis of this realme, hes at all tymes sen his entrie, causit courtis to be fencit and haldin within the feriat and cloiss tyme of hervist and vacance, for his particular profit: quhairthrow we micht not wait upoun our hervist, for winning of our cornis, hay, and uther necessaris to sustene us in tyme of winter: and lyikwyiss causit diverss of his servandis and suddartis, quhilk ar not native nor indwelland men of our cuntrie, to pass upon our assysses and inqueistis, contrair our lawis and custumes, perverting thairthrow our haill lawis to his particular comoditie.
“Sevintlie, The said Laurence, under pretence and cullour of nechtbourheid, quhair the use was that the haill parrochine, callit ane Skattell, pait for the unlaw of swyne worting, callit Swyne Rutting, xl s., he hes compellit ilk man in the parrochine to pay to him thairfoir thre zoupindaillis throw the haill Mayanland, quilk extendit in ane zeir in the Mayinland by the Yles to thre hundreth zoupindaillis, to our utter hership and wraik.
“Auchtlie, The said Laurence contenand in his oppressioun, quhair as be the auld custume of our saidis cuntrie, that for breking of nechtborheid, the haill parrochine, callit the Skattell, payit fyve gudlingis, now he compellit ilk man in the parrochine to pay for the said unlaw fyve gudlingis, quhilk will extend to grite sowmes, to the grite hurt of us the inhabitantis of the cuntrie.
“Last of all, the said Laurence hes continewallie sen his entrie in our said cuntrie, zeirlie and ilk zeir, usit to tak up dittayis, usit justice courtis, callit be us Grandraffis, quhilk was never usit of befoir bot ilk sevin zeir, thairthrow oppressing us with all kynde of tirrannie and wrang, and compelling us to gif and deliver to him our guidis and substance in grite quantitie, in sic sort that we ar altogidder put to grite povertie and herschip, swa that thair is na natioun under gritter slavrie and oppressioun be the meins foirsaidis nor we ar, and will be compellit to leif our cuntrie desolat of the pepill and lawbouraris, to seik our habitatioun in sum framit natioun, without your Grace and Lordschips provyde sum haisty remeid.