ABSTRACT
Many of the troubles of the citizens arose from the fact that there were several classes of citizen, all insisting on their rights. The ‘top people’ in the burghs were the merchants. It can easily be seen, given the Scottish character, that these disparate elements could from time to time boil up into a good tulzie or two. modern European conditions there is a tendency to think that the industrial community is the most important factor in the country’s economy. The merchants, exercising their monopolies in inward and outward trade, nevertheless had certain duties, apart from special taxation. Merchants were expected, apart from being liable for general military duties when called up by the sovereign, to keep order in the burghs. Bearing in mind that the bulk of the trade was in the hands of the merchants, it was probably natural that the Government should incline to the side of the merchants.
