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Tack between William Fergusson of Doonholm and William Burnes, 11 December 1765.
This tack, or agreement, was made between William Burnes and Provost William Fergusson of Ayr. In it the two agree the terms of the Burnes family's lease on the farm of Mount Oliphant.
The farm lies on the estate of Doonholm, approximately three miles from Ayr. The farm included over seventy acres and the rent was forty pounds for the first six years of tenancy. For the following six years, it would increase to forty-five pounds.
A tack is an agreement similar to a modern lease. It is a contract between a landowner and a tenant, or 'tacksman', in which the tacksman could enjoy possession of the landowner's land for a certain time on payment of a set rent.
