Scotland.- [Stewart (John, first Earl of Traquair, politician, c. 1599-1659)] [Diary relating to correspondence with various Scottish lords over the General Assembly of the Scottish Church], manuscript, 33pp., also later 19th century manuscript of Baptismal Register at Traquair and signed William Wallace, together 129pp. excluding blanks, slightly browned, engraved bookplate of Charles, Earl of Traquair on front pastedown, contemporary panelled calf, 2 brass clasps with engraved decoration, corners bumped, joints splitting at tail, spine slightly creased, 8vo (151 x 104mm.), dated in text 9th August - 8th November 1639 & 1821.

⁂ "Agust 9 I reseved a pacquet from ye Marq of Hamilton about mattr in ye Club..."; Septem 27 I send a pacquet to ye Earle of Stirling... in was a letter direct to ye Marques... a letter to his maties worde...; Oct 19 The Earle of Rothes told me (in presense of of my lord privie seale & Argyle) yt ye president had ?Missen are letter to them, therby he did submitt him self to yare sensure for that over you should lay to his charge." Correspondence with the Marquess of Hamilton, Earl of Stirling, Earl of Rothes etc.

An important moment in Scottish history. The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland's abolishment of the Scottish episcopacy. "In March 1639 Charles issued private instructions for Traquair to fortify and arm Edinburgh Castle, a task which the treasurer soon found logistically impossible to execute, obliging him to garrison Dalkeith Palace until a suitable opportunity arose to transport the weapons into Edinburgh. This chance never came, as Traquair quickly surrendered the palace and its contents to David Leslie, whose team of 1000 musketeers surrounded Dalkeith on 19 March. Traquair immediately went underground, resurfacing in York with Charles himself in April, and later returned to Scotland as lord high commissioner to the general assembly of August. This session resulted in the abolition of episcopacy in Scotland, but the treasurer seems only to have conceded this as a means of buying time, as shown by his strategic postponement of parliament (which would have ratified the assembly legislation) to June 1640." - Oxford DNB.