Alexander, by the grace of God king of the Scots, to all worthy men of his entire land [sends] greeting. Know us to have given, conceded, and by this our present charter to have made firm, to the abbot and convent of Melrose, that they may have, hold, and possess for ever, all the lands between the Gala and the Leader which they have held, or in the possession of which they have been; and also to have conceded, and by this our same charter to have made firm, to the same abbot and convent, all other lands which they have held or in the possession of which they have been on the south side of the Tweed, which are adjacent to the lands of Lessudden and the lands of the monks of Kelso, so that they shall in future build as well buildings as whatsoever other things are useful for themselves and their own, wheresoever within the aforesaid lands they see fit, and they shall make use of all the aforementioned by all means as they shall consider most expedient, so that all those lands and whatever is contained within the same lands, as much below ground as above, they may have in future in free, pure, and everlasting alms, outside the forest. And we and our heirs and successors shall warrant all the aforementioned things to the same abbot and convent against all men; withholding for ourselves nothing of right on the same lands or within the same in future, nor asking anything in return for them besides prayers only. As witnesses: Geoffrey, elect of Dunkeld; Laurence of Abernethy; Bernard Fraser; Thomas son of Ranulf; William of Lindsay; Daivd of Lindsay; Alexander of Stirling. At Ancrum, on the third day of December, in the twenty-second year of the reign of the lord king.
