Knight Baronet, the costs…

First, James arranged to borrow 3000 merks from William Robertsone of Edinburgh (Bond dated 20 August 1664) to pay the fee.  When the Patent was awarded the following year, James paid John Teller “Masmad” alias Roxburg herald 200 merks as herald’s due. Then, £60 Scots to the Gentleman Usher for organising the investiture ceremony. A further 40 merks to Alexander Ferguson, one of the 5 trumpeters for the fee due to them for “the honour and dignitie as knight and baronet…”, together with 80 merks fees to the macers of H.M. Privy Council and Exchequer. And that was just the participants in ceremony. There were the court clothes, and commissioning a portrait of the new baronet in all his finery… The main debt lingered on…

By the 1670s, Sir James had so many debts that when he died in 1674 there was a rush to call them in. His sister Margaret had to hastily renegotiate the bond that was security for her house and stables in the Netherbow.