Legal Definitions - responde book

In historical Scots law, a responde book was an official ledger meticulously maintained by the chancellery, a government department responsible for royal affairs and records. This book documented all financial obligations, or "duties," that heirs were required to pay to the Crown when they legally inherited and took possession of land that had belonged to a deceased person, provided they had received a royal warrant (official permission from the monarch) to do so. Essentially, it served as the Crown's accounting record for feudal inheritance taxes and fees related to royal land grants.

• Imagine a powerful baron, Lord MacGregor, who dies, leaving his vast ancestral lands to his eldest son, Alistair. Since these lands were ultimately held directly from the Crown, Alistair needed to obtain a royal warrant to formally take possession and assume his father's feudal rights and responsibilities. The specific fees and homage payments due to the Crown for this transfer of ownership would be diligently entered into the responde book by the chancellery, ensuring the Crown had a precise record of its due revenue.

• Consider Lady Isabella, a widow, who inherits a significant agricultural estate from her deceased husband, Sir Duncan. While the estate had been in her husband's family for generations, its ultimate ownership was tied to a royal grant. For Lady Isabella to legally secure her title to the land and manage it as her own, she applied for a royal warrant. The chancellery would then record the "relief" (a type of inheritance tax) and any other associated duties she was obligated to pay to the monarch in the responde book, marking the official financial transaction for her succession.

• Suppose a wealthy merchant, who had acquired several parcels of land directly from the Crown, passes away. His nephew, Robert, is his designated heir. As these lands were held directly from the monarch, Robert needed a royal warrant to confirm his right to them. The various payments, such as feudal incidents or entry fines, that Robert had to render to the Crown for this official recognition and transfer of property would be meticulously documented in the responde book, serving as the Crown's ledger for these specific inheritance-related revenues.